The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-12

Tins Are John Ouinlan, Con Low
ney. Ed Shields, James Dryer
James Mcveigh and Pat
O'Rourke.
The most disastrous mining accident
that has occurred in Butte for several
years, and one of the most serious in
the history of the camp, resulted in
the death of six men at the st. Law
renee mine a few minutes before half
past o'clock yesterday morning.
The Six Victims.
The dead men are: Con J. Lovingly
John Quinlan, Edward Shields. James
Dwyer. James McVeigh and Pat
ORourke.
The men were all killed instantly
and II is expected that nothing more
than the shattered fragments of some
OF them will be found. The accident
was caused by an explosion OF giant
powder and aside from the effects of the
conclusion tons of rock and broken
timbers were blown down upon the I'M
fortunate men, burying them so deep
ly that II will be several days before all
OF the bodies are recovered.
The accident occurred in the east
drift of the 1,100-foot level and near
the powder magazine on that level,
which was blown up. The cause can
only be guessed at, as all of the men
who could tell how II occurred are
dead, but IL Is believed that IL was due
to the carelessness which frequently
comes upon those who are accustomed
TO handling giant powder and which so
frequently results in great loss of life
II not infrequently happens that ex-
perienced miners who are constantly
using the deadly explosive become care
less in handling II, and such thought
lessress is usually dearly paid for.
The orders at the st. Lawrence mine
in regard to the powder are strict, and
the greatest care has always been
taken by the men I'm authority to see
that the rules are obeyed. Under the
orders OF Superintendent O'Neill, addi-
tional precautions were taken with the
powder stored on the 1100-foot level
only a few days ago, and in view of
these facts yesterdays disaster cannot
be satisfactorily accounted for except
on the ground that there was an in
fraction of the rules somewhere and
however slight 1t may have been IT was
followed by the most dire results
VIII r. the Powder Was Kept.
The powder. magazine on the 11O0-
foot level of the st. Lawrence was in
the east drift and about 100 feet in
from the shaft. 1t has never been the
custom to keep more powder there than
was actually required, and at the time
of the accident yesterday morning there
Were less than two boxes of powder I'm
the magazine. Three days ago Super
intendent O'Neill fixed a new place for
the powder. so that there would be less
danger of an accident. box with a
door was built upon a set of timbers
on which the powder was, and the caps
were moved about 20 feet away from
the powder. so that everything would
be perfectly safe. There was less than
a box of caps in that part of the mine
on Friday night. Sinking is in progress
at the st. Lawrence and the shaft has
attained a depth of nearly 1.200 feet
Preparing to Quit FOR tie bay.
The sinking crew that was at work
yesterday morning consisted of six men
Con j. Lowney, John Quinlan. John
Lacey, Owen Mack. John ]. O'Brien
and Pete j. Naughten. Four men were
working in the 1.100-foot level, which
is just being opened up. These men
were Ed. Shields, James Dwyer, John
McVeigh and Pat O'Rourke. They were
working about $50 feet beyond the
powder magazine and about $50 feet
from the shaft. They were working on
the regular 10-hour shift and were due
on shift at $3.50 O'Clock. The shift men
were working eight hours and their
shift expired at Z o'clock. At a little
AFTER O'CLOCK, Con LoWney, who was
in charge OF the sinking crew, and
John Quinlan went up to the powder
magazine on the 1 100 to make up their
primers and get ready TO put I'm a blast
before going of shift At 20 minutes
after O'Clock the explosion occurred
The other men on the sinking crew and
the station tender FASTENED TO the
scene and found that the explosion had
torn down the timbers and rock for a
distance Of about 45 feet.
Searching for the Bodies
Superintendent Jack O'Neiu was
summoned and reached the scene be-
fore O'Clock and took immediate
steps toward saving the lives of the six
men who had been at work further on
in the drift i'm the vain hope that they
had not been killed by the explosion.
Pipe connections were made as speed
lily as possible and fresh air from the
compressor was forced ahead into the
drift. Then taking his own life in his
hands. Mr.. O'Neil walked over the pile
OF wreckage to ascertain. the extent of
the damage. He found that for a dis
fance Of 80 or IS feet a strip of ground
at least seven feet thick had fallen
from the top OF the level, leaving a
tunnel 10 feet wide or more Mr.
O'Neill could distinguish one body at
the west end OF the cave. but could not
distinguish who ~ was. Fresh air was
forced into the level TO clear IL Of the
noxious gases and three shifts OF men
were soon hard at work clearing away
the wreckage. II was dangerous work
and aside from the danger the air was
so bad that one gang Of men cOuld