The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-13
BURIED UNDER TEN TONS
Matt Coma Was Crushed to
Death in a Nine.
HAD JUST BEEN WARNED
His Partner Called His Attention to the
Danger a Moment Before the Rock
Came Crashing Down on the
Unfortunate Miner.


Livingston, Nov. 11.-Detai's of the
mine accident at Trail Creek reached
here this afternoon. Coroner Laird re-
turned from the scene of the accident,
and from him the story is learned of
how Matt Coma, an Austrian, miner
met his death. 1t appears that Coma
and his partner, miner by the name
of Lewis Sissell, were working on the
face of the drift in room No. in the
Mountain House mine They We're en-
gagged in working upwards on the vein
and We're throwing the rock and slate
into the COB behind them. They had
braced the walls with heavy timber5
and had as they Thought everything
secure. Sissell noticed that a large
piece of Slate directly over them on
the incline was loose and he said to
Coma: Look out, there; l believe that
slate is going to fall to which Coma
replied that he had worked in mines
before and that he didn't need to be
told anything. The words We're hardly
out of the unfortunate miners mouth
before a piece of slate weighing about
10 tons broke loose and came crashing
down upon the two men. Sissell evaded
the avalanche of rock, but Coma was
SLOW III SeltlnS out Oh na.Il Way anu
the mass of rock caught him, crushing
him to the floor Of th1 drift ana pin
ming him fast. Sissell eXerted all his
| strength in an eadeavnr to release the
| injured miner, bu1 was unable to move
| the mass of rock Wnicn was fast crush
| ing the life from Out t,nma's PROSTATE
| FORM He rushed nut of the room and
secured the assistance of three more
miners and the combined strength of
| all the men, using crowbars and jim
| bers, was barely sufficient to release
| the unfortunate Austrian beneath
Finally the solid slate was raised from
| off the miners form and he was ten
derry raised and carried out of the
| room, where efforts We're made to re-
vive him, but without avail. He was
stone dead and probably never knew
what struck him. The crushing blow
struck Coma full in the chest and.
bearing him down beneath it's awful
weight, squeezed the life out of him in
| an instant.
Coroner Leard empaneled jury con-
sisting of the following residents of
Chimney Rock: Anton Rider, John
Horn, John Strahetz, Thomas Cher
nuta, Albert Ramsey and Valentine
Shef11etner. The jury viewed the scene
of the accident and the body of the
dead miner and brought in the follow
| ing verdict: .I
1
into the cause of the death of Matt
| Coma, find that he came to his death
about 8 o'clock on the morning of Nov.
10, 1899, at the mine Of the Mountain
House Coal company, Trail Creek, Park
| county. Mont That, said Matt Coma
met with accidental death by the fall
| ing of rock in room No. 81
Coma was an Austrian by birth and,
so far as is known, had no relatives in
| this country He was practical
miner and had been employed at Trail
Creek only three days. He came to
| Chimney Rock from GlenWood Springs,
Colo. He was member of the Knights
| of Pythias and that order took charge
of his body, which was taken to Boze
man for interment.
This is the first serious accident
| which has occurred in the mines ut
! Trail Creek since active operations be-
gan there From all appearances, the
| accident was the result of Coma's own
| carelessness and was not one for which
the company was in any way respon-
sible The dead man seemed to pos
sess an utter disregard of caution and
seemed to believe that no danger eX-
listed. He was warned by his partner
in plenty of time for him to have
reached a place of safety and his life
paid the penalty of his own foolhardi-
ness No attempt has been made to
notify his relatives, as there is no one
| in the camp who is aware of their adj
dress. All that is known is that lie
| has relatives somewhere in Austria.
Coma was about 40 years of age and
! unmarried.