The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-08
AN INQUEST WAS HELD
The Coroner Investigates the Kill
ing of Jerry Buckley.
HE FELL FROM THE CAGE
The Jury Returns a Verdict to the Eff
feet That the Deceased Met His
Death Through His Own,
Carelessness.


last evening at Sherman's undertaking
rooms over the body of Jerry Buckley,
who was killed Monday in the Never
sweat mine by falling from the cage
into the stump. The jury returned a
verdict reciting the circumstances and
asserting the jury's belief that the de-
ceased met death through his own care
1essness. The exact manner in which
Buckley came to fall was not estab-
lished. but from the evidence submitted
it appears that he must have been
standing on the cage without having
hold of the safety bar, when some rocks
falling out of the skip came down the
shaft, striking on the bonnet of the
cage, causing ii to lurch and throwing
Buckley off.
Fred Shawnburn and Dan Harring-
ton, who We're on the upper deck of the
cage with Buckley, testified that they
did not see the deceased fall away and
did not know any serious accident had
happened until they arrived at the 800
level and missed Buckley
Fred Shawnburn. a station tender at
the NeversWeat, was on the cage at the
time of the accident. The cage left the
1900 level, and when it reached the 900,
Buckley was missing. He did not see
the deceased disappear. A rock came
down the shaft and struck on the bon
net.
In response to questions by Deputy
Mine Inspector Hunter. the witness said
number of rocks fell. When they hit
the bonnet the cage received a heavy
jar. He did not know whether it was
hard enough to knock a man off or not
and he did not know whether the de-
ceased had hold of the handle bar or
not, as he was having all he could do
to stay on the cage himself. The rocks
were not large enough to break through
the bonnet but large enough to have
killed a man had they bounded off the
bonnet and hitting the wall plates,
bounded in and hit a man. he did not
know where the rocks came from. The
cage was running from the 1900 to go to
the 100, but stopped at the 900 and then
found Buckley missing.
James McNichols, the engineer, stat
ed that everything in connection with
the machinery was in good condition.
Dan Harrington was also on the cage
with Buckley and Shawnburn. He felt
number of rocks hit the top of the
cage, and at the 900 missed Buckley
from the cage. He did not see the de-
ceased fall, although he was in the CEN
ter and Buckley on one side of him and
Shawnburn on the other. The witness
showed an evident reluctance to testify
and replied that he did not know.
Dan Sullivan was on the 400 level
when he heard noise in the shaft and
heard something drop into the stump.
He did not suppose at the time it was
man. He noticed some rocks fall be-
fore the body came down. He knew
nothing further about the accident, had
no idea how the rocks came to fall and
did not know whether or not the acct
dent was due to carelessness on the
company'S part.
Robert Courier, another miner in the
Neversweat. knew nothing about the
accident. He thought ii possible that a
man could fall off a cage without the
others on the cage necessarily being
cognizant of the fact.
John Sullivan. shift boss in the
NeVersweat, was on the 500 level. lie
rang the change bell for the cage to
take a man to the 900. and on reach
ing that level was told man was miss
ing. He knew nothing of the circum-
stances of the accident.
Patrick Egan. foreman of the Never
sweat, knew only what he had heard.
At that time the cage he understood,
was running from the 1900 to the 700.
On the way up some rocks came down
the shaft. He supposed they came from
the edge of the skip He had never
given orders for the men to hold on
the safety bar, but it was put there for
their benefit and they We're supposed
to have sense enough to take hold of it.
He had no opinion to offer as TO what
caused the deceased to fall from the
cage.
Michael Lucey stated that he had
taken charge of the remains and the
property of the deceased. but knew
nothing of the accident. He had never
known the deceased to be subject to
heart failure or any complaint which
might cause him to become dizzy or
fall off, although he had known the
man Intimately.
Deputy Mine Inspector Hunter testi-
fled to investigating the. accident the
day after it occurred. He thought the
accident occurred at the 1000 level
where he found a wall plate had been
torn away and below that he found
marks on the wall plates. tracing the
fall of the body. In his opinion the de-
ceased had been standing on the cage
without holding on and when the rock
struck the cage, which ii appeared rea-
sonable to believe it did al the 1900
and tore away the wall plate. the cage
doubtless took lurch and threw the
deceased off. The witness stated that
he rides in all shafts of the country and
frequently sees station tenders stand ON
the cage with their arms folded.