Arizona republican., 1907-10-23
FRIGHTfUL
 ACCIDENT Premature Explosion of
 Mine Blasts Desperately Injured Fred Anderson and Will Sayre Near Wendendalc.

in the accidental explosion of two ,blasts in a mine tunnel seventeen miles from Wendendale. The victims lof the accident are Fred Anderson and William Sayre, who were brought to lPhceniX yesterday afternoon and are
 now in the Sisters hospital, the form Ter with a good chance for recovery with the loss of his eyesight. and the latter, lowering bcween life and death.
 The incident occurred on one of the properties owned by the Harcuvar Cop lper company. which has offices in
 Prescott and Philadelphia, at a camp that was started a little over two
 months ago. and is under the superin-
 tendency of H. K Bunker. The tun-
 nel is in the hillside approximately 135
 feet and is situated nearly a half mile
 away from the camp. The two men
 named were working alone on the
 night shift, and had been on duty
 since : o'clock in the evening. About
 1:3O o'clock yesterday morning some lone at camp heard yelling from the direction of the mine. and the men
 in camp went to the tunnel opening
 as quickly as possible.
 | Arriving they found Anderson lying
 on work bench, on his back He
 was conscious, bvt blind and suffer
 ing. As quickly as possible he r-ritcd that there had been four blasts prepared and that two of them had exploded prematurely. He had managed to grope his way out in the darkness and did not know the fate of Sayre, whom he urged them l to look after at once. They went ip
 the mine and found Sayre lying on muck pile and brought him to the surface. By the candle light they saw the men were frightfully. if not fatally hurt. Sayre was conscious when found and spoke to Superintend- ent Bunker, but minute later began to talk of other things in a way that showed his mind wandered. His right hand was gone, the bones of the arm protruding. his face and. in fact. his whole body was lacerated. the sight of both eyes was gone temporarily. at least, and one of them permanently, and he had suffered a fracture of the skull. Anderson, familiarly known as shorty" was also fearfully cut up and bruised all over the body, espe- cially in front.
 MT. Bunker ordered that no work be done in the mines until an investiga- tion has been made to determine the cause of the accident. but there was no time to make it then. He first dis patched a boy to Wendendale on horseback to summon pr. F. H. Cart mell. and this young man and his horse made record that even so fla nous rider as Paul Revere or Phil Sheridan might be proud of. It took him just one hour and ten minutes to cover that seventeen miles. and the first five miles of the road is very rocky.
 As soon as possible two wagons were brought from camp and the suffering men placed therein and started for Wenden. The party had made about nine miles when Dr. Cartmell met it and halt was made to examine the condition of the injtSed Mir. Bunker had brought a lantern. bF it was not needed. and in the bright moonlight the doctor gave the severest of the wounds a temporary dressing and all proceeded to Wenden. There the wounds were more carefully dressed and the men brought to Phoenix by tne 1lrSt train.
 At the hospital yesterday Drs Bell. Wylie and others helped in fixing up the patients. Sayre's right arm was Ianfputated just below the elbow, and his skull was trephined. some pieces of stone being taken out of the brain His right eye is destroyed and he only has a fighting chance for recovery Anderson is spoken of as a man of wonderful endurance, self control and magnificent physique. He has refused to take opiates from the beginning to relieve his pain, has never lapsed into uncOnSciOusness and at the same time has been cheerful and quite communi- cative, and made no demonstration. notwithstanding the sight of both eyes is destroyed. a piece of rock was blown into his knee cap and he has numerous minor wounds, as the men say both the victims were so IacersGed when found they could hardly be rec ognized until the blood was washed away and their wounds were dressed. Anderson was also more solicitous over Sayre's condition than regarding his own, asking the doctor and others to look after Sayre first, that he was better able to wait.
 NIT. Bunker said he could not tell just how the accident occurred until he sees the tunnel, and he don't know for certain that he can then. He has a vague theory though, formed on what Anderson has told him, that the men loaded the four holes and were in the act of lighting the fuse or "spitting" the holes. They had lighted one fuse and were applying the match or candle | to another when in some way it was prematurely fired. injuring both men, | It is presumed that Anderson imme- | diately crawled some distance away | so he missed the effect of the second !! shot. which came in due season, with ! the burning of the fuse, while Sayre | could not escape it. Even Anderson | has not been able to tell just what | happened. but he did say to Mir. Bun | ker. that whatever of fault there was | should be charged to him and not to Sayre.