Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-09-17
FATALLY HURT
Master Mechanic Patton and
Edward Black Fatally
Injured.

4 Boom Pole Falls ON them at the Lock
i They hare no Warning and ii Gets
/ them Fairly-Both are In very Crit
zeal Conditions Time will tell wheth.
er they will live or not-How that
Accident Occurred Blame for it plae-
! ed By the Men Other Accidents have
been Narrowly Ayerted In the Some
I Place.
Two men were fatally injured at
the lock on the west side of the river
this morning about half past nine
o'clock. They were caught by a
falling boom which had become re-
leased from derrick and fell catch
ing them as they worked under it.
Their names are Mat. Patton and
Edward Black
The men were at work under the
derrick when the boom was being
lowered to get it in position for use.
The rope was allowed to its fullest
extent. When the strain came on
the end it left the drum aud the
boom fell.
A number of men were under il
and they had no warning to get out
of the way. Consequently two of
them were caught They had no
chance and were caught like rats in
trap. The end Of the boom which
Is Of tremendous weight was caught
on a log which lay in the way and II
it had not been for this circum-
stance the men would not have
known what had struck them.
As it is Patton has one lung very
badly injured, several ribs broken
and has received a number OF in
ternal injuries the extent and SER
iousness Of which cannot be told
at this time
Patton was caught across the
shoulder Ed Black was sitting
down and the pole fell on him while
he was in that position 1t bent
him forward crushing him in the abb
domen and injuring the spine. The
legs in consequence are paralyzed.
How serious this injury is of course
will have to be proven by later de-
velopments. The doctors cannot tell
now.
Drs. Wade, Brock, Fitch and Glib
bons were all called to attend the
men and they have worked hard over
them to get them in shape after
such terrible shock as they have
received.
Patton is the master carpenter at
the lock and boards at Linsley John
sons in South Morgantown to which
place he has been removed. Black
is laborer and makes his home
with his brother Harry Black who
is married and lives on his brothers
farm who has rented the O. II. Ollie
farm u mile west of town on
the other side OF the river He has
also been, taken home
The recovery of the men is ex-
tremely doubtful and their chances
are not considered as very good.
Black seems to be the worst hurt.
The men are disposed to blame
the whole matter on the master me-
chanic Joes of Pittsburg, who was
in charge of the drum when the
boom broke loose Harry Black, the
brother of the injured man is GER
tain that he is to blame for it and
the other workmen who were talked
with were of the same opinion.
Jones was not on the lock when the
representative of this paper was on
the spot and he could not be seen in
his defence. He probably has some
statement to make that would cause
it to appear in a different light.
However the feeling is very strong
against him.
This is the first serious accident
which has taken place on the river
improvement but several others have
Teen narrowly averted across the
river Last Saturday morning about
the time that the accident took place
this morning all the derricks fell
and the crowd of men below had
barely time to get out of the way
None Of them were hurt at that time
because the falling of the machinery
was caused by the parting of guy
wire out at one side which caused
the falls to take place slowly enough
to give them some warning.
The place where the accident took
place is down in the pit inside of the
/ Joo1~ - +lo,a :. .luaxvc !, Iox1~a