Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-27
The Inquest Held Last Evening
and Continued.
STORY OF SAD AFFAIR
As Told BY Witnesses--The Spr0cket
Chain on Indicator Dial
Slipped.

The inquest on the body of William H.
Thomas, who lost his life Monday even
ing by an accident at the West Colusa
shaft, was held last evening, and after
the examination of a number Of wit
nesses the inquest was continued until
Friday evening.
William Littlejohn, Axtel johnson,
John w. Harris. William H. Martin and
Herman Wimeri, who were on the cage
with homas at the time of the accident,
testified. Their story of the accident was
practically the same as that published in
the Inter Mountain of Monday. They
boarded the Gag about 3 o'clock to go on
top, some of them getting on at the 1000
and some at the 900-foot levels. Thomas
stood in one corner Of the cage. AS they
neared the collar of the shaft, they no.
ticed that the cage did not slow up, and
began to shout, hoping that the engineer
would hear them. In another momen
the cage had strucg the sheaves. Only
n of the number noticed Thomas. This
man was Wimeri, but he was unable to
state whether Thomas jumped or was
thrown by the impact. Several of the
men testified that they thought of jump
ing off, but We're afraid, on account of
the speed of the cage.
Engineer Ed Dunn testified that before
hosting the cage to the surface, he made
two stops, one at the 1000 and one at
the 900. He had made an examination
of the engine in the forenoon and thought
it was all right. He had had 10 years
experience as an engineer. In hosting,
where an indicator was used, he had al
1,,o we erorn nv thu ip7Hoofor md mt tho
marks on the rope. When the indicator
showed that the cage should have been
at the 40 he began to slow up. AS he did
so he noticed a shadow at the collar OF
the shaft, followed an instant later by the
cries of the men. He Immediately shut
off steam, and lowered the cage from the
sheaves to the station, where the men got
off. After the accident he again exam
ined the engine and discovered that the
! sprocket chain had slipped off the wheel
onto a smooth hub, which had kept the
indicator going, but slowe than 1T should
/ go to accurately guage the distance. lie
| could not account for the chain slipping.
Edmund Kent, the master mechanic of
the Boston & Montana, testified that
when he was called in the chain had been
replaced on the sprocket wheel and the
indicator was hen working all right. He
; did not think it possible for the indi-
Gator to work after the chain had re-
I leased itself from the sprocket wheel.
John Watson, the engineer who was
operating the main engine at the shaft.
after the accident went to the nglne
room of the sinking shaft and noticed
that the indicator dial pointed to the 40.
The chain was off the sDrocket wheel.
Watson said he once had a similar acct
dent occur to him because of a loose
chain. His practice after that had been
to look at the marks on the rope after
the cage was within 100 feet of the sur
face, instead of depending on the indl-
Gator.
w. A. Rockliff. foreman of the machine
shops, testified that several days prior to
the accident one of the machinists had
examined the engine and this machinist
had stated to him that he had
the sprocket chain and found 1T all right.
The indicator post was firm and solld
after the accident. In his belief, after
the chain slipped the indicator ceased
working, but he had made no test of this,
although it would ave been an easy
matter to do so.
At the conclusion of the testimony OF
this witness, the inquest was continued
until tomorrow evening, when Engineer
Dunn will produce some additional cor
roborative testimony.