The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-10
MET A TERRIBLE DEATH
Frank Parker Lost His Life in
the Colusa.
FELL TWO HUNDRED FEET
The Body Was Found in the Stump
Frightfully Mangled-He Struck
His Head on a Center
Piece

Frank e. Parker, a recent arrival in
the city, met a terrible death in an ac-
cident in the shaft of the West Colusa
mine about 10 o'clock yesterday morn
ing. While ascending the shaft in the
cage his head came in contact with a
centerpiece in some inexplicable man
ner, which can only be accounted for
by theory, and he fell away to the bot
tom of the shaft, 200 feet His dead
body was picked up in the stump, man
gled in a shocking manner,
Parker came to Butte about three
weeks ago and was given employment
at the West Colusa as machinists
helper In this capacity he was assist
ing the machinists who are just now
engaged in putting in a new pump on
the 1,000-foot level Master Machlnlst
Kent and Pumpman Conway used hin
chiefly in carrying tools and supplies
to and fro between them and the sur
face About 10 o'clock yesterday fore
noon Parker was sent to the surface
with an iron bar. He got aboard the
cage and started up At the 500 level
there was jar on the rope and the
men at the 1000 heard the body fall
into the stump. When the men reached
found him dead and the back of the
head was entirely cut away. The body
was otherwise badly broken up. The
corpse was removed to the surface and
Coroner Julien and Mine Inspector
Byrne We're notified.
On investigating the accident it was
found where the unfortunate mans
head had come in contact with the CEN
terpiece at the 800. The bar he had been
carrying to the surface was found bent
almost double. From these facts the
conclusion was drawn that Parker
stood on the cage with the bar stand
ing upright, with one end resting on
the bottom of the cage, and the only in
ference to be drawn was that inadver-
tently he had allowed the bar to drop
over till one end caught under a wall
plate or centerpiece, giving the cage
such a violent jar that Parker was
thrown into such a position that his
head came up under the centerpiece.
When his head struck the timber he
naturally fell from the cage into the
shaft.
Parker was a man 3S or 40 years of
age and was married and had two chill
dren, who at present are in Colfax, Cal
When the war with Spain broke out
Parker was in South Dakota, where he
enlisted in G troop of Grigsby's rough
riders and served with the regiment as
quartermaster sergeant while it was
stationed at Chickamauga. When the
regiment was mustered out he went to
California to join his family. Through
Joseph Vivian he secured employment
at the West Colusa and little over
three weeks ago came here to go to
work. Among his effects We're found
his rough rider uniform and two
sabers One was his own and the other
was one his father had carried as
own ttrv, !,
those who made his acquaintance dur
ing his brief sojourn here Parker was
regarded as bright man and genial,
good-natured, whole-souled fellow.
Parker wrote to his wife Thursday
evening that he had made arrange
ments for her and the children to come
on to Butte, but the telegram sent her
yesterday conveying the sad news of
his terrible death reached her before
his welcome message came. The news
must have been a terrible blow to her
and their children.
Coroner Julien empaneled jury and
held an inquest on the body of the de-
ceased at Richards Undertaking rooms
last evening. The evidence of a large
number of witnesses who We're exam
ined recited the circumstances Of the
accident as given in the foregoing, with
the exception that it appeared that the
bar of iron which caused the accident
was not carried by Parker, but instead
that William Fault, a pumpman en-
ployed in the mine, carried the bar,
which was q steel crowbar down to the
1000 on the cage along with other tools;
that when he reached there Parker was
waiting to go up and turned and helped
Fault unload the cage; that Fault left
the crowbar standing on the cage, lean
ing against the guard: that Fault took
an armful of tools and carried them
| back a distance. leaving Parker to re-
move the balance, and that when Fault
returned to the station the cage was
| gone. 1t was the opinion of all that
Parker had not seen the crowbar in the
dim light, had supposed all the tools
were off and had rung the cage away.
| When the cage reached the 500 a jar Of
| the cage evidently threw the upper end
| of the bar over under a timber, pro-
ducing the results which followed.
1t was testified that it is rule in the
mine that any such thing as crowbar
or other long instrument of any kind
must be securely dashed when carried
| on cage, and Mine Inspector
John Byrne, in testifying, CEN
sured Fault severely for his failure TO
observe this rule or to have seen to it
personally that the bar was removed,
for the reason, as he stated, that had
| either been done the accident could not
have occurred
The jury's verdict was as follows:
'tThat the deceased came to his death
in Meaderville township, Silver Bow
county, Mont, on the 9th day of June,
| 1899, by having his brains crushed out
| in an accident in the shaft of the West
| Colusa-Parrot mine, in Meaderville
township, said county and state, and
from the evidence we, the jury, further
find the said accident to have been due
| to carelessness on the part of a fellow
employee, for which the management of
| the mine was in no way responsible