The Saint Paul globe., 1897-09-27
NINE TRAGEDIES.
Accidents That Have Happened to
DeJvers

I'm this line of work we come across some
curious accidents and narrow escapes said
Deputy Mine Inspector Frank Hunter the 9TH
er night, says the Butte (Mont.) Miner. "One
much it takes to kill man sometimes, and
how easily the thread of life is often
snapped.
Down in Colorado 1 knew a fellow who
plunged down 800 feet in a single compart-
ment shaft. He went to the bottom, but did
not break a bone Of course he was pretty
badly Jared up and good deal frightened,
but he was all right again in a day or two.
When he fell he went down feet first and
big oilskin coat that he wore opened at the
bottom and acted as a parachute. He said
slower than the first that he hardly thought
he was dropping at all, and half expected to
remain suspended in the shaft, like Moham-
meds coffin.
Nearly always when a man falls any dis
tance he turns over if he starts feet down
ward, and finishes his plunge head first I
have seen number of cases where the man
fell with his boots on and was found bare
footed when he was picked up. l suppose
this is because the blood goes to the head,
making the feet smaller and, besides, the
pressure Of the air upon the heel counteracts
as bootjack.
''That was rather a singular accident up
at the Diamond the other day" Mr.. Hunter
went on refectively. "I mean the death Of
Matt O'Hara in the waste hole of the Four
Hundred 1t is my belief that if O'Hara had
been two feet further in he would have es-
capped serious injury, as the rock only fell a
few inches. 1t just happened to catch him
in such way as to break his neck. 1 know
of a parallel instance where rock weigh
ing 600 or 700 pounds fell from height of
eight feet upon man, and he is alive today,
though badly crippled.
81 had to go over to Sand Coulee last week
to investigate an accident in which one man
was killed and another had three ribs broken.
At the funeral of the dead man request was
received from his injured partner, who was
confined to his bed, that the remains might
be brought to his bedside he could take one
last look at them. Well, after the services
the procession stopped at the house OF the IN
jured man and waited while the coffin was
taken inside, where the lid was unscrewed in
order to give the invalid view of the dead
mans face. Then the march to the cemetery
was resumed
speaking of Sand Coulee it struck me
while 1 was there that if l wanted to com
NIT suicide l would go there to do it: l
don't mean that life becomes such burden
In the coal country that the ties that bind
are more easily severed than elsewhere, but
that it affords unsurpassed facilities for
cheap and happy dispatch. It's wonder to
me that some Of the people who annually
do not take the Sand Coulee route.
Down in the coal mines there Is one pas
sage that is three miles long, and in some
of the chambers air does not seem to cir
culate. Upon the walls there is a gathering
of moisture, and if you puff cigar in one
of these chambers the smoke will seek the
walls, where 1t clings with an undulating
movement like the spray of weeds under
running water. The dew on the walls is
white damp and the dead air of the chamber
where it is found is poisonous. In few
minutes feeling of drowsiness steals over
a man who breathes it, and before long he
is asleep and dreaming deliciously-so those
say who has been resuscitated. But the
sleep is akin to that of the lost traveller over
whose numbed limbs the artic snow eddes
and drifts, for. unless help comes soon, there
is no awakening. If, however, the venture
some explorer of these underground death
traps realizes his danger in time and man
ages to stagger out into the fresh air, he has
an experience to undergo which may cause
him to regret that he did not remain inside.
Every bone and muscle aches with the in
tolerabe polgnancy that is known to conva-
lescents from yellow fever. The treatment
is simple but effective. Being nearly dead,
the sufferer is nearly buried. A hole is dug
in the soft earth and the victim is made to
stand in it, while the dirt is thrown around
him until only his head is seen above ground.
This seems to draw out the soreness and in
a short time the patient has fully recovered"