Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1886-10-31

TO Eternity by Giant Powder Oh
Friday Night East.
Capt. j. ID. Foley. an old-time mine,
and %prospector Of Eureka District, me
with a distressing death at his cabin in Sc.
cret Canyon, some nine miles south OF
town, at about 8 O'Clock Friday night
During the evening he visited Gilligan and
McCrory's cabin near by and talked O,
wanting to come to Eureka for o day OF
two and then go down to Mount Hope,
but said that before doing 30 he would
have to attend to considerable writing that
had been neglected. A little after z
o'clock he lighted his lantern and left for
his cabin. Not long afterwards q loud ex.
plosion was heard that reused the entire
settlement. The Captains cabin was seen
a mass of flames. 1t was probably a half
mile from the settlement proper and sew.
eral hundred feet from that Of Messrs,
Gilligan and McCrory. The night was
dark, and all haste was made to procure
lanterns and reach the scene of disaster.
The cabin was built Of stone and large
logs. Several Of the latter were found on
the hillside q hundred feet distant. Mr..
Foley's body was found against a stump
probably 60 feet from the cabin. The
head had been torn off, and only portions
OF it could afterwards be found, while the
body was stripped of its clothing. The
general belief expressed was thai when he
went to his cabin he at once commenced
writing and while thus engaged either his
clothing or bed caught fire. and in en-
deavoring to put it out giant powder that
he had stored there was ignited and the
explosion followed.
The deceased was q resident OF this Sec
ton since long before Eureka county
was formed, and when this mining district
was established he figured prominently,
owning, as he did at that time many
claims on Prospect Mountain that after
wards proved valuable. He was a con-
scientious, upright man, and always took q
philosophical and charitable view OF life.
Every one respected the Captain, and
many OF his warm friends were moved to
tears whom they learned Of his distressing
death. The following testimony was ad-
duced at the inquest on the remains yes
terday afternoon at the rooms OF Under
taker Uhl:
John A. Steele, being duly sworn, said:
l reside at Secret Canyon, Nevada; have
known John M. Foley about II years; last
saw him alive on Oct. 20, 1886, at about
half-past 5 O'Clock P. NJ; next saw him at
about ten minutes to s o'clock by my time;
when l went up to the scene he was lying
about As or so feet from his cabin, down
on the trail, and he was naked; IL appeared
that he had been "blown up" and his
clothes off him; his head was gone; the
IaLrta ~ bio cabin ruoa oil arnnnI him.
myself and others looked around for his
head, it being dark we could not distin-
guish itfrom the debris, but this morning
Mr.. Daugherty and myself found it lying
about four feet the body; he told me
q few days ago that no had some giant
powder, and wanted to sell me 10 or IL
pounds of it; I heard the explosion, which
occurred at about ten minutes past 7
o'clock P. NJ.
Ross Gilligan, being duly sworn. said:
l live at Secret Canyon; knew ]. NJ. Foley
a good many years; last saw him alive at
my cabin in Secret Canyon about 7 o'clock
p. M. of October 20. 1886; the next time l
saw him be was so or so feet from his
cabin; he was then dead; from the time he
left my cabin and the time / saw him dead
hardly an hour had elapsed; l observed
that when I reached his cabin 1t (the
csbin) had been blown up, and the timbers
thereof were all scattered about and the
debris was on fire.
Richard Bergman, being duly sworn.
said: l reside al Secret Canyon. Nevada;
knew John NJ. Foley in his lifetime, last
saw him alive on Wednesday; next l saw
him last night; he was below his cabin in
Secret Canyon; 1t was about 8 o'clock P.
NJ. by my time; he was lying on his back
on the ground dead; l think the cause OF
his death WAS the explosion Of some
powder in his cabin; when / first came up
to him l found him about 40 feet from his
cabin; l then lighted a lantern and found,
upon examination, that his head had been
blown of; Charley Ruben and myself were
together when the body was found IS de-
scribed; we were the first parties who dis
covered the body of the deceased; he was
native OF Ireland. and So years OF age.
The jury, consisting of Frank Tracy.
John Stinson, George W. McKim, F. j.
Wallace, Edw. McSorley and George 7.
Rives found that the deceased was named
John NJ. Foley; that he was q native OF
Ireland, aged about So years, and that he
came to his death on the 29th day of Oc-
tober, 1886, by "being accidentally blown
up by an explosion Of giant powder in his
cabin at Secret Canyon"