The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-05
AN INQUEST WAS HELD
Coroner Tremblay Investigates
the Killing of Joseph Goss.
HIS OWN CARELESSNESS
The Jury Finds That No One Was to
Blame for the Death Except the I'm
fortunate Man Himself The
Company Exonerated.

| The INQUEST into the accident in
winch Joseph Goss lost his life in the
original mine on the evening of Nov.
20 and which was continued from
! tuesday to yesterday owing to the ina
! bility of the companions of the de-
! ceased To be present was finished yes
| terday, resulting in Il verdict reciting
the facts at length and closing with
| these words: 1t is the opinion of the
Jury that Goss came TO his death in a
measure by his own carelessness and
mat the company operating the mine
are an no way to blame for the acct
dent"
hlchafd Gilbert. who was Goss' part
ner, ana owen Burns and Edward Me
Manus, the other two men who were
working i'll the breast. gave their YER
SION OF the manner in which the accident
happened and attributed the cause to
the men remaining too long but Den
uty Mine Inspector Frank Hunter as
signed another cause He testified that
double-taped fuse was used and that he
timed piece in his investigation and
found that ii the men used only about
seven and one-half or eight feet as they
stated, that it only gave them four
minutes and forty seconds in which to
spit the u holes fired. and get 100 feet
away, the nearest point of safety
Manager a. II. Wethey of the Orig
witnesses with questions in the COM
panyS interest.
The inquest was resumed al Rich
ards undertaking rooms at > o'clock.
Richard Gilbert was on shift at the
time of the accident. He said he and
his partner, the deceased and the two
other men had - holes put in and in
tended splitting %. When all but one
fuse was spitted Goss said its time to
get out. The witness said "all right"
and while Goss started he stayed and
spitted the last fuse. just as he turned
to go the blast went off. He fell and
crawled out two or three sets and got,
to his feet When he looked around
Goss was missing. The fuses We're
about seven feet long, which should
give four minutes to get away. He
could not account for the fuses burn
ing so quickly unless the powder was
less compact than usual and therefore
burned faster. Replying to questions
from Deputy Mine Inspector Hunter,
the witness said he cut the fuses While
Goss spitted them. He did not use
powder in splitting. The witness was on
the footwall side Of the drift and Goss
was at his right. and he was sure Goss
started out ahead. He had been work.
ing in the 1000 level of the Original
since August. He had never blasted in
that particular spot before, and there
fore had had no experience on the
length of fuse necessary but used his
own judgment. The men had about 100
feet to go to reach a place of safety.
He had trouble in making two of the
fuses take and lost a few seconds cut
ting them over. In response to a jurors
questions the witness said he could
spit II holes alone and get away Two
men ought to spit the number of holes
they had to spit, and get 200 feet away
before the explosion. One hole went off
first and the men had time to go 20 or
la rlAf
first blast put out all the lights. The
blast threw the witness up against the
roof, and when he fell he crawled back
two or three sets and got behind
post. He could not tell how far Goss
got away before the first blast, but he
supposed only a few feet. If they had
had good luck all could have got
ten away safely. He attributed the
accident partially to the carelessness of
the men, Replying to Foreman Bryant
the witness admitted he had told the
foreman the men staid too long.
Owen Burns, one of the other men
working in the drift, said he and his
partner McManus were working on the
hanging wall side. II was very wet
and the fuses took slow. Replying To
the coroners question as to how the
accident happened. he said he thought
it was due to the men staying too long
owing to the wet. They did not how
ever. stay any longer than was neees-
sary. The men We're all through and
We're just turning away when the first
blast came. The witness was thrown
to his knees and crawled away as fast
as possible. He did not see Goss on his
way out. He did not think the work
could be done any more eXpedtiously
than it was. He did not think anyone
would have been blamed If the last hole
had been left unsptted. The men were
never limited as to the length of fuses.
Edward McManus, the fourth man in
the drift, was not in the breast when
the splitting commenced. having gone
out to call to the men on the floor
above. When he came back the other
three men had about four holes sptted
The three men We're in the breast and
he went up to Burns on the hanging
wall side and began splitting while
Burns cut. Two of the fuses wouldn't
take and had to be recut As they spit
ted the last hole they stepped back and
immediately the first hole went off. He
knew nothing of what occurred after
that as the first shot blew out the lights
and he could see nothing. He thought
the accident occurred by the men stay
ing a little too long. He did not think I
the company was to blame for the ac-
cident. He thought the water was the
cause of the two fuses not taking
Asked what effect the blast had on
him, the witness said it was very un-
pleasant surprise. He was struck on
the mead by piece of rock from the /
first blast. but was not injured at all /
by the later explosions. He did not /
count the number of renorts. Asked by +
the coroner who he thought was 10 I
blame for the accident. the witness said /
he did not know unless the men them
selves by staying too long Goss was
on the foot wall side when the shot j
went off. He could not tell whether /
Cess turned back or not. The witness |
replied 10 direct question from Man t
ager Nethey that he did not hold the /
was to blame
Foreman Thomas Bryant was called I
and asked how many holes the men |
had been instructed to shoot. He re-
Piled that they We're ID blast only the f
lower holes, He never gave any orders +
10 anyone 10 blast any stated number +
Of holes. He had sent TWO men in 10 /
fire the remaining holes the next day I
There We're IL Of them and they had /