The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-26
WAS TERRIBLY MANGLED
Joseph We;ller Killed in the
Parnell Mine.
HE FELL DOWN A SHAFT
Nearly Every Bone in His Body Was
Broken-Dropped 200 Feet and
Struck a Cage-The Acct
dent Mystery.

A miner known as Joseph WELLER met
a terrible death in the shaft of the Par
neil mine yesterday about o'clock
He fell down the shaft from the 400
| level to the bottom, distance Of 200
feet. He was taken from the bonnet of
the cage, on which he landed, a ter
ribly mangled corpse. How he came
to get into the shaft is a great deal of
| a mystery.
WELLER had been employed at general
labor about the mine, but he was an
| experienced miner, and at noon time
yesterday was directed to go to work
drilling After the dinner hour he was
sent to the third floor of the 400 level
to begin putting in round of holes in
one of the slopes. He was to work sin
| gle handed. 1t was just about l o'clock,
or a few minutes before, that Charles
Shovel and his partner, a man named
Gray, unloaded some timbers from the
cage at the 600, the bottom level. They
were standing on the station momen-
tarily and were about to get on the
cage to go up, when they heard some
thing come down the shaft and land
on the cage with a terrific sound. In
stinctively they jumped back. and
| looking up, realized what had hap
pened. The body Of a man lay on the
| bonnet. Shovel climbed up on top of
! the cage and saw it was Weller. The
| body was twitching convulsively, but
| by the time the two men got their fell
low workmen down on the station, life
was extinct. Nearly every bone in the
body was broken and the flesh was ter
ribly mangled Shovel, when he
climbed to the top of the cage. found
ha Of CHI do
broken off, caused by the great force
of the body when it struck
Word was at once sent above and
the body was removed to the surface,
where it was viewed by the coroner.
Julien, and taken to Sherman's under
taking rooms.
An investigation developed that no
one could account for Weillers getting
into the shaft, except by theory. A
small tin pail he had for the water he
used in drilling furnished the only ba-
sis for surmise as to how the accident
happened. This was found at the bot
tom of the shaft and the fact led to
the conclusion that Weller must have
been going for water and accidentally
have fallen into the shaft. But why he
fell it is hard to understand for two
reasons. One is that the place where
he should get water was between where
he was working and the shaft and he
nad no occasion IN getting water TO go
near the shaft. The other is. that the
guard rail was down on both sides of
the shaft. and how he could have fallen
over is incomprehensible. A car man
was working in plain view of the 400
station, and ordinarily would see a man
pass, but he did not see Weller go by.
Still, he remembers hearing Weller call
and ask where to get water. and from
this is was concluded he must have
misunderstood when told and went to
the wrong place and by some mischance
fell.
The deceased was about So years of
age and single, as far as known. He
had only been working at the mine
since Aug. II, and little is known of
him, beyond that before securing EN-
ployment at the mine he worked for
the water company. Where his rela
tves live. if he had any, has not yet
been learned. He roomed at 224 East
Park street In his effects, which were
examined by Coroner Julien, We're
found postal card and some letters
addressed to j. Weiborg and Jules
Weiborg, but there were no papers
bearing the name of Weller. From
this fact it is thought his right name
may have been Weiborg, instead of
Weller, as he was known at the mine.
Coroner Julien will hold an inquest
this evening