The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1904-01-30
DOWN To DEATH
STRAIN PROVES TOO HEAVY
AND THE CABLE PARIS
AT TOP OF SHAFT.

Bic ody Trail Marks Flight of Cage
With Human. Freight-Gnly
One of Sixteen Msn Escape
aud Is Badly 1, jured
Other News.
Victor, Colo, Jan. 26.-As q re-
cult of an accident that O .curred
about 3 o'clock this morning at the
Stratton Independence mine, lecat-
ed near the center of this city, IA
men ars dead and the severely, in
jured.
In the main shaft of the mine 16
men were being hoisted in the cage
from the sixth, seventh aud eighth
levels. When the cage got 10 the
surface Of the shafthouse the engin-
eer, for some- r, ason unexplained,
was unable to stop the engine, and
the cage. with its load Of human
freight, was drawn up into the bal
lows frame, wbere.i became lodged
temporarily. The. strain on the Ca
BILE caused it to part, releasing the
cage WHICH went down the shalt
1900 feet, at a terrific II omentum
Two of the occupants of the cage.
had become entangled with the
timbers, and one of them, L. P.
jackson, was crushed to death BY
the sheave wheel falling upon him
The other, James Bullock, had {
marvellous escape from death
but received painful injuries. H
was rescued from his perilous posi-
ton by men in the shafthouse.
The shift boss and number Q
miners later went down into th
mine through another compart
ment of the ehaft and found that al
the fourteen men who started wit
the cage OIL it's wild flight Of $50
feet to the bottom of the shaft wef
dead, their bodies being scattered a
the stations at different point
Their arms and bodies were mans
led. their b. ads crushed and thei
clothing stripped from their bodie
From the 700-foot level to the DO
tom the shaft is 81 altered wit
blood, and here and there pieces
flesh clinging to projections. 4
the bottom of the shaft stands 9
feet of water, and into this the caf
plunged. Some of the men were ca
ried with the cage into this dump
A squad of military has tske
charge of the property and citizer
W II not be allowed TO enter IL
mine or shaflhou e until after
thorough examination of the M
chinery has been made by comp
tent engineers.
Frank Gellese, the engineer /
charge OF the machinery when Il
!, accident occurred, surrendered bin
self to the military and was lock;
, up in the bullpen. He. would n
express any opinion as to how Il
cage get beyond ontrol. Gelle
is new comer in the district, b.
4 is said to have been strongly recor
Y mended as a competent engineer.
. The bodies buried under the ca
* at the bottom of the dump have n
z Eyet been recovered. Nearly all t
2 men killed leave widows and CHI
Z dren.
s The accident is believed to ha
E been due to a defect in the hoistin
Z engine brake connections, viii,
e are controlled by air. The engi
Z is a 6rst-motion double-reel, al
: the two cages work as counte rba
: ances. The cages each weigh near
Z two tons.. In starting the cage fro
Z the 6O0-foot level this morning. wi
Z the 16 miners aboard, steam W
z used; but after the cage had gone u
: ward certain distance under stea
s pressure the steam was shut off
z Engineer Frank Gellese and t
{ weight Of the counterbalancing q
Z scendir G cage in the other shs
Z was allowed to bring the load
: miners to the surface as is the CT
s tom.
Sl When the cage, with the I6 mi
{ ers, arrived at the surface in I
{ shafthouse, Engineer Gellese, to
Z horror, discovered that the I
: brakes would not work.
s Similar accidents, in which
z lives were lost, have occurred twi
{ before at the independence, with t
Z same engine now in use there.
a
- Ch;oooo Tor OF Mayor Har