The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-27
MINERS DROP 1900 FEET
DOWN SHAFT TO DEATH
Frightful Accident at StrattonS
independence Mine Near Cen
ter of Victor, Col.
ENGINEER SURRENDERS

VICTOR. Col. Jan. 26.-Fifteen men were
killed in an accident at Stratton's Inde-
pendence mine near the center of this city
to-day, and one other was severely injured.
Dead-W. r. Frazier John Sebeck George
l.. Sethcrun, Edward Twiggen. l.. a. Wag-
oner, III. A. Leoman Edward Smith, Joe
Ovary. C. c. Station. Joe Avery. H Il.
Brown, W. b. Collins. ]. L. Steward. Frank
Cochran, l.. z. Jackson. Harry Goegon.
Injured-James Bullock. badly bruised.
In the main shaft sixteen men were be-
ing hoisted in a cage from the sixth seventh
and eighth levels. When the cage reached
the surface the engineer. for some unex-
planned reason, unable to stop the
gine. and the cage with its load of human
freight was drawn up into the gallows.
where. it became lodged temporarily. The
strain on the cable finally caused it to
part. and the cage, released. shot down the
shaft with terrific speed. Two of the oc-
cupants, l. p. Jackson and James Bullock,
had become entangled in the timber RODS
near the top of the gallows frame. Jack
son was crushed to death by the sheave
wheel falling upon him. while Bullock had
marvellous escape from death but received
painful injuries and was rescued from his
perilous position. The other fourteen men
were hurled to death down the 1,5OO-foot
shaft.
AS soon as possible the shift boss and a
number of miners went down into the mine
through another cOmpa rtment OF the shaft
They found all fourteen dead. the bodies
scattered at different points. Arms and
bodies had been torn heads crushed and
clothing stripped from the victims From
the 7O0-foOt level to the bottom the shaf n
was spattered with blood while here and
there were found pieces of flesh clinging to
the projections. AT the bottom of the shaft
stands twenty-five feet Of water. and into
this the cage plunged. carrying some of the
men into the water with il.
One of those killed, w. b. Collins was
a Baptist minister. who preached on sun
day at Goldfeld and during the week
worked i'm the mines. Most OF the victims
came here from the Occur 'Aiene. Lake
places of the strikers. Harry Goegen leaves
a widow and three children in Michigan.
Frank Gelts, foreman i'm charge surren-
dered himself to the military officers OF the
district and was locked up He would
not talk. The militia has taken charge
OF the mine and rigid examination will be
made.
The accident is believed to have been due
10 defect in the hosting engine brake
connections, which are controlled by an
other The engine is a first motion double
reel ana the two cages work as counter
balances. The cages each weigh nearly
two tons. In starting the cage from the
bn-foot level to-day steam was used bur
after the cage had gone up certain dis
tance under steam pressure. the steam was
shut of and the weight OF the counter6aI-
ancing descending cage in the other shaft
compartment was allowed 10 bring the Ioa
OF miners To the surface. as is the custom.
When the cage with the sixteen miners ar
rived at the surface. Engineer Gelles To his
horror. discovered that the air brakes
would not work
Similar accidents. i'm which no lives were
lost. have occurred twice before at the IN
dependence mine, with the Same engine
now in use there.