The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-06-10
TWO MINERS KILLED
Accident in the Saturday Night Mine
at Basin.
AN OLD CHARGE OF POWDER
They Started to Drill a Hole and
Struck a Primer of a Former
Charge-One of the Bodies
Mangled-Nobody Blamed.
n OLD CHARGE OF POWDER
Special Dispatch to the standard

Special Dispatch to the STANDARD
Basin, Mont. June 9.-Two miners,
| Pete West and Albert Patburg, were
blown into eternity last night, and
Louis Johnson narrowly escaped the
same fate.
The Saturday Night mine is under
lease and bond to John Nelson and
others, and they have been operating
this property extensively of late There
are two shifts working in the mine,
three crews of eight hours each sink
ing, and two drifting on the 100-foot
level. The drift at this point has just
been commenced and the face of the
drift is but a few feet from the shaft,
and the latter is five feet below the
10O-foot station. The o'clock shift
had, just prior to coming off shift, let
off round of eight holes, five in the
shaft and three in the drift. John Nc
Aulay and Louis Johnson shot the
holes and went to the tunnel level and
plainly counted eight distinct reports.
The two men working in the drift re-
turned to their work and the men in
the shaft were relieved by Albert Pat
burg and Peter West.
Louis Johnson, one of the men work.
ing in the drift, who was present and
so fortunately escaped, related the sad
affair as follows:
I'VE had loaded our three holes at
1880 and the men in the shaft had five
to go. McAulay and l shot the holes
and went up the tunnel level and |
heard eight reports. We then went to
the cook shanty for our lunch. After
while we went back. After both of us
had cleaned the waste from the shaft
and drift, Patburg and West COM
menced to drill a hole.
I'VE were standing right behind them.
Patburg was turning and West was
striking. At first he hit the drill very
light for three or four blows, and hit
it harder after. 1t seemed to me as if
the drill went down about an inch aft
er each blow. / said: Look out, there
may be missed hole there when the
explosion took place. 1 was knocked
senseless, but after came to 1 called
for a light. Elliott was in the drift
and he lit the candle. Just as he
struck the match I could hear West
draw his last breath. 1 found myself
lying on my side and my head in the
southwest corner.
Elliott went over to where West
was and found him dead. Patburg was
lyllS OH HIS Itll Slue, Ills Htdu close 10
where the hole went off. He asked me
to help him. but / could not, but Eli
oft did. He said his view of what
caused the explosion was that one of
the other holes had gone off first and
blew the top off from this one and took
the fuse with it, leaving one-half of
the charge in the hole with the primer
with it, and that the drill struck the
primer and caused the charge to ex-
plode l think that West was struck
by the hammer or the drill for l
could see them fly in his direction. 1t
was a very light report"
Peter West was a stranger in the
camp, and this was but his second or
third shift for the company. He was
struck in the forehead, but the blow
did not fracture the skull. DIR. Fletch-
er volunteered the assertion that
death was caused by concussion. Pat
burg lived until he arrived at Dr.
Rannvilrs hospital. He was horribly
mangled. One of his arms was blown
to pieces and one of the miners picked
up the remaining pieces from the bot
tom of the shaft to-day. The largest
piece was the point of his thumb His
other arm was also horribly lacerated
and the flesh was stripped to the bone.
One leg was broken and there were
powder stains in the face, and it is a |
miracle how the man lived the length |
of time he did.
The remains of both men are laid in |
the Miners Union hall. and it is likely |
that both bodies will be buried in the |
cemetery at this place. The jury on |
the death of Peter West found that he |
came to his death by an accidental |
discharge of a blast in the Saturday |
Night mine. and no blame is attached |
to any person.