Arizona silver belt., 1897-06-17
A SUDDEN DEATH.
.'' .sf 2 -ti Win. M. Brown Killed in the Shaft of
 the Old Dominion Copper Go.


 the Old Dominion Copper Go.
 is.
 A distressing accident happei:ed In the shaft of the Globe copper mine Tuesday afternoon about l:3O o'clock, resulting in the instant death of Will. jam M. Brown, a machinists helper. e. w. Hostetter, machinist. and the deceased were at work changing the pipe in the north compartment of the shaft above the tenth station. Tho pipe is in 9-foot sections and the men had taken out a section above the pump. Brown was sitting on tim Der nine feet above the top of the Cameron pump, and preparing to de- scend when piece of iron pipe, called a nipple, IS inches long, inches in diameter, and having a heavy flange at one end, falling from height of 80 feet, struck him on top of the head and carried him down the shaft.
 His body lodged on top of the pump. near where Hostetter was standing. Hostetter jumped forward and raised Browns head, and finding the body limp and apparently lifeless, he signalled for assistance and the cage was lowered and Browns body raised to the surface. Dr. John $. Collins was summoned from town and responded promptly, but it was evi- dent from the first that Brown was dead and he must have been instantly killed, as the skull wac crushed in.
 Acting Coroner Harry Temple held an inquest over the body before 1t was removed to town, and from the testimony adduced it would appear that there is no one to blame for the deplorable accident unless it was the victim himself. About 90 feet above the tenth level and 10 feet below the ninth, a horizontal pipe had formerly connected the vertical pipe in the north compartment with a tank in the south compartment of tho shaft. This lateral pipe was taken out about two months ago, but the section con- meeting with the vertical pipe, com prising two nipples and a valve, had not been removed. They were appar- ently tightly fastened and secure. During Tuesday forenoon Brown was at work in that part of the shaft and it is conjectured that he unscrewed the projecting nipple from the valve and laid it upon one of the cross tim bers against the wall of the shaft, and the jarring caused by working on the pipe below dislodged the nipple and caused it to roll into the shaft.
 Another theory, not so we'll SUD- ported, is that the jarring of the yer tical pipe caused the nipple to work loose from the valve, but this is not probable, as g workman had stood upon the projecting nipple only few days before, when it was perfectly tight, and had the nipple worked loose it would have required some ' tine. md thc .h-cn1r on the end con meeting with the valve would have . quickly become rusJed if exposed to ! the air, as the shaft is very damp, and l James Richards, who recovered the nipple from the stump, testified that { several of the threads were still bright. So the most reasonable sup position is that the nipple had been detached from the valve on the day oi the accident and laid upon timber convenient at hand. The verdict rem dered exonerates the company from all blame.
 James Richards was sitting upon 2 timber just below Brown when the ac cident happened, and the piece of pipe in its descent brushed his hat and arm He almost immediately went below and recovered the piece of pipe ant noted its condition.
 Wm. M. Brown was a native O North Carolina, In the 25th year of hil age. His home was in San Diego Cal, where his mother, Mrs. s. J Ray, and brother reside. AnotheI brother, Allen Brown, who lives oi Salt river, this county, arrived i, time for the funeral. Deceased hat worked for the Old Dominion Coppe company about a year, and was highl. thought of by Superintendent Parnal and by his fellow workmen, he beini industrious and of exemplary habits He was man of splendid physique reputed to be one of the strongest mel U in the camp. The Old Dominion Copper company defrayed the eS f penses of the funeral which too s place yesterday afternoon from tn g M. E. church, the services being COT F ducted by Rev. l.. L. Rogers. in tn I presence of Q large assemblage of cit lens. It was indeed 2 sorrowful oC , casion, and there were very many eS ' pressionB orragret and sympathy fo the bereayed mother, who ldolized he boy. ruthlessly separated from her b death.
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