The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-20
J. I. Gallagher Dies From the Ef-
fscts of the Explosion.
INQUEST BY THE CORONER
The Company Is Exonerated-The
Cause of the Disaster Is Only
Surmised- Charitable Friends
Funeral of the Victims.

| Gallagher expired. Another miner Jo-
seph Dearin, is liable to die at any
minute. and Mike Tobin is also very
low. The others will recover.
Funeral services were held over the
remains OF the seven victims this after
| noon by Father Dolls of Great Falls
Three of them will probably be buried
here Tomorrow. The remains of Hugh
Mckenzie will be shipped to Great
rails; those of Frank Doran to Red
| Lodge; Morrison to Bozeman and
Cairnes to Canyon City, Col
| The coroner's inquest was held this
afternoon before Judge Gray and a
jury consisting of ]. L. Neihart, George
:. Bailey, Isaac Meyer, Daniel Redden,
| George. Martins and III. b. Mitchell
| They viewed the remains of the victims
and inspected the scene of the acci-
| dent.
The first witness was John Dick He
told OF leaving with Frank Doran.
walking In with him to the cross-cut.
where the powder drying magazine
was. There Doran got a light from his
candle and went into the cross-cut,
making 0he remark as he left that
there had been a horrible accident at
Basin. About two minutes afterward.
JUST as ne had started down the shaft,
the explosion occurred Doran was
carrying powder in box into the
magazine. Witness did not know how
much.
Claus Schuman passed the magazine
ABOUT minute before the accident and
saw Doran in there on his knees before
the magazine apparently fixing the
powder. He noticed Doran's candle
sucking In the wall and thinks it was
In the left side and not far from the
magazine. He went in the station
about 80 feet away and was Just pre-
pairing TO descend when the explosion
occurred. There were two or three men
about the shaft and one called for helm
When we got a light we found there
was bad cave behind us and a man
at the station was badly injured and
one or two in the shaft. After the ac-
cident the injured went down the shaft
to the main tunnel and around on top.
If the rocks in the magazine were full
they would hold about 500 pounds of
powder. He did not know how much
was there that night. From where Do
rams body was found he must have
ran to reach there before the explosion
occurred.
Tom Bergman was just behind Schu-
man going in. but his testimony di-
vulged nothing new. He noticed Do
ran at the magazine as he passed bend
ing over it, George Nichola was the
first man to get amongst the dead or
wounded after the accident. He was
delayed at the blacksmith shop after
supper, waiting to get an augur sharp
ened He felt a slight concussion and
remarked that that was powder.
Woodmansee, the blacksmith. thought
1t was only a timber falling. Tom
Deller went into the tunnel first and
Nichols followed. He met Deller COM
ing back and he saw they were ALI
killed in there. He went on and heard
men groaning
The first one l saw, said the witness.
was Morrison. He was lying at the side |
of the track. with Mckenzie partially |
on top of him. Only three were con- |
scious, Morrison, Smith and George Do |
ran. L moved Mckenzie to get Morri- |
son out, and the former, regaining con-
sciousness, wanted to be turned over.
These were the last words he spoke.
Next to these two came O'Leary and |
Ross. with George Doran and Smith
near by. Smith was able to get up.
and helped Doran up. started Smith
towards the mouth of the tunnel. but
he was so dazed that he could not un-
where to go. woodmansee
afterwards helped him out. Dearim and
Gallagher were lying across each other
with timber on top of them. He saw
3 man lying beyond. but didn't know
who he was. but learned afterwards
that IL was Frank Doran. He was lying
n a tunnel towards the station, with
! timber across him, probably 80 or 40
.eet from a cross-cut-
Charles Smith, the only man among
hose who had not reached the maya
Tine across the cut at the time of the
who was able to get around.
lext testified. He said they were di
yided into two parties In going in, and
lie, being in the rear of the last. knew
lothing more until after the explosion.
when he felt the dead bodies around
linn. l crawled a distance, said the
and tried to strike a light. He
lid not hear Doran make any sound
'efore the explosion. None of the wit
lesses heard Doran make any sound of
larm. Smiths clothes were all torn
II him and he was badly stained
Charles Butler, the shift boss testi-
ed as to the instructions regarding
he handling of powder. From 75 to 100 ,,
ticks of powder are kept in the maga-
Inc at one time. From 75 to 30 are !
sed for round of shots. The maga- !
ines are cleaned thoroughly every
feek. The night before he had exam
ned the magazine and found every {
hing all right. The magazine used al ]
he mine he considered as safe as DOS
lble, and Doran a particularly safe 4
ian to look after II. The other powder 7
! the level is kept some distance from |
he magazine, and did not explode. He
ever kept more than one box in the
vel at one time. He was the first TO I a
acognize Doran. Thomas Pound no. d
ced Doran's candle as he went in. IL v
as stuck in the left wall. and if IL had {
allen IL would not have gone into the 7
lagazine. S
John McCooney. the superintendent. n
,stified as TO the rules in regard TO $
andling powder His testimony was \
lbstantially the same as that OF But
r.
The jury brought in a verdict that
le death of the men resulted from an c
scident and that the management of /
le mine was in no way TO blame v
are being raised to- s
ght for the benefit OF those depen- v
mt on the dead and the injured men. n
lready nearly 5000 has been secured. b