The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-20
THE CAVE GAVE WARNING
There Was Plenty of Time for Po-
letto to Have Escaped.
DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO
The Supposition Is That the Unfortunate
Miner Became Frightened The
Corone Investigates the
Death.

An Inquest was held yesterday by Cor
oner Tremblay over the body Of DOM
inic Poletto. killed in a ave in the Orig
inal mine. The first witness was John
Hodge, a miner at the Original. In his
opinion the accident was caused by the
ground being more than the timbering
could stand. The ave was from the
fourth to the sixth floor. He considered
that the timbering was safe. He was
working on the fifth floor. where Polet-
to was also working. There were four
men on the fifth floor, four on the sixth.
He did not know that the bosses were
apprehensive of a cave, but he knew
hat extra timbers were put in the pre-
vious Saturday. he was sure the cave
gave sufficient warning to all to get out.
Poletto was called, but must have been
frightened and did not know what to
do.
John McGrath, another miner, said he
had quit work before the accident. lie
saw the timcbers were settling and noti-l
fled the men that there was danger.
The men in the mine We're always eau
toned to be careful in putting in the
timbers and to use all that was neces-
sary. The fill of the waste was down
to about half a floor of the fourth There
was no danger up to 4 o'clock. The set
Ting only began half al hour before
the crash. He believed everything pos
sible was done for the safety of the
men.
James Tonkin. timberman, said that
some of the timbers had taken weight,
but had been propped up. He was there
at the time and did not consider there
was much danger until a few moments
before the crash came. There had not
been any minor caves in the Slopes of
the level. There was nothing prior TO
the cave to indicate danger. From what
he had learned since he did not think
enough timbers could have been put in
to prevent the cave
Ralph Grattan, another miner. said
about 4:30 O'Clock the men were notified
there was danger and told to get out.
He warned Poletto himself. The settling
began to show in two seconds. He
warned Poletto both in English and Ital-
ian. Poletto had plenty of time TO get
out if he had needed the warning.
John Caddy, naother miner, was on
the fourth floor when the accident &C.
Cured. His testimony was corrobora-
tive of that of the others. There was
sufficient time to get out. He could not !
give any reason for the cave, except the
weight of the ground. The water wash
ing down the walls may have had some
effect, but very little, and there was not
enough to cause the cave.
william Bailey, shift boss, said he had
gone through all the slopes an hour be-
fore the accident and saw nothing
wrong. There had been no reason to
anticipate a cave. Poletto seemed to I'M
derStand what was aid to him.
Francis Fitzgerald. another shift boss,
said the timbers were very thick. They
had been put every place where there
was room.
Thomas Bryant. foreman of the mine,
said the orders to the shift bosses and
the men was hat the work should be
timbered up close. Extra timbering
was put in Saturday, but it was only
as a ~precaution and not in anticipation
of a cave.
Mine Inspector John Byrne said:
II received a telegram from the cor
oner and came to Butte and examined
the scene of the accident. The cave oc-
Cured on the east end of the 900, be-
tween the Q and 10. / could not examine
above the ave owing to the conditions.
The Slopes Immediately under were fill
ed with waste to the fourth floor. There
was left a space of not more than 20
feet for the a V to fall. The timbers
were crushed and the sill floor as a re-
suit of the cave but on either side were
in very fair condition. The conditions
in general were as good as l would ex-
pect to find in any mine l found, how
ever. some water between the vein and
the foot wall n there may have been
a tale seam in the vein itself. The wat
er may have brought about the cave.
This could not be seen and could not
be provided for. The company. there
fore. could hardly be held responsible.
Men working on the floor beneath Po-
letto and further east escaped all right.
Poletto, it seems to me. could have es-
capped. He only had to traver 30 or 40
feet to be perfectly safe. Everything
exposed at present is perfectly safe and
I would judge, therefore, that this place
was reasonably safe, safe so far as any,
thing that was visible could be provld-
ed against"
The jury brought in the following
verdict: I'VE find that Dominic Pc.
letto came to his death in the Original
mine as the result of a cave-in.H And
from the testimony given we find that
the said death was the result of an
unavoidable accident"