The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-06-29
Sensational Report of a Shaft
Accident Exploded.
OFFICIALS fX0NfRAFED
ConcAvags Evidently Mot His Death
Through His Cans Catching In the Shat
TimbsrS and Was Not Intorfored with
at the Bottom.

Two inquests were held last evening by
Deputy Coroner Manley and q jury com
posed Of P. j. Cleary, John Scanlon,
Patrick Flaherty, Charles Vitcufsky,
Patrick Conners and J. H. Manley, and
they made a full investigation Of the
circumstances which led to the deaths OF
Alexander Concavage, who met his death
in the shaft of Maple Hill colliery, and
Stiney Santer, who was killed by fall Of
rock IN a gangway of the mine.
The Concavage case aroused the most
interest on account OF the report circu-
lated at the time Of the accident by
friends Of the victim, who claim that he
met his death through a mistake OF the
bottom man. Their stcrv was that the
latter hrst pulled the victim off the cage,
! thinking there were eleven men on It,
but, upon discovering his mistake pushed
me miner on the cage again and before
the unfortunate man could get a proper
footing he was caught between sthe cage
and the shaft timbers
The inquest developed an entirely differ
ent state Of facts and the officials and
employees OF the cOlliery are eXonerated
from all blame. None of the victim q
friends appeared at the inquest.
The witnesses before the jury were In
side Foreman James p. Mcdonald,
Michael Seltzer and John Dudwash, the
bottom-man and miner and driver
The testimony was that the victim and
nine other men were in proper positions
when Selt2er, one of the bottom
signaled for the cage to be hoisted after
twice asking the other bottom man If
everything was all right and receiving
affirmative answers.
The testimony also showed that when
the cage got up to about the fourth set Of
FIVrnh tn.a i
by the rattle of tin cans, followed by
shouts Of men on the cage, and as Con
cavage's mangled body dropped into the
cage hole SeltZer signaled for the cage TO
be stopped. The witness expressed the
opinion that ConcaVage was dragged
TO his death by his cans catching in the
timhers of the shaft.
The jury concluded that the man met
his death "by being accidentally caught
by the tim Der while on a cage ascending
the Maple Hill shaft and we hereby ex-
onerate the officials Of the colliery from
blame"
The case of stiney santer was then
Anlhony Potsavage miner and two
Polish lsborers were examined. The
facts ELECTED were that Potsavage and his
laborers, among them the victim, were
engaged in making slant off gang
way and fired two holes to make
room so that the g way collar
could be extended into the slant
After the shots were fired Potsavaae
noticed that piece Of slate above the high
side of the gangway was in bad condition
lie stepped around the gangway timbers
into the slant opening and told the
laborers to push out the car which stood
in the gangway SO that he could get on
top of it and bar down the slate Santer
also stepped into the slant opening and as
the car was about to be moved a piece of
top slate fell and killed him Instantly
Potsavage said the piece fell from a place
which had been sounded and pronounced
safe and the victim was but three feet
from him when killed. 1t was not the
bad piece which fell.
The jury rendered a verdict of acciden-
tai death.