Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1903-11-26
TO BLOW UP A MINI
DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO wRscx
a SHAFT Nv USE oF
DYNAMITE.
TKo MfN ARE Instantly HlitD
TIE INTERNAL MACHINE Is sx.
PLoDED BY THE DEcENo
ING CAGE.
MAY EMPLOY ftDfRal maoPs
GEN. BATES ORDERED BY WAR
DEPARTMENT TO INvEsrt
GATE.

Cripple Creek, Colo, Nov. 24.-ass
Mccormack, superintendent, and Mel.
vim H. Beck, a miner, were killed sat
urday by an explosion in the vlRdi-
Gator mine.
officers of the indicator Miaing
company assert that the explosion was
caused by an Internal machine. -Four
hundred militia men have been placed
on guard around the company's prop
critics.
Supt. Mccormack and Miner gecl
were descending into the mine In the
cage. They we're the only passengers
When it reached the sixth level tho
explosion occurred, ~wrecking the
cage and shaft and instantly killing
both men. The explosion, which was
terrific, was heard at the surface, ana
at first it was believed to have been
An Earthquake.
The engineer hastily reversed the
hoist, but he could not pull up the
cage, and the bodies were ~recoyeres
only after several hours work. After
a thorough examination of the shaft
IL was positively asserted by officers
of the mining company that the ex-
plosion was caused by an internal ms
chine. They assert that the iafernsA
machine, containing many pounds OF
dynamite, had been placed on thu
sixth level, which is part Of the aban
doned workings Of the mine and with
in a few inches OF the shaft. Then d
loaded revolver was fixed in the shaft.
with its muzzle pointing directly To
ward the internal machine, To the
trigger of the revolver was attached y
string, which was
Thrown Across the Shaft
In such a manner that the revolver
would explode and the bullet strike the
internal machine. Pieces OF this TO
volver have been recovered from the
bottom Of the shaft. but not a yestigs
of the internal machine can be found.
Sheriff Robertson, after investigat-
Ing conditions in the sixth level of the
indicator mine, comedies with the
statement of the officials of the com
pany that a deliberate attempt has
been made to wreck the shaft with
dynamite. The executive committee
Of the Mine Owners and Operators as
ISOLATION has offered a reward of IS.
600 for evidence leading to the arrest
and conviction of the perpetrators.
Maj. Naylor and j detail Of fifty
soldiers dispatched from Camp
Goldfeld to the mine and they took
charge OF the property. No q was
allowed to approach the mine and no
N is permitted to leave. Shafts On
other properties known to be connect
ed with the Vindicator workings are
also being guarded.
Gen. Bates to Investigate.
Washington, Nov. "a, - Maj. Gez.
Bates has been ordered by the gar de-
paTtment to proceed to Denver to In
yestigate the labor troubles with .
view to a~scertaining if there is q
necessity Tor the use or federal troops
there.
Sheriff Asks for Troops.
Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 24-Shes
III Wilcox of Carbon county has ap
pealed to Gov. Wells to call out The
state troops to protect the coal mirs
districts Of his county. which are 10
cluded in the recent strike order Is
sued by the Mineworkers' Unien "
America. In his telegram to the gev
ernor, Sheriff Wilcox says:
The local police authorities ans
deputy sheriffs are not sufficient and
are powerless to cope with the law
lessness and protect life and property
and maintain law and order. My 10
sources are exhausted. and, therefore.
believe it my duty to call On you'as
governor of ths state for aid and as
sistance at Scofeld. Castle Gate ans