The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-20
KILLED IN The DIAMOND
Oscar j. Mccoy Buried Under a
Fall of Ground.
HIS PARTNER INJURED
Mccoy Paid the Penalty OF Not Needing
Warning-Smlth Told Him That
the Ground Did Not
Sound Safe.

! Oscar j. NJ Mccoy was killed and
Joseph Sthjar seriously injured in an
accident at the Diamond mine yester-
day morning at half-past o'clock, in
which IS or 20 tons of ground fell away
while they We're picking down after
blast. Sthjar was commonly known as
Smith, his name being so difficult for
his friends to pronounce that they gave
him name they could master. He and
Mccoy were partners and were work
ing on the sixth floor of the 1,400 level.
AT o'clock in the morning they fired
two holes they had put in, and half
hour later went back in as usual to
pick down. Shift Boss #. HI. Collins
followed the men in to look at the
ground. 1t had the appearance of being
unusually good and he passed down.
He had been gone but few minutes
when he was notified of the accident.
When Mccoy and Smith went in they
found the breast perfectly solid, but
there was some ground at the back
which needed picking down. Mccoy
took his pick and went at it. Smith
stood and looked on for moment, and
as his partner pulled down loose
slab he inquired how the ground sound
ed. Mccoy replied that it sounded all
right but Smith from his position did
not think So There was a considera-
BILE quantity of ground held up at the
back by blocks on top of the last set.
and Smith saw that this needed to come
down. He called to Mccoy to come out
before he got hurt and he (Smith)
90 nd blocks
and let the ground down, and there
would be no danger What has hap
pened with fatal results so frequently
that it would seem that miners would
heed the warning of their more careful
partners happened again in this case.
Mccoy talked his partner out of taking
the precautionary measure he proposed
and went ahead. Smith, encouraged by
McCoys assurance, went in and was
about to begin picking also when Nc
Coy loosened the blocks and in a
twinkling, down came the ground.
Smith was completely buried. but in
such way that he could call for help
He yelled Justify and was heard. Will
LeDuc and e. Whitlick, working on the
floor below, called UP to know if any
one was hurt. Smith replied that he
and his partner We're buried The two
men hurried up and sent word to Shift
Boss Collins, who hurried to the scene
with plenty of assistance. They found
Mccoy lying on top Of the pile of
ground. He was dead. How he came
to be in the position in which he was
found is impossible of explanation but
he had evidently been struck by a huge
rock which crushed the life out of him,
and then rolled away.
McCoy's body was removed to the
surface, and the men then set to work
to dig out his partner. Some Is or 20
cars of ground had fallen, and Smith
was at the bottom of the mass. 1t took
some little time to reach him, and when
they did he was found with his right
thigh pinned against a timber by a
great boulder. AS soon as possible he
was extricated from his position and
sent Immediately to st. James hospi-
tai.
Coroner Julian was summoned in the
meantime and after his investigation
had been made the body of Mccoy was
sent to Duggan's undertaking rooms,
where an inquest will be held this af-
ternoon at o'clock. When DR.. Mac
Nevin examined Smith at ST. James
hospital it was found he was not nearly
so badly hurt as had been supposed.
He has a dislocated hip and some Sc
we're scalp wounds, which, though ex-
ceedngly painful are not so serious
that there is any danger of his case re-
sulting fatally.
Deputy Mine Inspector Frank Hun
ter was notified of the accident and
made an investigation.
Mccoy was 26 years of age and sin
gle. He roomed with William Everett,
another miner, at the Bennett house
in East Park street. He had lived in
Butte six or eight years and formerly