The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1903-11-26
TO BLOW UP ANIME
DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO WRECK
A SHAFT BY USE or
DYNAMITE.
TWO MEN Alf Instantly KiL3
THE INTERNAL MACHINE IS Elk
pLopEp Ry the pEcEMD
ING CAGE.
MAY EMPLOY FEDERAL TRosFS
GEN. BATES ORDERED BY WAR
DEPARTMENT TO INVESTS
GATE.

Cripple Creek, Colo, Nov. 24.-Cbah
Mccormack, superintendent, and Mel
vim II. Beck, a miner, were killed Sat
urday by an explosion in the vhsii-
Gator mine.
Officers of the Vindicator Mining
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 Beck
were descending into the mine in Tho
cage. They were the only passengers.
When it reached the sixth level tho
explosion occurred, wrecking tho
cage and shaft and instantly killing
both men. The explosion, which wes
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 recovered
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 ma
chine. They assert that the infernai
machine, containing many pounds OF
dynamite, had been placed on the
sixth level, which is part Of the abau"
doned workings of the mine and WIKI
=. c.. L. x,fA ~,
loaded revolver was fixed in the shalt,
with its muzzle pointing directly to
ward the internal machine. To the
trigger of the revolver was attached 3
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 re
volver have been recovered from the
bottom of the shaft. but not a vestigs
of the internal machine can be found.
Sheriff Robertson, after investigat-
ing conditions in the sixth level of the
( Vindicator mine, comedies with the
! statement of the officials of the com
pany that deliberate attempt had
| been made to wreck the shaft with
dynamite. The executive committee
of the Mine Owners and Operators as
sociation has offered reward Of S.
900 for evidence leading to the arrest
and conviction of the perpetrators.
Maj. Naylor and a detail of fifty
soldiers were dispatched from Camp
Goldfield to the mine and they took
charge Of the property. No one was
allowed to approach the mine and no
one is permitted to leave. Shafts On
other properties known to be connect
ed with the indicator workings are
also being guarded.
Gen. Bates to Investigate.
Washington, Nov. "a. - Maj. Gen.
Bates has been ordered by the war de-
partment to proceed to Denver to in
vestigate the labor troubles with
view to ascertaining if there is a
necessity for the use of federal troops
there
Sheriff Asks for Troops.
Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 24-Sher-
If Wilcox of Carbon county has ap-
pealed to Gov. Wells to call out the
state troops to protect the coal nine
districts of his county, which are in
cluded in the recent strike order rs
sued by the Mineworkers' Union OF
America. In his telegram to the gov
ernor, Sheriff Wilcox says:
"The local police authorities ans
deputy sheriffs are not sufficient and
are powerless to cope with the law
1essness and protect life and property
and maintain law and order. My To
sources are exhausted. and, therefore,
I believe it my duty to call On you as
governor of the state for aid and rs
sistance at Scofeld. Castle Gate ana
Sunnyside."