Great Falls weekly tribune., 1896-04-24
Detailed Story Of the Tragedy and
List Of Those Killed and
Seriously Wounded.

| -. II. hOSS, KllleQ.
JOHN CAIRNS, killed.
DAN O'LEARY, died at a. NJ.
HUGH M'KENZIE, killed.
w. j. MORRISON, died at a. m.
JAMES 4. GALLAGHER, will die.
GEORGE DORAN, back badly hurt.
JAMES j. CONNELLY, arm broken
and other serious injuries.
JOSEPH DERWEN, back hurt.
CHARLES SMITH, seriously injured
about head and shoulders.
MIKE TOBIN, seriously injured about
head and shoulders.
| About 10 more are more or less in
jured but will recover.
Most of the people of the camp we're
asleep when, at a few minutes to in the
morning, the whistle at the Broad water
mine and the furious ringing of the fire
bell woke them. 10 an incredibly short
space of time the story Of the explosion
at the mine became known and numbers
of men, anxious to help their fellows in
trouble, were climbing the hill to the
Broadwater Tunnel No. .. where the
accident occurred, had caved in for quite
a distance and it WAS difficult to
locate the missing men, as they were on
both sides of the cave-in, and it was
feared come were buried under it. Will
ing hands were soon at work, and the
first body recovered was that of Hugh
Mckenzie. He was still breathing when
found, but died before he could be car
ried out. Frank Doran, hardly recog-
nizable, was undoubtedly killed in
stantly. ID. II. Ross and John Cairns
were alive when carried out, but soon
expired. w. j. Morrison, whose face
was terribly smashed, lived long enough
to be taken to the hospital, but died al
most Immediately upon reaching it.
Dan O'Leary was taken to the hospital,
where he died at o'clock this morning.
John Gallagher was found in horrible
condition, with a big hole in his side
and his chest mashed in. He is still
alive, but is expected to die any minute.
q. E. Doran, a brother of Frank Doran,
was able to walk out of the mine with
little assistance, but is now in a critical
condition, with injuries in his head and
back. 1t was thought James Derwen's
back was broken, but that does not
seem to be the case, and he may get
well. James Connolly had his arm
broken and was injured by the con
cussion. Mike Tobin had his
face smashed almost to Jelly,
and Charles Smith is injured on the side
and head. The three latter men will
probably get well. The direct cause of
the accident will forever remain a mys-
terry. as Frank Doran, the only man who
could tell its story, is dead. In the tun,
mel, about 80 feet from the shaft, is a
magazine used for thawipg the powder.
1t is the custom only to keep sufficient
powder here for one shift, and Superin-
tendent McCooey says there could not
have been more than % or 30 pounds
there at the time of the explosion. Shots
bad been fred just before the men had
stopped work for the midnight lunch,
and they were on their way back to the
work at the time of the explosion. Frank
Doran, who looked after the powder and
had charge of the magazine, had pre-
ceded the others, and carried sufficient
powder into the magazine to be thawed
Tor use in the morning. The men had to
pass the magazine to get to the shaft,
where they we're to resume work, and
several Of them noticed Doran in the
magazine fixing the powder. When last
seen he was bending over the powder
box, and it is surmised that the powder,
in some manner, caught fire from his
candle. His body was found in the
main tunnel, 20 feet from the magazine,
which is in drift. He must have seen
the danger and tried to escape. There
were % men at work on this level, half
OF them had passed the magazine on
their way to work, when the explosion
occurred. Nearly all were more or less
hurt and those nearest the magazine
were the killed and seriously wounded.
or the men killed, Frank Doran was the
only one married, he having q wife and
two small children. Morrison had been
here for several months and the others for
only short time They were all men,
bers OF the Miners union and Doran
was AZ Odd Fellow. Cairns was Knight
of Pythias belonging to the Belt lodge,
and his remains will be sent to Canyon
City, Co.,, by that order. He has a
younger brother here. Morrison has
mother in Bozemsn and a brother here.
Mckenzie is said to have sister in
Great Falls and brother in Belt. He
was Q relative Of Conductor Mcclure Of