Amador ledger., 1907-04-26
KILLED In THE ARGONAUT.
Martin SegOta fell to His Death.

A fatal accident occurred at the
Argonaut mine on Saturday after
noon.. The victim was a young Aus
trian miner, named Martin Segota,
aged % years. He had been working
at the Argonaut for about three years.
and had proved himself steady and
reliable worker. The precise manner
in which the fatality occurred is
merely matter of conjecture. No
one witnessed the mishap, nor knew of
its occurrence until his body was
found on the timbers of the bulkhead
near the bottom of the shaft.
John RodopovIch and the victim
were working machine drill at the
2520 foot level on the afternoon
mentioned. About o'clock Rodono-
vich who had charge of the drilling
operations, sent Segota for more drills
aging that he would go on drilling
while he was away. The drills are
left at each station, and placed some
eight feet from the shaft. They are
always left in the same spot, so that
the workers knew exactly where to
look for them. Ordinarily it would
take but few inmates to go to the
usual place and return. Rodonovich
kept at work, and drilled a hole, and
still his partner failed to return. He
thought perhaps he had gone to
another station for them. Quitting
time came 6 o'cIock-and still Segota
was missing. Rodonovich inquired
of his brother miners if they had seen
anything of his partner. All answer
ed in the negative.
At last one OF the miners gathered
around the shaft at the $500 level
thought he detected strange sound,
as of man groanlng, coming from
the staft below. He spoke of the
matter to his companions. They
listened but could hear nothing. At
length Cole heard the same sound
coming up from below, and this time
there was no mistaking that it pro-
ceeded from human being in dis
tress. Looking down the shaft several
drills we're seen lying on the tim bers,
and this fact conveyed the Impression
that Segota had fallen down the shaft.
The buIkhead built over the shaft to
protect the men engaged in sinking
operations, was only 80 feet below.
Here they found the unconscious
form of Segota with three drills be-
side him. There we're four other
drills scattered on the tim mbers, show
ing that the unfortunate man had
loaded himself with seven drills when
the fatal plunge was taken.
The victim was conveyed to the sur
face as speedily as possible, and
thence packed to the Sierra Sanitar-
lum, where Drs. Phillips and Goodman
made a critical examination to locate
the injury. 1t was evident to the
physicians that53he was probably fatal
ly hurt. And yet the marks about
the body were insufficient on curse
ry examination to account for the
evident seriousness of his case.
tinally a dIscoloration over the right
temple was diagnosed as the main
injury. The skin was unhroken, but
the skull beneath was lndented and
the displaced bone pressing upon the
brain. Trephining was resorted to in
the hope of atfordIng relief, and when
the pressure OF the bone was released
the whole frame twitohed and CULVER
ed-the only response of the vital
forces to the operation. He never
recovered consciousness. He died
about O'Clock Sunday morning.
1t is said that he was subject to dizzy
spells. He had been under treatment
of physician several times.
1t is supposed that after placing the
seven drills ac1 oss his shoulder, while
in STOPPING posture-the usual mode
in such cases-on attempting to rise,
the weight of the drills over balanced
him and he fell backward into the
shaft. Or it may be that he was
attacked by spell of dizziness at
that critical moment, and tottering
forward toward the shaft in dazed
condition fell therein.
Coroner Potter held an inquest over
the body Sunday afternoon. A YER
dict of accidental death was returned
in accordance with the meager light
that could be thrown upon the case.
Segota was single man. His only
relative in this state is a sister living
at Angels Camp, who came over Mon
day to attend the funeral, which was
held Tuesday. He has relatives in
his native land, Austria, toward
whose support it is said he regularly
contributed out of bis wages. 1t is
said be was insured in the Austrian
Benevolent Society, of which he was
a member, for the sum of $500.
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Another Livery Stable.