The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-03
HIS DEATH AN ACCIDENT
Investigation Of the st. Lawrence
Fatality.
IT COULDN'T BE AVOIDED
Tobin Is Supposed to Have Missed His
Footing and Fallen Down the
Shaft No One Saw the
Accident.

Coroner Julien held an inquest yes
terday afternoon at Sherman's under
taking rooms to inquire into the acct
dent at the st. Lawrence mine Tues
day night, in which Neil Tobin was
killed by falling down the shaft. The
evidence all indicated that the accident
was one of those unfortunate occur
rences not foreseen by anyone and
therefore unavoidable and the jury re-
turned verdict to that effect
William Toohy, shift boss at the st.
Lawrence, was first called. He stated
that he was on night shift and on going
on duty Tuesday night a leak in a
water pipe was reported. He gave To-
bin a light and told him to look for
the leak. The next witness saw of him
was at the 700. Tobin came out of the
pump shaft there and said everything
was all right to that point, and witness
told him to go to the 800. but it appears
Tobin located the leak later at the 100
and repaired it. There was another
pipe that needed repairing at the 400
and he was sent there. George Posey
and Fred Cramer We're working at the
700, close to the station. They were the
last to see deceased alive. They saw
him come to the station and ring for
the cage and, wishing to go on the cage
with him, called to him to wait minute
while they got their jumpers. They
turned to get them and when they went
to the station Tobin was gone. They
notified witness that they believed To-
bin had fallen down the shaft and he
went down and found him in the stump.
George Posey, one of the men VINO
saw Tobin last alive, said he and
Cramer were working at the back of
the station. Tobin was waiting for the
cage and witness and his partner
thought they would so up to the 600
with him. They stopped to get their
jumpers just as the cage stopped and
by the time they got to the station the
cage was gone and Tobin, too. Witness
thought he saw something fall and
heard an unusual noise, but was not
sure what it was. When he missed
Tobin, however, he concluded he must
have fallen and the shift boss was no
titled and the body found in the stump.
Witness gave it as his opinion that
Tobin started to get on the cage and,
having to get into car which was on
the cage, got only part way on wher,
the cage was taken away, throwing To-
bin over against the tagging and when
the cage went past he fell away. Tobin
appeared entirely sober. Witness saw
Tobin go around to ring the change bell,
which should stop the cage for him, but
1t appeared that as the cage was taken
away without q signal to hoist the cage
could not have stopped for him, but
only stopped there because it was run
ming counterbalance.
Fred Cramer, who5was working as the
of tho rraoplinp wit, cold
Tobin came to the 700 and sat down to
cool off. A few minutes later witness
heard Tobin say he would ring the
change bell to go to the 400. Witness
partner called to him to come and they
would go ito the 600. AS witness came
out he heard a noise and saw the bot
tom of the cage going up. Witness and
his partner wondered if Tobin could
have fallen and rang for the cage, but
it was some time before they got it,
They looked for Tobin, but could not
find him, and then notified the shift
boss. Witness said, in response to
questions, that when Posey rang the
change bell the cage passed up and
down several times before it stopped.
Witness did not know whether the
change bell was working or not, but
he heard it did not work that night I'M
til 10 o'clock.
EuWdIu K. taifOu, the engineer VINO
was on duty at the time of the acci-
dent, said he did not know of anything
in the signals. He did not re-
member getting any signal from the
change bell that night up to about 10
o'clock, and he was told the rope was
broken 1t did not occur to witness
that there was anything unusual from
the fact he did not get signal from
the change bell, for the reason that it
was long time frequently that the bell
did not ring. Witness did not get a
change bell from the 700 between and
10 O'Clock the night of the accident, and
as the bell was out of order he evident
~ did not stop the cage at the 700 for
Tobin. Witness stated that the cage
never stopped for change bell while
up and that as the orders are
strict that a man must not get on the
cage when it has a car on Tobn had no
business trying to get on the cage at
this time. Mr.. Toohy was recalled and
this statement
Deputy State Mine Inspector Frank
Hunter testified to investigating the ac-
cident. In his opinion, Tobin rang the
change bell supposing it was working
all right, and when the cage came either
supposed it was for him or took the
chances and tried to get on, but the
cage was taken away too quick for
him, evidently not having been stopped
for him, and he fell away.
1t took the jury but few minutes to
arrive at verdict.