The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-09-05

up to the office. While he was there th,
cage was RAM up from the 3OO-foot leve
and O'Neil came up and called for me tx
help him out. He said: Help me out;
got bad air. For Gods sake 90 down and
get my partner out OF the 3OO-foot level.
Hale and myself got into q car in the cage
and called to the engineer to lower US. When
we got to the 33O-foot level, he started
ahead n I followed him. Before coming
/ to q canvas door 200 feet from where
Murrish lay Hale asked me il my candle
was lit. | said ''Yes," and in passing the
door l was careful not to let my candle 60
out rs we had only one match. Hale was
ahead OF me going through the door and !
fifty feet further on called out, "Johnnie!' r.
but got n 10 answer. l went on and not
seeing any light I turned and went in the
cross-cut, and could see the face Of the
cross-cut but could see no light. Then /
went on in the main drift about one hun
dred feet and l heard a man moaning. I
called again for Johnnie but got nc answer.
| went on until l cauie to Murrish lying in
the main drift. l caught him by the
shoulders. but could discover no signs OF
hfe. Then l dragged him until my strength
failed me, and when 1 saw there was
no life in him l placed him in q half
sitting posture to the right of the
drift with his head out of the water.
All this time l kept calling for Hale.
When I first look hold Of Murrish I saw
another man lying on his face and hands
ahead OF me. After putting Murrish up in
the drift l started back to where / thought
Hale was, but when I Strengthened up in
the drift my candle went out and l fell,
overcome by the gas. l CROPPED around in
the drift and caught an air pipe and worked
mv9Q1f fnwar d tho choff aol nc did a.,
felt better air. did not see Hale fall, but
from my experience I think when he was
overcome by the gas he attempted to
crawl out, but being bewildered vent to-
wards the face OF the drift. Before l got to
the cage l met the men comingt to the rescue
as | was giving the alarm. After coming up
l heard kellogg, the superintendent, say:
"O'Neil, how often have I told you not to
go in there" l could not hear O'Neil's
answer.
Superintendent Kellogg also made Estate
ment at the first sitting of the inquest
which, though not throwing any light upon
the manner OF the death Of the unfortunate
men, fully exonerates that gentleman from
all blame in the matter. Mr.. Kellogg said
John Hale was shift boss at the Lexington
mine, and it is his duty to supervise it's
workings. The place where he died was at
the west drift on the 3OO-foot level. He
went on shift at 6 O'Clock last night. In
the south cross-cut from the 3OO-foot level
they are working with the Burleigh or In
gersoll air drill. The nearest Wine to it is
about 800 feet. They drill from seven to
nine holes, and in blasting the air is driven
out. Then the men have orders not to 90
back there again until the air is purified by
the thrush OF fresh air. After five or six or
eight hours other men go back there. The
shift firing the blasts a strict orders not
to go back on that shift. The shift that
went on last night at 6 O'Clock fired the
blasts between 3 and $3.50 o'clock a. m,
and went back between that time and 4
O'clock"
The testimony OF one OF two Others was
taken, but the above contains all the es-
sential facts in the d~eplorable catastrophe.
The jury, after hearing all the testimony,
rendered the following verdict:
TERRITORY OF MONTANA,
COUNTY OF SILVER Bow |
An inquisition holden at VAUDEVILLE, in
the said county Of Silver Bow, ON the first
and second days of September, A. D., 1885,
before me-, w. l. Lippincott, a Justice OF
the Peace and Acting Coroner OF saiu
county upon the body OF John Hale, there
lying dead, by the jurors whose names are
hereunto subscribed, the said jurors upon
their oaths do say that the said John p.
Hale came to his death on the first day OF
September, A. D., 1885. at the Lexington
mine in Walkerville, in said county, from
suffocation from blasting; and it appears
to the jurors from the testimony Of the wit
nesses that the said John 2. Hale came to
his death in ~endeavoring to rescue Henry
Murrish, a man working under his charge.
In testimony whereof the said jurors have
hereunto set their hands this second day OF
September, A. D., 1885.
JOHN H. LArEY, Foreman.
CHARLES w. HANsCOMBE,
DENNIS DRIsCoLL,
T. s. KILGALLEN,
/. B. HUTCHINSON,
E. j. WRIGHT.
w. I. L~IPPINCoTT,
Justice OF the Peace and Acting Coroner.