Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-04-30
Tunnel Dr;ftinss.

zSEn There were som
As@ more air-drill> pu
to work last week.
1t quite amusing
&l SsI TO see the youn,
gents, with thei
49, s. f5<sS5Y best girl, visiting tn
hill on Sunday after
Moons. How the,
lock arms, l sup
pose it is to keep them-the girl l mean
from falling down some of the many preci
pieces or prospect shafts.
Last Saturday was pay day at the Knob.
Messrs. Chouteau and Potter visited the
mines, in company with Manager Simpson
last Tuesday afternoon.
1t is quite dangerous for visitors, not ac.
quainted with the mines, to pass the No.
| Tunnel, as they have been blasting up the
bottom in that place.
| Wheclbarrow men are in great demand
here, as there are not many that take well to
! the shafts.
Section foreman Kidd is laying the heavy
| steel rail on all the main tracks throughout
the tunnels.
DcicNOltul .AsStCldtloH III nav 4
their hands full at present. There are a
good many on the sick list. Look out, boys !.
Somebody has reported that they have seen
some of you, who have been presented with
certificates, building fence, spading gardens,
etc.
The 'ompanv is widening out the entrance
TO No. Tunnel, preparatory to laying
double track in to the Tunnel.
Mr.. Samuel Wigger, one who WAS in the
explosion last "Wednesday morning, is up
and going around. Sam. says it gave him
terrible shaking up that he will not forget
soon.
One of the firemen on the hill came out all
decked In q new suit of clothes he must have
been fitted out at the Bonanza, for it is the
most fashionable cut | have seen for some
time. &c Ohio, or Jim-now aren't you
thinking some of-er a-um-setting mar
ried: Please let us know.
George Northey says the boiler has cut up
so lately that he concluded it had the measles,
and had sack of bran sent up to poultice
it. The bran may help it, George.
Mr. Ben Ranft, the manager of the electric
lights, is down with the measles. Ben, old
with the aged than the rich.
The explosion which caused the death of
John Collins, mention of which you made
last week, is supposed by many to have re-
suited from the dropping Of hot oil from the
the miners lamp that hung on his cap into
the box of blasting caps he was holding in
his hand. The explosion Of the one hundred
caps, which have pressure of seventy five
pounds each, set off % sticks of dualine, of
loading. 1t is supposed he bad the thawed
powder in his arm, on the box beside
him. 1t is now great wonder that there
was no other powder exploded, for the box
es of other contractors were setting in the
same row, and they were completely demol
i>hed, and sticks of powder scattered about.
Samuel Wigger was sitting on box about
Collins was sitting on, with his knife in his
hand. just the explosion took place,
sam had stuck his knife into a stick of pow
der to make an inci>iom for the fuse, and he
it was his stick of powder that did
the work. When he was found, he WAS
crawling on his hands and knees and hold |
ing to the rail. Collins was only 10 years Old, |
and was liked by all who knew him. The
explosion literally blew his body to pieces;
his legs were cut off, right arm blown away,
left hand mangled, and he was di>emboweed.
y coffin was provided, the scattered remains
gathered together, and in the afternoon
buried in the Catholic cemetery. The funer-
al was largely attended.