The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-07-13
THE DRILLING CONTEST.
Leadville, Colorado. Leads in the
Team Work for the First
Night
Pago and Reagan Second with q
Protest for q New Meas
uromont
Colorado Also Does the Best In the single
En tries Thus FAr-The Records
Made by the Men.

A0kfl0o InNA FNf-vn0 N0COfuo
Made by the Alen.
There were over 1000 people In the aud
toriam Building last night whom Aha drill
ing contests took place. n. H. Kssfs.
Colorado. declined 10 act a. = judge. thong
. selected for that position. and J. A. Brown
Of the same state. took his place. Th
other judges were Dennis O'Neill, Of Butte
and Wi liam Harrison, Of RaHondsle. W
O. ChildS. of Helena, and NJ. II. Keefe, o
Colorado, we're timekeepsrA II was NOR
exciting than . base bail match with . Ii
up to the last inning. Each single sntr,
and each set Of double entriea had thsi
friends there. and at every lightning chang
OF drills Or hammers the building rang viii
applause and shouts. There were man,
ladies present and they took great interes,
in the outcome. Each team and single
entry were allowed fifteen minutes to drill
The result of the team contest for The
frst might was. as officially announced by
the judges, as follows;
John Dolan and Mike O'Neil, Of Butte,
Is ZIG inches
NCOak0 w 1AoDOAOE 0u0 OOAA NOAAPA0AID Va
Marysville. 26 GIG inches.
William Page and Dennis Reagan. Of
Butte, 81 9-16 inches.
Vile, Col, 81 11-16 inches.
William Short and Samuel Manuel. Of
Gilpin county, Col. 26 l1-16 inches.
The re- suit Of the single hand contests
were:
Joe Lewis. of Deer Lodge. 20 1-16 inches.
Fred Je title, Of Baxendale. 10 49, 16i inches.
David L. Jones, Of Colorado, % Ills
inches.
Jack Easton, of Deer Lodge. six inches.
The first nights contest did not some off
without a kick. Butte's crack team. Page
and Reagan, insisted that they had not
gotten all they were entitled to. When the
rod was first dropped into the hole they had
stone. and Judges O'Neill and Brown took
the measurement. The taps line was ap-
piled to the rod and the result given was
81 1915 inches. Judge Harrison insisted
on another measurement on the ground
that the Butte men had not started their
drill in the center of the space allotted. and
that the set piece on the rod did not rest
in again and taken to the stage to be meas
ured. Az first the tape gave 81 14-16 inches.
but it was either twisted or had slipped and
the rod was carefully measured again.
This time the tape showed 81 GIG inches
and that was the result announced by the
judges; When the Leadville team
beat this by '2-16ths of an inch, Page and
Reagan insisted on another measurement
both for the hole drilled by themselves and
of that OF Myers and Dryer. PsQe said he
had no faith in the system Of measurement,
which was to mark of the point on the rod
where tho set piece was. and then measure
from that mark to the end with a steel tape
lima Ha oakoA IN havo the cot MANA Lark
stationary n the measurement made with
a foot rule. Judge O'Neill was willing to
have it so. but the other judges insisted
that the steel tape line WAS the one they
had agre ed upon n started in with. and
it was as fair for one as for the other.
Page notified tho judges that he would pro-
test their decision, if his mi his partners
record and that of the LeadviIle team
should be the highest two. or if there should
BIZ any question between them as to prizes,
With the exception of this everything
passed of pleasantly. Some heavy bets
were made and a pool seller sold chances
on the results.
John Dolan and Mike O'Neill, of Butte,
were the first team, and Joe Lewis. of Deer
Lodge, the first single entry to drill. At
the word go" both single and double en-
tries bsgsn work. The team changed drills
every minute and tho men exchanged
places with tho hammer every half-minute.
AAoAi was worry pEotty tuOURQ tO6y !
lost several strokes while changing drills
early in their work. Later on, however.
they made the changes so quickly that not
a stroke was lost. Lewis, the single entry,
struck with a steady stroke from start to
finish. The result was announced: Dolan
and O'Nell 26 7-l6 inches; Lewis 20 1-l6
inches.
The Marysville team, Geo. W. Kessler
and John Campbell, came next, and Fred
Jettie, Of Ba1endale, took his place at tho
single drill stone. Kessler had not handled
q hammer and drill for two years, having
been boss during that time. He and
Campbell had only practiced together twice
since the entered for the contest. Yet in
their fifteen minutes they drilled 26 ZIG
inches. Campbell was the recipient of loud
applause for bis slow but powerful stroke
the hammer. He was timed and
struck sizty-three blows to the minute, and
in the last minute he put in his best ticks
team lost several strokes when one of
their drill broke and had to be pulled out
and another inserted. Jsttie hit q rapid
stroke, but only made 10 1876
Now came the crack Butte team, William
Page and Dennis Reagan, who cnrried off
the prize ut Denver last year. With them
az a single hand contestant was David L,
Page set the drill and Reagan, with his
caught we'll up on the handle,
10 his rapid strokes at the signal to
begin. At the end of the first minute a
stroke was lost while changing drills, but
alter that hammer and drills were chanued
the precision of machinery. As one
drill was thrown out another dropre ed into
It's place in time to catch the next stroke OF
the hamrner. Page also stuck a powerful
blow. wonderful in a man of his size, At
each change the teams' friends greeted
hem with a deserved applause. Thew
struck seventy Six blows to the minnie.
The single drill of the Colorado man was
also something fine. He placed his tluht
loot ON The stone, and from the start to the
OF tlme his hammer stroke never var
led "a ri UGH as four to the minute, He |
made Y LIE inches in the fifteen minutes.
more than three inches less than he has
done, but hs att lbuted it to the superior
Of the Montana granite. As al
ready stated, two msasu ements were taken |
OF the Butte teams hole before the result
announced M 81 8 l6.
Leadvllle's great team came next. It vss
composed Of M. G. Myers and VIM, DIVER
Jack Easton, OF Deer Lodge, who had been
down for the last single hand driller OIL
the night. was moved up, AZ VIM, Short re|
fused to 90 into that contest, being ono If
the team that was to follow. Esston I'd
not get down to his work in good STYLE and
only made Elk inches. The attention of
everybody was therefore fixed on the
team. Myers hit Ii hard blow
with q steady but slow stroke, while DIVER
MT quicA but powerfully as we'll. The men
lld not change every minute from hammar
to drill, but would keep their respective
for two and three minutes at a
THAR mamma ri I., l., A. "a,