Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-25
.RESCUERS WERE
ALL MISGUIDED.

The Utah Copper company, having
| completed its Investigation into the
| causes which led to the death OF the
four miners last Saturday evening,
has presented them for publication.
The investigation shows that no one
| was to blame for the casualty by
| which Kent Smith, Hugh Ryrnes, Geo.
Wilson and Doninick Spatta lost
their lives. 1t was one of those acci-
dents that no one can forsee or pro-
vide against. 1t WAS the headlonsl
courage of Smith and the others that
prompted them to go down on. SUD
six 10 save men they thought We're
there but who had not even been
down on Sub six for a number or
days II was an heroic and unseif-
ish deed on their part, and 1t only
makes 1t all the sadder to know that
their efforts were entirely useless and
of no avail.
The men lost their lives in the.
working known as Sub six. Main Tuis-
mel. The work on Subs six and seven
now consists of putting in holes and
charges of powder at about 25 or ~
feet back from the face of the pit,
where the workings are safe, for the
purpose of blasting the ore off the
face Of the pit outside.
1t was known on "Wednesday last
f lllut WIS SlS Oh SUI slS, tNo
men were partially overcome there
then Supt. Shilling Mt the time issued
orders that no one was to go in SUP
six to work, until a connection had
been made with that level from the
face OF the pit. so as to give a good
circulation of air, and Gen. Foremen
Kent Smith passed these orders on
to the other former. These orders
We're carried out.
-Er NNhpn 81 miner nv O3JOp of al. j u
Ashcroft and an Italian named Tony
who were on the Saturday night
shift, went into Sub seven, they start
ed to make an examination OF sub
six to see how the air was and found
the body of Dominic1l Spatta in the
raise between Sub six and seven and
about 10 feet below the floor of Sub.
seven. These two men made an ef-
fort to get the body up to Sub seven,
but being partially overcome by the
gas in the raise, had to get help before
this could be done. Spatta had no
business down there below Sub and
his presence there cannot be account
ed for. Ashcroft and Tony knowing
that three men always worked to-
getller. surmised that spatta's partners
might be down on Sub. q and sent
word to Gen. Foreman Smith. When
Smith. Burns and Wilson came into
the mine they We're met by Ashcroft
and Jackson Steel who told Smith all
that had happened, and begged him
not to attemptGto SO down on Sub. 8.
Smith advised Ashcroft, who was still
weak from the effects of the gas, to
go on out OF the mine. and that he
and assistants would get the other
men out. Ashcroft repeated his warn
ing and advised Smith that if any
one went down on Sub. 6. only one
man should go and he should have
a rope around him. so that the 9TH
ers could stay up on Sub Z and pull
him out, il necessary This advise,
however, was not taken, and Smith,
Burns and Wilson all went on Sub. 8
together.
While Ashcroft was resting on Sub.
81 after the Smith party passed. one
of the partners of Spatta came into
the mine When Ashcroft saw him
he inquired where he came from and
surface all day. When t.slled in re-
gard to his partner. he said he was home
sick. Ashcroft then rushed down to
Sub. Z and called down the raise
to Smith that the partners We're found
and to come out. He got no response.
Then a rescue party was formed UNI
der John Mcdonald, asst supperin-
lays with ropes around them, were
sent down into Sub. 6 to try to save
Smith and the others: Mike Mays,
jackson Steel. Tom Gaulfield. Tom
Shannon, William Riley. j. H. Fitz-
gerald. Jack Hunter, Fred Wood,
James Wilkinson, Aaron Brethwaite, |
Jed Shilling Frank Emandulo, Ed |
and Jack Sickles.
DR.. Ray stayed at the top of the
raise the entire time, restoring the
men to consciousness and rendering |
valuable assistance.