The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-08-31
CENSURED THE MINER.
CoronerFs Jury in the Morelli Case
Says the Miner Should Not Have
Allowed Laborer to Fire Blast.

In the case Of UbalO Morelli the
laborer who was killed in firing a blast
at the Meadow Brook colliery last
week. the coroners jury last night re-
turned a verdict censuring Morellis
miner for having permitted him to frc
the blast in violation of the provisions
of the mine laws.
Inspector PrytherCh, who ordered the
| inquest, was unable to attend, owing
| to illness, but he had three witnesses
on hand who gave Coroner Roberts
and the jury a thorough insight to the
case.
BY David A. Davis. the inside fore
man. it was established that the miner
employees the laborer without consult
ing the mine operator, and that a copy
of the mine laws are kept posted at the
COlliery. though they are printed only
| in English and not few miners are
| incapable of reading them. He also
said that the custom Of a miner per-
| mitting his labOrer to charge and fire
blasts is not at all uncommon. although
| the company has orders against ii.
Nicholas Malitesti, who was Nor
| ellis miner. admitted that ne allowed
Moreli to fire the shot, but considered
\ MN III every way competent To 10 lnlS
work, as he had been a foreman in a
quarry in Italy and mine Iaborer for
| a number of years.
Malttesti said that he himself charged
| the hole and fired the squib and was
| intending to fire the shot. but Morelli
asked permission to do it, and that he
| might have some practice in this work
the permission was granted. Malitesti
| went home and left his laborcr busted
| in preparing to fire the shot. The
laborer had not only fired shots before,
! but had drilled and charged holes as
we'll and Malitesti on this account had
| no misgivinGS as to his ability to do
| So with safety.
Nothing could be learned as to the
| exact manner in which the accident
| occurred, but from the testimony of
John f. Shaughnessy, the company
hand who found his dead body. AMI
| Coroner Roberts description of the in
| juries it was proven beyond question
| that it was a blast that caused death.
Joseph Cassesse, who was present
as a spectator was permitted to testify
as to Malitesti's good chara cter and
the friendliness that existed between
| Malitesti and the deceased
A clause in the mine laws that might
be interpreted to mean that miner
can use his own discretion in the mat
| ter of permitting an experienced helper
to fire shot, caused the jury to hesi-
| tate for a time over the CenSurng
clause i'm its verdict. but when it was
! found that the law explicitly states in
one place that the charging and firing
| of holes is the duty of the miner, the
| following verdict was framed and sub
| sCribed 20:
"We the undersigned jurors. sitting
AT the inquest in the death of UbalC
Morrelli, 4 laborer employed in the
Meadow Brook mine, agree to the fol-
| lowing verdict:
THE said MOrello came to his death
by being struck by flying coal from a
blast which he himself fired. We CEN
| sure the miner, the person in charge
of the place, for permitting the laboreI
to fire the blast where the law sueci.
ties such work to be a part Of thu
miners DUTY"
The jurors were David w. Richards
| Benjamin Morgan, Miles Delmer
| James MausOn, William NJ Jones
| John RAIDER