Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-02-16

Ghost being crushed to jelly and the legs
ard arms broken IN several places.
In a short time tue second body, which
could be seen from under tho mass. was OK
tricated ana taken up ia the box II, too
was so horribly mutiiated that
At Cnuid nos he iiocogu 'z,l.
The chest was crushed terribly the back OF
the head cut open so that the brains woro
visible, and tho legs jamtnod.
Before any more dead could be found a
largo mass of rock had TO be blasted away,
which took some time. Under the middle
OF piece OF rock large enough to iii two
freight cars were found the bodies of two
men, so closely jemmed together that they
looked like one. Neither body could he
recognized, both being horribly mutileted.
The fifth body removed was chat Of Axel
Bumberg, iiwede, who had boon in this
country but two weeks. The body was
horribly mutilatei. 1t laid under mnss
OF marble at least 20 feet thick Tho stone
around, which was moro than 800 feet be
low tho surface of tho earth, was covered
with blood in all directions.
The sight to all who had the couane TO 20
down the ladders was a most dismal one.
Perhaps two score OF miners we're at work
removing tho debris from the bodies of the
dead aud wounded, and half q hundred
mon were standing around looking on.
Cause OF Tho Disaster.
The cause OF the caving in Of the quarry
is not positively known. Two causes are
suggested. The heavy storm of Thursday
night and Friday morning may have been
the first cause, or q blast which was made
just before the walls fell in nay have had
something to do with It.
1t was at first reported that there were
$50 quarrymen in that vicinity when the
disaster occurred, but there were less than
100 in the quarry.
Reports from the workmeu themselves
show that great many man were at wor!
within II few rods OF the fatal wall wher
the huge mass of stone fell.
The mass of stone which covered the msr
who were at work close by ives, as near II,
can be estimated, 60 feet in length and q
feet wide. 1t fell without the least warn
ing, and all who were at work there were
at once covered.
f. r. Morse, treasurer Of the Vermont
Marble company, says that the cause OF
the accident is not certain, though the
scale, or part of the roof that fell, wa,
| probably loosencd by freezing. Hu soit
that the company has always left q larg,
number OF supports to prevent accidents o
this kind, and that this part of the quarry
was well protected in this respect. SO fa
a. is known no one is to blame
All the victims carried accident insurance
with the Vermont Marble company. Til,
families Of the dead will rsc,ive $500 eacl
in ali cases, with one-halt their year,,
| wages, if the wages were over $1,000
year. The iuiuced msn will receive one
half their weekly wages and all doctor
bills. Three OF the dead, however, AM
some of the injured had no families.
II. a. McGuiro Injured.
T. A. Mcclure, Herald mailing clerk
went to the scene of tho disaster, undertook
20 go into the quarry and fell from the lad
der 40 feet and was injured very seriously
lie was rendered unconscious by the fail
and those VINO won't frat to his assstanc
thought he was dead. He was raised to tn
surface and DR.. Gale had him put in tn
workingmen's car and brought home. Hi
forehead Is badly bruised He had not re
covered consciousness at last accounts. enc
| the worst is feared.
Some Speculation as to tho Probabl
Cause oft
~ lNA-'Dl IcO. lltRdIulng Lue CaUS
Of Saturdays accident at West Rutland
the Herald says: Many theories are ad
vanced as to the cause of the accident
Daniel O'Rourko, foreman of the quarry
when interviewed in regard to the disaster
said in substance: ''Itere were about s
mon at work in the quarry at the time O
the accident. Sixteen men were at work il
| ba I'm al has
This gang was cleaning away loose ston
thrown out by recent blast. Anothe
gang OF eight men was at work near b
cleaning Off scales. Tho company made
practice of removing scales, even if it wer
| necessary to use blasts to do So
The quarry was considered the safest o
of any OF the desp querries. 1t was no
known that the scale or top of The tunu,
that fell was loose The scale was about &
feet long, 1G feet wide, 3 feet thicl, ON Il,
front side and feet thick on tho back. Til
marble under the scale that fell had beel
quarried in manner different from tn
usual one. Instead of blasting from tn
top and placing the machines in the spac
thus formed, the machines had bored hort
zontally into the marble and tn
bocks were broken Off and removed
A tunnel about III feet long and ~ fee
high was made in this wey. The machine
thsn bored upward little, and blocks thu
cut were rsmaved. This tunnelins ws
done by the Sheldon Marble company abou
three years ago. Since the Vermont Mar
ole company took charge the old system c
blasting from the top has been used. Their
are loose beds between the layers of mar
| lNIa i,,t 10 1
boring made the layer above the tuun,
thin on the back side. The recent sever
cold weather probably froze the water be
tween the layers, and possibly the expan
sion loosened the scale"
LAND OF DESOlATlON,