The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-09
BY A FALL OF GROUND
INQUEST Over the Death of Miner
John McCarty.
HIS OWN CARELESSNESS
He Did Not Take the Proper Precau-
lions TO Protect Himself Against the
Witnesses Tell How
the Killing Occurred.

Coroner Tremblay held an inquest
! Yesterday over the body OF John Me-
Carly. the miner who was killed night
be- fore last in the Bell shaft of the High
} ore mine, by fall of ground. The jury
returned verdict that, in its opinion.
the deceased came to his death through
his own carelessness in not taking
proper precautions to protect himself
against accident
The inquest was held at Dugans I'M
dertaking parlors at ; o'clock.
Thomas Doyle. the partner of the de-
/ ceased up To the time of the accident.
related the circumstances. lie and Me-
| Carthy went to work on the fifth floor
of the 1.500-level after first examining
! the ground to see il it was safe. They
! considered it very good ground and
\ went To work about 10 o'clock. They
! put one hole in the hanging wall and
! had the second one in the foot wall
/ about is inches when the ground came
| down. Mccarthy was turning drill and
Doyle was striking. Some one cried
Look out" and the witness sprang
back just in time To save himself
Mccarthy had no time TO get away
and the ground came down on top of
him, carrying him down through the
floor to the floor beneath. The sound of
the drill gave no indication of danger of
soft ground. The men all received in
structions to make themselves safe.
George Deeney, miner in the High
ore, testified that he and his partner
were running machine on the fourth
floor when they heard noise and he
said to his partner that he believed a
man had been hurt He shut off the
air and they Went to where they heard
the crash and found the deceased lying
on his back, with about a barrel of dirt
on top of him. They carried him out
and down the manway to the station,
and the deceased spoke TO them. They
did not think him seriously hurt.
Patrick ONeill was at work with his
partner. Deeney. when the accident &C.
CURED. He related the circumstances
in conformity with the former wit
ness statement.
Edward Mcguire, the shift boss, went
through the place where the accident
happened about half an hour before it
occurred. The ground looked perfectly
safe at the time. When he was notified
Of the accident he Went 10 the scene and
found one piece of tagging broken on the
floor on which the deceased had been
hurt, and another displaced. There was
some ground hanging through the hole.
which he had picked down. and then
had the injured man carried down the
manWaY and taken To the surface.
Everything was done for the man that
could be while the hospital ambulance
was coming and he thought the man
would live, but he proved more seriously
hurt than the witness supposed and died
before the ambulance arrived. The
broken tagging was new timber and
strong. He considered the deceased a
good and careful miner.
James Higgins. the superintendent of
the Bell, knew npthing of the details
Of the accident. bus rad investigated it
ana il appeared to him as though there
was Il slip which should have been
picked down. He thought if the tagging
had not broken the ground would have
killed him instantly.
Deputy Mine Inspector Hunter testi-
fled that he Investigated the accident
He found about four cars of dirt on the
floor where the deceased had fallen
through. lie had the same opinion as
Mr.. Higgins. that there had been a slip
which should have been picked down.
and if it had been he thought the
ground would have been safe.