Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-19
JURY BLAMES
NINE OFFICIALS
RESULT OF coRoNER,s INQUEST
OVER VICTIMS OF HARWlcK
MINE EXPLOSION.
State Mine Inspector Cunningham Held
For Not Observing Laws-charses
of "HaPpy Go-Lucky" Management
Made Against Snowden.


of "Happy Go-Lucky" Management
Made Against snowden.
Pittsburg, Pa, April 1S.-The coron-
er's jury in the investigation into the
Harwick mine disaster, in which ITS
men lost their lives on January 25
last, returned a verdict late Saturday
afternoon holding State Mine Inspect
or F. w. Cunningham and Superintend-
ent of Mine Wilfred Sowden RESPONSE
BILE for the explosion. Warrants have
been issued for their arrest charging
murder.
The jury also blamed Mine Foreman
Brown and Fire Boss Gordon with be-
ing criminally responsible for the dis
aster in that they did not remove the
accumulated ice from around the air
shaft at the entrance to the mine.
Company to Blame.
The Allegheny County Coal Co. was
censured by the jury for allowing fric-
ton to exist among the officials in
charge of the conduct of the mine.
Some of the sensational statements
made in the charge by the coroner
are as follows:
1.-THE mine foreman was negligent
to criminal extent for allowing ice
to accumulate at the bottom of the
air shaft.
inspector Cunningham is evidently
guilty of wrongdoing by neglecting his
duty just as much under the mining
law as all the others who were in au-
thority in the operation of the Har-
wick mine.
Could Have Prevented Explosion.
'If the inspector had examined the
months of the time he did examine it
legally on October he would have
found all the dangerous conditions
that contributed to make the explosion
possible.
IF the mining law had been carried
out the explosion could not have &C.
cured
"Happy-Go-Lucky" Management.
'The mine was known to generate
gas in dangerous quantities and for
this reason safety lamps were used
The evidence shows that it was in
many ways managed in happy-go-
lucky way, the same evidence showing
that this condition was not peculiar to
the Harwick mine alone. Some Of the
miners carried matches and pipes into
the mine, as these were found on them
after the explosion.
''The shot firers, the fire boss and
the mine foreman have been repeated
ly known to open their lamps to light
the miners lamps.
"The mine foreman has, on some oc
casions, hired men without instructine
them in the use of the safety lamps OF
requiring them to read the rules of the
mining law.
"The machine boss, Kirkwood, or
the Friday before the explosion took
some canvas brattice cloth, saturated
it with oil and pulling match from
his pocket, set fire to the canvas in or
der to thaw out pipe. Superintend
ent Sowden refused to sign the mine
foremans book as required by law. He
testified that he read the mine fore
mans book every day or two but the
law says his signature shall be evi
dence that he has read it, So under
the law we have not the evidence that
he ever read it after May 1908.
Declared Disgrace to State.
"Mr. Cunningham went there or
November A. he tells you on the stand
He examined the mine on that Gay al
meter, as he always did? He tells yor
he left it at home.
Did he borrow the company's rec
ord that Mr.. Snowden testified Mine
Foreman Brown always carried with
him? DID he post his notice of exam
nation, as required? Did he send a re
port similar to the other reports he hat
sent to his department at Harrisburg
No gentlemen; he did none of these
things.
But what did he do? Why, he test.
ed it by blowing his breath in the air
lest we had misunderstood him or hi
had misunderstood us. l asked him
You said you determined the air by
blowing your breath in the air; is tha
the way the law requires an inspector
to test the volume of air or to examine
a mine in that way?'
Listen to his answer and let it be
recorded to the eternal disgrace of the
state employing him: i did not have
my thermometer with me this time
and that is the way tested"
Gave Him Immediate Relief.
J. Odgers of Frostburg, Md, writes
81 had very bad attack of kidney
complaint and tried F'oley's Kidney