Amador ledger., 1905-04-28
BEHEADED IN THE MINE.

BEHEADED IN THE MINE.
An Austrian Miner Loses His Head
in Ascending the Zeila Shaft.
A frightfuI accident occurred at the
Zeila mine Wednesday afternoon, by
which young man named Martin
IChubich had his head so completely
severed from his body as though ii
we're done by the sharpest instrument.
1t was purely case of loss of pres
ence of mind. The ore chute projects
into the shaft. The men are fully
aware that safety requires that they
ing or descending the shaft, and es-
pecially not to allow any portion of
the body to project over the skip, as
any material shift from the perpen-
dicular over the skip is liable to
bring them in contact with the tim
bers or aprons. The two men, Cub
bech and Knesevich, were coming out
of the shaft from 1900 level. At the
| 1900 they were left in darkness, the
trickling water from the shaft having
put out the light. Chubech probably
drew his head back over the shaft in
trying to escape the water, and the
apron at the station left him headless
l in IN Thoro ,rnc no o,,Ao,-
and his partner did not know that
anything had happened, until a light
revealed the trunk at the bottom of
the skip.
| Coroner Huberty held an inquest
yesterday with jury of nine persons.
They returned verdict of accidental
death. The testimony was substan-
TALLY as follows:
Martin Bando testified-I was work
ing on one level, deceased on another !;
deceased on the 1900. Don't know how
accident happened, but one of the
boys said man was killed, and l
went on top; went up and helped take
him off the skip and then went down
to look for his head. Found it on
a sill near the 1400 station; don't
know when it was taken from his
body; was with Johns and Dunn
mond; there is plenty of room for
skip to pass in shaft; witness thought
the only way to get caught was for
deceased to throw his head back
| against the apron of the ore chute ;
thought that was the way it happened !;
deceased was standing in bottom of
skip when it started from bottom /;
Ilyak Knesevich was with deceased
riding on bail of skip when it started
from bottom.
VIM. G. Johns testified: Am night
boss at Zeila; thought deceased was
about 80 years old; he was working
on 1900 level; was informed of dead
man in skip, and thought that strange
(the coroner here made a statement
that there was at least two inches
of space between skip in passing ore
chute at 1900 level, and described
manner in which head had been sew
cred, and distance to which deceased
must have thrown his head back in
order to meet death); deceased was
on water skip; head found ten feet
below 14O0 chute; body found in bot
tom of tank.
llyak Knesevich testified: Working
at 1900 level that morning, and both
got on skip to come up to top; fixed
ladders and deceased went in skip,
gave him my bucket; rang bell and
Jumped on bail; he wac at bottom OF
skip, and when we struck water al
1900 chute it put my light out; there
was ladder in skip; after light went
out don't know where he stood; didn't
know exactly how accident happened
was in darkness, unless he came up Oh
ladder and stuck his head back, when
he must have struck the chute and
cut his head off, and then fell back in
bottom of skip; water put out light
did not see anything until got to 1900
level, when looked down and saw
him there, and thought he was over
come in some way; then l went down
the skip in hurry with my light;
stopped down to pick him up and put
my hand in blood; saw that he had nc
head; then four men got On, and we
went up to 1900; accident in north
compartment; deceased was a native
of Austria.
W. j. Dummon said the accident
happened about five minutes after
four O'Clock; head fell about 100 feet
water comes dripping in on footwall.
The funeral was held Thursday af
ternoon, under the auspices of the
Austrian Benevolent Society, the re
mains being inferred in the Catholic
cemetery.
Piccardo keeps every new device il
the harness or saddle line,