The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-21
STRUCK HIM ON THE HEAD
John Weigenstein's Death Caused
by a Falling Body.
THE COR0NER'S INQUIRY
Witnesses Are of the Opinion That a
Rock Fell Down the Shaft and
Fractured the Unfortunate
Mans Skull.

| Sherman's undertaking rooms last
which John Weigenstein received a IA
| tai injury while at work in the shaft of
| the Moonlight mine last Wednesday
evening. Weigenstein sustained COM
pound fracture of the skull from being
hit on the head by some sort of missile
falling down the shaft, but there was
nothing brought out in the evidence to
show what that was and the jury rem
dered verdict simply reciting the
| facts.
DR.. M. G. MacNevin of st. James
hospital testified that Weigenstein APP
peared so we'll when he was brought to
the hospital and seemed to think so
little of it himself, that witness had no
| idea he was seriously hurt till he came
| to examine his head. He then saw the
| man was severely hurt and had a COM
pound fracture of the skull The injury
| was dressed and the next morning an
| operation was performed. II found u
| channel cut in the skull about an inch
and half long, about three eighths of
| an inch wide, and l should say one-half
inch deep. The internal plate of the
skull was fractured about an inch wide
| and the outer plate driven in. The in
jury was right over the main blood ves-
sci at the back of the head and a piece
of the inner plate of the skull was
| damned down into this blood vessel,
which had cut about three quarters of
| the way through the vessel. The only
| thing that could be done was to plug
the hole to prevent bleeding to death.
After the operation the patient rested
easy, but a few hours later he became
| unconscious and remained so most of
the time till he died"
Weigenstein told witness he did not
see what hit him on the head. Reply
| ing to the questions of a juror, the wit
ness said death was the result of the
necessity of plugging UP the hole in
the blood vessel, which interrupted the
proper flow of the blood, but there was
no other way of doing, as the vessel
could not be tied and when witness
discovered the cut in the blood vessel,
he knew there was no hope of saving
the patients life.
Adolph P. Wass, the ropeman who
was with Weigenstein at the time he
| got hurt, said the deceased was meas
uring for pipes in the bottom of the
shaft. He was sitting on timber
when something came down and hit
him on the head. Witness caught hold
of him to keep him from falling into
the water in the stump. Witness did
not see what struck his companion, but
heard something fall into the water.
Three other men were working in the
shaft on the water pipes between the
800 and HOO levels, 400 feet above.
! When hit Weigenstein was momentum
| lily knocked out, but came to quickly,
and witness helped him on the cage.
| James Fitzgerald, miner at the
Moonlight, was called, but knew moth
ing of the accident.
Patrick Mulcahy was one Of the men
working in the pump shaft between the
| md Ia va hnl roiYo to
! take clamps off the pipe. Witness knew
nothing of Weigenstein being hurt or
| of his being in the shaft till he came on
| top and heard of the accident. While
working witness did not hear rock,
| tool or anything else fall down the
shaft. Neither he nor his partner had
dropped wrench, which was the only
tool being used.
Emil Boutheller was another of three
men working in the shaft removing
clamps from pipes: They were only in
the shaft long enough to get off one
clamp before they were called out Of
the shaft. Witness carried no tool, but
held the light for his companions who
carried monkey wrenches. Witness did
not know of either of the men dropping
a wrench and did not hear anything fall
down the shaft at any time. Witness
never heard Of rock falling in the
pump shaft. Witness did not know
there was anyone in the shaft below.
Edward Rehwald, pumpman at the
Moonlight, said there was need to con-
| meet a sinker at the bottom Of the pump
| shaft and he went to where Weigenstein
| was working at a water jacket at the
900 and asked Weigenstein if he would
make the connection or let witness do
| it. Weigenstein said he preferred to do
it himself and told witness to go ahead
with the work he (Weigenstein) was
doing and he would go below and attend
to what was needed. Witness gave his
rubber coat and hat to Weigenstein and
| he went below to make tie measure
ments.
William Skyrme, superintendent of the
| Moonlight, made a statement to the eff
| feet that Weigenstein knew the men
| We're working above him and said he
should have been very careful. Witness
| Thought nut or small stone fell, prob
| ably from where the men were working
| between the 800 and 1.100, and hit de-
| ceased on the head. Witness put Weig-
| enstein in full charge of the work and
| told him to take all the help he wanted.
Deputy Mine Inspector Frank Hunter
| told Of investigating the accident. There
| was no doubt that very small piece of
rock falling 100 or more feet would have
| been sufficient to cause the injury
| Weigenstein sustained. He thought it
very likely one Of the three men work
| ing in the shaft, not knowing anyone
was below. might have brushed piece
| of rock off one of the wall plates.
The jury's verdict found that deceased
came to his death from the effects of
| injuries sustained by being hit on the
head by some missile, the character of
| which was unknown to the jury, while
at work in the shaft of the Moonlight
| mine.