The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-27
HELD FIRE ONE HOUR
Explosion of a 'Dead" Charge in the
Green Mountain Mine.
TWO MINERS ARE INJURED
Dan Shea and Pete Smith the I'M
lucky Ones-Remarkable Cour-
age. of the Former. who
Loses an Arm.
TWO MINERS ARE INJURED

A fuse that hung fire for an hour
resulted in serious injuries to two men
at the Green Mountain mine little af-
ter o'clock yesterday morning. The
hanging fire of a fuse for any great
length of time is a very rare occur
renee. and there is probably not an
other instance on record in Butte's
mining history where a fuse hung fire
so long as the one which caused yester-
days accident. A station is being cut
at the 1,400-foot level in the Green
Mountain and 1t was there that the ac-
cident occurred.
Dan p. Sullivan and Pat Conway
were working there on what is known
as the IL o'clock shift and were off
duty at o'clock yesterday morning.
The men who are cutting the station
work on eight hour shifts and relieve
each other. At 6:15 o'clock yesterday
morning Sullivan and Conway fired
nine holes and then went to the 1900
foot station to await the explosions.
They listened closely to the reports and
heard only six charges explode. They
waited until $3.50 and then went down
to investigate as to whether or not any
of the holes had missed fire, for fire.
quently two, and occasionally three
holes explode simultaneously and only
one report is heard.
On reaching the station they found
that two of the roof holes had missed,
and the fuses which were still hanging
from the holes showed plainly where
they were located. 1t was found that
in each case the powder in the fuse had
burned inside the collar of the hole.
Sullivan and Conway did not deem ii
necessary to blast the holes before they
were relieved by their partners on the
day shift. and one of them started in
to clean up the fragmentary rock that
was scattered around the station while
the other worked down the loose and
hanging rock with pick. At about 5
minutes of o'clock Dan T. Shea and
Peter Smith, they day-shift partners.
arrived at the station to relieve them.
Sullivan and Conway pointed out to
them the holes which had missed fire
and talked with them about them for
two or three minutes and then went on
top.
Shea and Smith, as they afterwards
informed Superintendent Laird, were
making preparations to go to work,
when, at 7:15 o'clock, exactly an hour
after it had been fired one of the missed
holes exploded. Smith was sitting al
most directly under the hole and re-
ceived a shower of powder and gravel
full in his face. Shea was standing in
front of the hole in such position
that his left arm was blown off just
above the elbow and his face was also
cut up by the flying pieces of rock.
Smith undou btedly owes his life to the
fact that the hole was loaded lightly
and did not bring down its burden of
rock, and Shea might also have been
killed had the hole been a heavy one.
The explosion was heard by the two
station tenders, and, in company with
James Brennan, the shift boss. they
Immediately went TO the 400 and re-
moved the injured men to the surface.
hot Cnfn htrt 4.
was unable to see anything. They were
met at the surface by superintendent
Joe Laird and Shea reached out his
remaining hand to shake hands with
him.
IT am pretty badly used up, Joe," he
remarked, as he turned his left Shout
der around so that the superintendent
could see the extent of his injury. AZ
ter expressing his sympathy for him,
Mr.. Laird asked him where he wanted
to be taken, and he replied that he
wanted to be taken home before he
went to the hospital The poor fellow
believed then that his injury was fatal
and he desired to see his family before
he lost the use of his senses. His ex-
hibition of nerve was wonderful. and
he did not utter a word of complaint
nor give the slightest indication of the
pain he was suffering. He was quickly
removed to his home in West LaPlatte
street, Centerville, where he was met
by his wife. who was crying bitterly.
Shea begged her to stop crying and
said to her with a smile and an air of
cheerfulness: II am not badly hurt.
You are worse scared than / am"
Surgeons who had been telephoned
for reached Shea's home soon after he
arrived there, and he was soon after
wards removed to the Sisters hospital,
where his injuries were given prompt
attention. What remained of his left
arm was amputated just below the
shoulder, and he rallied from the op-
Grafton so nicely that the physicians
are confident of his recovery. The grav-
ell and powder were picked out of his
face and eyes, and IL is thought both
of his eyes will be saved.
Smith was taken directly from the
mine to the hospital, where his eyes
were dressed. The doctors believe that
he will recover the full use of one eye,
the other one as being very slim.
Smiths other injuries are not of a Sc
rious nature. Deputy State Mine In
spector John II. Miles was notified of
the accident and visited the scene
about o'clock, and found the station
in the condition that II was left after
the explosion. He investigated the ac-
cident and found the facts TO be as
stated above,
Shea is about As years old and was
regarded as one of the very best men
in the mine. He is an old Lake Superior
miner and had worked in the Green
Mountain for a year He laid off two
weeks ago to accompany the body of
his brother-in-law, Con Driscoll, who
was killed in the Never-Sweat, back to
Hancock Mich and went hack IN work