The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-08
CENSURE FOR ENGINEER
He Didn't Follow State Code of
Signals.
THE VERDICT OF THE JURY
Investigation Into the Cause of the
Death OF John Kielty - Miners
Tell How the Accident
Happened.

Coroner Julien and jury yesterday
inquired into the cause of the death of
John Kelly. who was killed in the Bell
shaft Wednesday morning. The evil
| dence Of a dozen witnesses, more or
less, showed that while there is a state
code of signals in the engine room at
every level station, the engineer and
station tender had established a code
of their own which they designate as
Short bells.'' 1t was shown that
through the confusion of these rules
the fatal accident by which Kielty lost
his life occurred. The jury rendered
a verdict accordingly. and censured
the engineer, John Kane.
Had the engineer strictly, observed
the law as to the code of signals he
would not have lifted the cage until
the station tender had signaled Hoist
men to surface" three bells. The cage
was at the 1000 and six men We're on
each of the upper and lower decks.
kielty was in the act of stepping into
position on the lower deck when the
cage shot upward before the man had
drawn himself securely within the dan
ger bounds. The station tender, Arch
lie Elkins, had signaled the cage for
the 1000 and had instructed six men to
take positions on the upper deck. He
signaled to hoist the cage so that the
lower deck should be flush with the
station. The engineer hoisted and at
the signal Of one bell stopped the cage
so as to allow six men to enter the
lower deck. The station tender warned
the men to take their time, and when
he saw that the cage was al a dead
standstill he said: Nov. go to it," All
the men stepped on and Kelly was the
last to board it. He had one foot on,
one hand grasped the bar and as ne
was pulling his weight onto the deck
the cage started up. without signal
from the station tender, and kielty was
caught between the cap station and the
cage, and thus thrown back into the
shaft
Peter B. Handlin, John Shea. James
Mahana, Tim Lyons, Joe Stier, Pat Nc
Carthy, mS1<rs; A. l.. Elkins, station
tender: John j. Kane, engineer; James
Higgins, superintendent of the Bell,
and Frank Hunter deputy mining in
spector testified. The miners were
working in the Diamond mine and on
account of a slight delay in their own
shaft, which prevented them from
reaching the surface as soon as they
desired after quitting work for he
night, eight of them concluded to go
through the connecting workings to the
1000 Of the Bell and ride up on that
cage. This level is seldom used, and
the engineer very infrequently has oc-
casion to stop his cage there. At the
time the Bell men were being hoisted
from the 1.150 the Diamond miners saw
the cage pass the 1000, and some one
of their number called up after it. 1t
was lowered to the 1000, and there The
Diamond men boarded it.
Engineer Kane has, worked in the
several Anaconda engine rooms and Is
regarded as a good engineer. He has
been at the Bell for several weeks and
has had no trouble, only occasionally
the bell rope acting stuhbornly and re-
fusng to sound the bell.
The jury viewed the entire testimony
from the standpoint of the law govern
ing the code of signals, which express
ly states that three bells shall be the
signal to hoist men to the surface.
AS it was, there was no bell order
ing the cage up Still the engineer
thought that the bell the tender gave
to stop meant. according to a mutual
code, to hoist. tl