The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-06
A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
Four Tons of Earth Fell on John
F. Egan.
NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED
He Was at Work in the Diamond Mine
When the Ground Fell. Carrying
Him Down Through Three
Floors to the Bottom

John +. Egan. a miner employed at
the Diamond mine, had a miraculous
escape from death yesterday afternoon.
A piece of ground weighing three or
four tons fell, striking him and carry
ing away the floor he was working on
and carrying him with it down through
three floors to the bottom of the drift.
and with it all was not seriously,
though very painfully. injured.
Egan was at work on the third floor
of the l, 100-foot level and was engaged
in putting in a set of timbers when the
accident occurred He noticed that the
backing of the stope was weak and
that the ground there was bad. He
spoke two or three times about the I'M
safe appearance of the backing, but the
machine men working close by told him
they thought his fears were groundleSs,
as the backing had held all the day be-
fore. Nevertheless, Egan was not sat
isfied and took his pick and tried to
break down a spot which seemed par
ticularly bad 1t would not come and
he concluded that it must be safer than
he thought and went to work again.
There We're two machines working.
one about six and the other perhaps Is
feet away. They kept up steady ham
mering, and it is supposed the jar they
caused loosened the bad piece of ground
still more. for all of sudden three or
four tons of ground came crashing down
upon Egan. The ground came with
such force that the floor was carried
away and Egan with it. Ground and
man went tearing down through the
floors till the bottom Of the DRIFT was
reached. Egan was hit on the head by
a piece of rock and knocked senseless
and was still unconscious when uncoy
cred and taken out Of the debris.
The miners who went to his assistance
hnl h Inn no eco Fo6
consciousness in a few minutes and was
able to walk when he reached the sur
face. 1t was seen he was badly in
jured. however and he was given slim
ulants to keep him up until he could
reach medical assistance. His family
was notified and he was sent TO ST.
James hospital.
The attending physicians found upon
examination that the collar bone of the
right shoulder had been broken in two
places, but there We're no other frac-
lures, a very remarkable thing, consid-
ering the awful fall he took, and the
weight of the ground that struck him.
There was a scalp wound on one side
of the head. a deep cash on the under
side of the lower jaw, which laid the
bone bare and the chest and right side
of the body was terribly bruised. The
unfortunate man was made as COM
Portable as possible, when he surprised
the physicians and his friends by get
ting off The operating table and wall
ing to the ward. While Egan was dis
| posed last evening to consider himself
fortunate for not having been killed, he
was still disposed to complain of his i'll
fortune, as he said this is the third year
in succession in which he has been in
jured in a mine accident just before
Christmas and compelled to use his
money to defray doctors bills instead
of being allowed the pleasure of spend
ing it on his family for Christmas.
Egan is an old miner in the camp and
is well liked by his acquaintance, many
evening to extend their sympathy and
congratulate him on what they chose
to term his good fortune, for no one
could understand why he was not killed.
Egan is a married man and has two
children The family residence is at
No. % Pacific street.