The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1886-01-20
RAISED FROM THE DEPTHS
The Body Of James Oman Re-
covered.
4 SIGHT
Distorted and Bruised Features and
Hairless Scalp-The Inquest
and the Funeral.

At $50 o'clock last nlgnI Lne DloaGe
end decomposed body of James Omar
was hoisted from the Germania shaft
where it had lain for two weeks.
The accident by which Oman lost hi
life was such a peculiar one that it's detail
will bear repetition. A short distance ives
If the Germania shaft, and joining the lin
of that mine, is the Mountain Boy mine
owned by the Arlington Company, whicl
has a shaft 300 feet in depth, but nearl,
200 feet has been abandoned and all Q
the lower workings have filled u
with water. The 15O-foot level o
the Germania has been run in n
feet on the ledge, and was being driver
ahead. w. G. Barker and a fellow-workmal
being in the face Of the drift. On the morn
ing OF Monday, January 4th, these mel
went to work in the 15O-foot level, while
AMEs OMAN
And Gus Anderson went down to the 2Ot
drift, which is in only twenty feet from thu
shaft. Barker went in gouging and gaddin.
in about ten inches of ore on the foot wal
OF the ledge, and about 8 o'clock HI
saw a email amount of water com
mence to seep through, and in E
t:nkling it had increased to a stream
Quickly informing his companion, they
both started for the shaft. and in goint
that distance their lights went out, greatly
impeding their progress. Before they could
get to the ladderway the water was upor
them, and they could hear the torrents
roaring behind them as the great weight
and pressure back OF the small openine
gradually increased the size of the hole
Oxnam and Anderson had just put in g
st of holes in their drift, and the former
was on the bucket. while Anderson was
climbing the ladder, both getting away from
the danger Of injury by the blasts. They
were talking as they came up, and heard
Barker speak down from the level above.
warning them OF their peril. However
there was no help for them and when
about fifteen feet from the bottom, a great
mass of water struck them, knocking both
of them backward down the shaft. The
current of water rapidly filled the
shalt, carrying Anderson up with it, but
poor n was
LEFT IN THE SHAFT.
In less than five minutes the water had
filled both Of the drifts mentioned and
raised seventy-five feet in the shaft. Barker
and his partner went to the surface as
quickly as possible and gave the alarm, the
former at once returning and assisting
Anderson out of the water. The latter was
very badly bruised about the head and
breast. In some manner the steam pump
was upset, and the bucket was thrown to
one side OF the shaft, becoming fastened
in the timbers. The cable was shaken, the
engineer being afraid to visit the bucket
lest he might do some injury to the already
dead man by throwing the body down the
shaft in cas- it was still in the tub, and in
a minute or so the bucket cleared itselfand
was hoisted to the surface. but there was
no trace OF the unfortunate OMAN. The
pump had stopped and it became necessary
to put another in the shaft, which was
lone late in the afternoon, and the task of
clearing the mine from water was at once
commenced. Pumping was continued
almost constantly, but not until yesterday
was the water lowered sufficiently to Justify
the workmen in looking out for the body.
SIGHT.
About 5 o'clock one Of the men was low
cred in the bucket. and when he reached
within a few feet of the 2OO-foot station he
perceived a human head above the water.
It was a sickening sight. Every vestige OF
hair had been removed from the scalp,
which was badly bruised and gashed, and
the face was horribly bloated and discol-
ored. Blood oozed from the ears, and the
swollen lips were apart, lending to the deac
features an ndescribable expression. The
man in the bucket was shocked
by what he saw, and Immediately
to his companions on the surface
pull him up. They did so, and he re-
counted what he had seen. Others de-
the shaft and made a close inspec-
ton of the head, n a consultation re-
III an unanimous decision that the
condition of the corpse would
permit Of it's being hoisted to the sur
face by means of a rope attached to it.
The work uf pumping out the water was
then resumed, and continued until the 200
foot station was exposed. The body of
OMAN was standing in an upright posi-
ton, being supported by n Of the corn
ers. The corpse was placed in the bucket
and loisted to the surface, and subse-
quentiy removed to Pettit's undertaking
establishment where it 0 lies.
AN INQUEST
Will be held this morning, but it will de-
velop nothing sensational, as the death of
the unfortunate miner is generally re-
as purely accidental.
The funeral will take place under the
auspices of the Union Guards, and will
doubtless be largely attended, as deceased
a great many Borrowing friends in
this community. He was born in Corn
wall, England, twenty-five years ago,
and about eighteen months ago came to
He worked in the copper mines
on the Lakes until last June, when he came
to Butte. He was very popular wherever
and was a good musician. Mr..
was unmarried, and was a sober,
young man, being the support of
sisters and a brother, who are in the
old country, while he has another brother
living in Hancock, Michigan. The arrange
ments for the funeral will be published in
MINER.