The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1886-01-20
THE DEATH OF JAS. N
of the COroner's In
quest Upon the Body.
WHO WAS TO blame
A Verdict Which Reflects Seriously
on the Condition Of Two
Dangerous Mines.

A Verdict Which Reflects Seriously
on the Condition of Two
Dangerous Mines.
At 10 o'clock yesterday morning CorO-
ner Whitford ~empaneled a jury ard pro-
ceeded to hold an inquest upon the
body Of James Oman, the unfortunate
miner who was drowned in the Germania
shaft a couple of weeks ago and whose re-
mains were not recovered until Hast Sunday
evening. The jury consisted OF W. j. Pen
rose (%foreman}, Z. W. Wynne, w. L. Scott,
P. J.. Borland, Byron C. Benson
and John X. Bordeaux, and the
first witness called to the stand was
WILLIAM BARKER,
who testified that he was working in the
15O-foot drift OF the Germania at the time
the accident occurred. He thought that
the drift had to be run at least 25 feet be-
fore it would strike the line between the
two mines. He was picking in the gouge at
the side of the ore body and his comrade
was drilling when a small stream OF water
no larger than a mans finger spurted put.
1t soon increased in size. and then he and
his partner ran out of the drift, the water
following them, and the volume constantly
increasing. Barker got out of It's way and
made his escape.
HARLE HELBERT
testified that he was working with Barker
at the time of the accident. He had no
idea they were SO near such a body of
"a 1880 90 49, or R-L H.
line between the two mines. He was drilling
and Barker picking when the water broke
in upon them. He gathered up the light
and hammer and followed Barker out of
the drift. His light vent out and he CROPPED
his way to the shaft, where he caught hold
OF the steam pipe as the water came rush.
ing behind him and fell in torrents down
to the 2OO-foot level. He managed to
crawl up the shaft about five feet when he
fell to the platform below. Reaching out
his arm his hand came in contact with a
human form. He grasped it and pulled it
to the platform. 1t proved to be Ander-
son, who worked with Oman in the ZOO
foot level. As soon as he could speak
Anderson said: "My God, Charlie, if it
hadn't been for you l would never have
gotten out of this shaft alive" In less
than five minutes the water filled the shaft
to the 15O-foot drift. After staying there
a few minutes in hopes Oman would come
to the surface Helbert went on top.
TESTIMONY.
After the examination of several witnesses
whose testimony did lot throw any new
light upon the matter, Gus Anderson took
the stand. He testified that he was work
ing with deceased when the accident oc-
Cured. "We had just put in a shot," he
said, and were on the ladder twenty-five
or thirty feet above the bottom of the
shaft waiting for the shot to go of, when
I heard the roaring of the water above. l
didn't know at first what it meant, but
soon the water came pouring down the
shaft. Oman descended the ladder four
or five feet, and leaving it got into the
bucket, which was swinging in the shaft. l
remained or the ladder. In a moment or
two OMAN was knocked out OF the bucket
by the force OF the water and fell to the
bottom OF the shaft, and a second after
wards l was struck Off the ladder and fol-
lowed OMAN to the bottom. l grasped
the ladder, and being aided by the rising
waters l managed to reach the 15O-foot
drift, where l was rescued by Helbert. l
had worked in the 15O.foot drift a month
before, but had no idea there was danger
from water ahead"
THE FOREMAN's TESTIMONY.
Foreman Peter Sherr, OF the Germania,
testified: 1.-THE boundary line between the
Germania and the Mountain Boy was 96
feet from the shaft of the former. By &C.
tual measurement with a tape line made
since the accident occurred the $50 foot
front was in sc or 81 feet. l stepped it off
the night before the accident and made it a
few feet less. / intended to stop drifting
when Helbert and Barker came off their
shift. My intention was to leave a horse
OF ground about 10 feet wide between the
two mines to protect the Germania from
the water of the Mountain Boy. The ore
in the $50 foot was much better thar it
was in the 100. l had been told by Mr..
Reece Wampler, formerly foreman of the
Mountain Boy, not to go too far with the
$50, but knowing l had nine or ten feet to
60 before reaching the boundary line and
not thinking the Mountain Boy people had
broken across it 1 did not apprehend dan
ger. Williams & Jockey operated the min
when it was intimated to me that the work
had been done across the line toward the
Germania. l, however, supposed he had
several feet yet to go before reaching the
line."
An adjournment till 2 p. M. was then
taken.
Afternoon Session.
Herman Hesse testified: 81 was engineer
at the Germania mine for a few days. l
heard some OF the men say they were drift
ing toward the west, and knew they were
working toward a body OF water. Some
times the signal bell would not ring. It
was repaired On several occasions. Mr..
Sherr told me it was n~inety-five feet to the
Mountain Boy shaft.
Mr.. Williams, one Of the stockholders in
the Germania, testified that the Germania
men were refused admittance to the Noun
tain Boy mine.
THE GERMANIA's OWNER,
Louis Freudenstein, testified: cam owner
Of the Germania. Sherr notified me OF the
accident. 1 asked him how it had hap
penod, and he said the Mountain Boy peo-
pie had advanced twenty feet over their
line. Sheer was sure our ground had been
e~ncroached upon. l understand that we
own ninety-ive feet of ground west from
our shaft"
HE RAN THE ENGINE.
H. Ballou said he was running the engine
when the accident occurred. He heard a
noise in the shaft resembling the rush of
water. He did not heal the bell sound, but
saw the rope shake, and thought the pump
was out OF order.
This closed the important testimony,
and after some deliberation the jury re-
turned the following
VERDICT:
TERRITORY OF MONTANA, s
COUNTY OF SILVER Bow. q"
An inquisition holden at Butte, January 10,
1886, in the County of Silver Bow, Montana. before
me, Charles S. Whitford, Coroner of said County,
upon the body of james Oman, there lying dead,
by the jurors whose names are hereunto sub
scribed, the said jurors, upon their oaths, do say
that the said James Oman came to his death on
the fourth day of January, 1886, through the
flooding of the Germania mine, whether through
the negligence of the managers of the Mountain
Boy or the Germania Mining Companies the
present bad condition of those mines make it i'm
possible for the jury to determine.
In testimony whereof the said jurors have here
unto set their hands, the day and year aforesaid.
W. J. PENRosE, Foreman
w. E. WYNNE,
w. L. SCOTT,
p. J. BORLAND,
DYSON C BENSON,
JOHN K. BORDEAUX.
l certify to the above as u true copy of the
verdict rendered by the jury at the inquest held
on the body of James Oman, deceased.
CHARLES S. WHITFoRD, Coroner.
The jury was then dismissed.