Las Vegas times. [volume] (Las Vegas, Nev.) 1905-1906, 1906-02-17
From The Caliente Express:

From The Caliente Express:
One of the most monsterous crimes
ever committed In the history of this
mining camp was perpetrated last Fri
day morning about O'Clock.
About a mile from the depot of the
Senator Clark railroad is where the
Sibert mine is located. 1t is i'm a west
erly direction and can be easily seen
from the depot platform. About $50
feet from the tunnel Mr. Sibert is
working. There are two others
These tunnels were used as powder
magazines. one by our local merchant.
George Fetterman. and contained sew
enty-six boxes of giant of fifty pounds
to the box. The other was used by
Mr.. Sibert for the mine. and in II he
had ten boxes, besides tools and other
supplies
Since Mr.. Sibert commenced opera
tions on the Sibert properties he has
had a number of miners employed.
They would work and quit. 1t seems
that C. II. Roberts and a man by the
name of Wilson worked in the mine
as partners for short time, and they.
too, quit. II is claimed they were dis
satisfied. Wilson did not show the
hatred for the company that Roberts
did for as Wilson says, Friday even
ing Roberts wanted him to go over to
the mine, touch off the powder in both
magazines and blow up the whole
business. Wilson demurred, saying,
Remember there are men working
in the tunnel" Roberts replied. LET
them go up with it," Wilson went as
far as the railroad crossing and tried
to persuade Roberts TO change his
mind, but Roberts went any way
when about o'clock a tremendous
explosion was heard and felt. The eff
fects of the discharge swayed the
buildings in Caliente too and fro and
II was easily determined that some
thing other than an ordinary blast had
gone of
1t appears that Roberts, knowing
where the powder was stored and how
to get at it, it was easy for him to deal
death and devastation to everything
within its path. There was 500 feet
of fuse near where the boys were
working. namely. Stanley Reed and
Hill Harris, and Roberts got that fuse,
besides a candle and candle stick.
without being discovered, or seen, for
that matter, by either Reed or Harris
He then, from all indications. used
long piece of the fuse and made a con-
nectiop with both magazines, lit 1t
and retired to a safe distance to wit
ness the scene of destruction
Both Reed and Harris were some
what stunned, not realizing what had
happened. the shock was so severe
Just south of the tunnel about 100 feet
from where the explosion occurred
is located small cabin. 1t had been
occupied by men working for the for
mer owners. This cabin was being
used by a miner named o. c. Flug-
stad. He was asleep in his bunk. The
force of the explosion was In the di-
rection of the cabin, and 1t wiped the
building from the sleeping Flugstad.
and he did not awake until some time
after the report. and only when the
citizens gained courage sufficient to
approach. when some one remarked
There is a body in there" Fiugstad
arose In bis bunk and asked. What
has happpened?" He had been
stunned. Had his bunk been but a
fraction OF foot higher he would
have been swept into eternity.
The destruction to the earth's sur
face within a radius of the force OF
the powder was astounding. 1t sim
Iply raised a great part Of one noun
tain and set 1t down on the other aide
Iof the canyon and left IN excavation
that would have taken months to have
moved.
Sheriff johnson WAS fnrtunatsiy In
ICaliente when the deed was done. and
he 1t once 4ook steps 20 unravel the
icxIme. Together with Deputy sherifT
Monahan and Ernest Ketes. the casss
= the explosion was very quickly m