The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1895-10-05
TH6FLhTFhTHLITY
DETAILS OF THE MONITOR
ACCIDENT.
1t Seems That ii was Entirely O'Con
nor s Fault-Ventured in a Danger
Gus Place After Repeated Warnings
The COrnOr's Inquest.

Dennis O'COnnOr the unfortunate
Monitor miner, who was killed at Rich
mond Flat last Friday, evidently was
the victim of his own carelessness.
Coroner McNulty returned from the
scene of the accident Sunday. having
held an inquest Saturday afternoon,
and from the evidence adduced at the
inquiry O'Ccnnor ventured in danger
Gus place after having been repeated
ly warned away.
killed was narrow chute which had
become partially clogged up. The
place was considered dangerous on ac-
count of the decomposed rock above.
O'Connor entertained foolish notion
that he could clear the debris away
alone, and without orders went to work
at it. In short time the loose mass
above him gave way and he was COM
pletety buried under the debris, and
death by suffocation followed before
the rescuers could get him out. His
cries were heard for several minutes
after he had been buried. There were
but few bruises or scratches on his
body. He was buried Sunday. O'Con-
nor was about 40 years of age. He was
we'll known in Virginia, having been
employed on the Easton and other
mines in this vicinity.
The testimony of Harvey Foster, one
of those who endeavored to rescue him,
was as follows: Dennis O'Connor was
opening clogged chute in the Moni-
tor mine, Friday, September I, at 4:45.
He came to the top Of the chute and
took long iron bar tied to pole, and
a sledge hammer. At 5:15 looked
down the chute and talked to him; he
was driving an iron bar down. try
ing to make an opening. told him it
was not safe: that he had better wait
until the foreman came. Ten minutes
and heard an cutlery from him. Invent
to the head of the chute where I met
Hawley, who said ''hurry; Denny has
gone down the chute" We both went
down to where the slide had taken
place. O'Conncr continued to cry out
for about three minutes. Hawley went
around to the bottom of the chute and
tried to get the rock off of him but
it was no use. He was probably under
six or seven feet of dirt and rock. A
| few minutes after Hawley left me the
sound from O'Connor ceased entirely.
then went around to the bottom of
the chute and found McKinnOn and
Hawley there. They were at work let
| ting the muck out. Hawley then went
above, while McKinnon and l worked
below. After a while Hawley came
back and said he could not do anything.
Finally we reached him. He had fall
en- backwards and his feet were doub-
led back over his head The gate Of
the chute was to small to allow his
body to come through SO we broke off a
board; Hawley pulled his body out to
The level while we held the board OPEN
I felt his pulse and tried his heart, but
/ there was no sign of life. We then
hoisted the body to the surface. The
chute is off the second level. 1t is
about 50 feet deep and was clogged.
O 'Connor went down to open it. He
was about Is feet from the second lev
ell.
I Louis Hawley's testimony was as fol-
lows: About three o'clock Dennis
O'COnnor came into where was work.
ing and said he was going down into
the chute to try to open it. ! told him
it was not safe and went down to the
first set of stulls to show him the dang
er, and pursuaded him not to attempt it
at that time. At 4:3O he came up
again and said he could not start it
from below. Foster and I both told
him to let it 60 until McKinnon came
down; that it was not safe. He said as
he went down: ''If 60 into the chute
don't say anything about it," About
half an hour later no asked me for the
striking hammer and threw it down
to him. About 5:35 heard the rock
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