The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-06
VHOST0PPEDT HEFAN
The Question on Which Pugh
Damage Case Hinges.
raIckED IN A DIVORCE SUIT.
ssrx. stephens Says Her Husband
ruchred Her and She Wants Prop
erty-Brown and Ills Divorce.

Yesterday marked the actual beginning
:. 80 pugh damage trial against the Or
.~.n Improvement Company In counec-
80 Wen tire Franklin mine disaster.
Ts,sre osoorn's court room was wel filled
~T.r people from Franklin 4 large map
~avsng the locations OF the breasts" r9n-
81. aangways, airways and slope was
.srv nrorninent IN evidence and was used
,sasaredly during the days proceedings.
Tsa nialntsn was eRdeavoring yesterday
- shae that II the fan had not stopped
.as lse OF John Pugh would not have
been lost.
"a order the actual taking OF testimony
,saan. Mrs Pugh gave evidence as 10 the
dsath OF her husband. bis devotion 10 his
family and bis being strong. abie-bodied
mar. Ex-coroner Horton said pugh was
zsphvxi4ted.
81 far everything has gone lovely. but
when Mr. HUMPHREYS wanted 10 have the
testimony OF Mrs. William Reese ut the
former trial read, Mr. Burleigh, general
counsel for the Oregon Improvement Com
many. objected as Mrs Reese had been
personally a. the trial day before yester-
day.
II expected her here today" said Mr..
Humphries, and told her to be here, but
she Is not"
swsil. II she Is not here don't care.
Go ahead and read the testimony" an
ewered Burieigh.
gtenographer Bolster read the testimony
n which Mrs. Reese declared she heard
Assistant Mine Superintendent Ramsey
say: stop the fan" She admitted that
her husband had been discharged by the
company. but claimed that did not preju-
dice her against the company in the
slightest.
Then came the story of Israel Stevens
the man who was working in breast -
with Pngh when the mine caught fire. He
sa.d that when they heard OF the fire they
started out OF the breast. Pugh was be-
hind him and he id not see him again
unfit later, when his body was taken out.
stevens said he noticed that the fan
stamped after he had passed the tunnel
door about 800 feet. He was certain the
door was shut when he went out
did you run out 10 the bottom of the
shaftg"
sNo, sir I walked"
The witness then explained that owing
10 the darkness and distractions in the
tunnel IL would have been impossible for
hin 10 have run.
Than 1t developed that. so far as he
knew. the witness himself was the last
men at the bottom of the shaft and
went up
David f. Bose stated that he was about
half way out when the fan stopped. He
believed that as long as the fan was run
ming, things were all right.
How do you know that the fan stopped
running?" "By the way the air acted on
my lamp. The draft stopped
what do you know about slack in the
nins9' There is slack in every mine. of
course"
what effect would II have In starting a
fire. 1T might start a FIRE"
Mr.. HUMPHREYS wanted to show that the
suction OF air from the air passage had
the effect OF keeping the tunnel door
closed but the witness replied that he did
moi believe the door would open unless
some one opened 1t.
Edward Mcdonald testified that he and
George smalley shut down the fan when
"trip driver" came running UP the bill
and told them TO do so, and started IL
again when John Morgan. the lire boss"
told them to start il again.
John Morgan the boss" Just referred
% gho led the rescuing party and who
took Jack Snyder out OF the mine. told
the Jury about ordering the fan started
and said that after this. 1.-The smoke went
ahead OF them IN the mine as fast as
slow walk. The case Will be taken up
again this morning