The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-11-27
In the Case at the No.
5 Shaft of the CAL
umet Mine.
Verdict Returned by the Jury


At the inquest yesterday afternoon
sheld to INQUIRE into the cause OF the
death OF the late Peter Martinson, who
was accidentally killed in the shaft at NO.
3. Calumet, last Friday morning, Dan
Ross. the assistant engineer, stated TO
the Jury that it was through mistake
of his that the skip was pulled to the
roof and parted from the cable and went
down the shalt, but he thought it was a
a mistake liable to happen the most ex'
soerienced and most careful engineer.
When put on the witness stand Ross
said that he was the assistant engineer
and worked under Ed George. The lat
Ger did all the hosting when the men
were taken out or let down in the mine
and Ross helped him with the work.
When the rock was being hoisted, how
ever. it was customary Tor him TO take
his turn hosting the skip while he re-
heyed George. "It was mistake Oh
mine and nobody else is liable or respon-
sible." he said, 81 was watching the indl-
Gator until the skip got to the brace then
watched the mark we have on the drum
upon which the rope winds. Alter the
skip gets TO the brace We let it run twice
around, or distance OF about eighty
feet. until it reached the dump. | thought
the skip had to go around the drum once
more than it did, in fact | only counted
one round when | should have counted
two and of course the skip struck the top
of the shaithouse and broke from the
rope. Immediately reversed the engine
and shut off the steam, but by that time
The rome was in the enginehouse."
Upon being questioned Ross stated
that the lander in the shaft rang his
bell, but that did not stop the skip
Ross depended upon the mark on the
.S'rum for his time to dump and the fact
that the drum went around once and that
hedidn't see 1t is the cause OF the accident.
They we're IN the babit OF letting the skip
go at full speed until the last round OF
the drum when they would slacken up
until the dump was reached.
Ed George, the head engineer, was put
on the stand and testified he was in the
wing OF the engine house when he heard
the skip strike the timbers and knew
that something wrong had happened.
He ran to the engine but was powerless
to do anything. he explained in detail
about the mark on the drum and that it
was customary for most engineers to
have such mark because they can tell
to a foot where the skip is after it leaves
the brace Of the shaft. They can also do
the work surer and faster by using the
mark rather than the indicator after the
skip has reached the brace.
John Strom, the lander in the shaft
testified that he was to give the signal
20 the engineer to slacken his speed, and
that the bell rung from below all right
and he pulled his bell back when the skiI
was fully $50 feet below the brace an6
tnat the skip went by him at fuil speet
q until it struck the shaft house when b.
dropped the bell and wanted to run ant
save his own life. but didn't have time.
Murdoch Campbell and Albert Smith
the two TRAINERS who were partners c
the deceased, testified that they wer
ready to dump their car when the ski
came down. Ii was Martinson's turn t
go to the shaft and lower the gate an
ne vas in the act OF doing this when the
heard the crash and ran back into tt
estope. When they returned TO the sha
the found Martinson dead with bis hea
hanging down the shaft and bad gas
in his left shoulder.
The Jury returned a verdict as follow
1--WE, the jury, find that the decease
Peter Martinson, came TO his death
No. shaft, north side OF Calumet bran'
OF the Calumet and Hecla min
by runaway skip, on the Goth day
November. 1897"
The jury was c. m posed OF Messl
James l.. Nankervis, Joseph Gardn'
Samuel Millington, Milton Highlan
AleX Kerr and Murdoch Mcdonald.