The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1908-10-08
DEATH IN THE MINES
Andy Hornick Killed at Shaft No.
a Near Evans.

q Near Evans.
Andy Hornick, aged twenty-one, al
driver employed in mine No. of the
Ramsay properties near Evans was
killed while at work in the mine
about eleven o'clock Monday morning.
Hornick was knocked off the tail
chain as he was bringing a "trip
down hill and was rolled under the
cars. He was quite dead when as
sistance arrived within a very short
time after the accident happened.
There were no marks on the body
that would indicate blow that
would have caused death. The cars
did not catch the body in a way that
mangled the limbs. There was a
slight skin abrasion near the right
eye and a slight wound behind the
left ear but neither of these could
have caused death. Death was in all
probability caused by the breath be-
ing squeezed out of the body, as II
was lying on the track with the weight
of the heavy load pressed down upon
il. The car had left the rails and
was pressed down on Hornick's body
To breath would have been an I'M
possibility, with the great weight on
the lungs.
The accident was probably due to
the fact that Hornick had failed to
use Sprays" pieces of timber placed
to hrnalr "a hill and
the force of the loads coming down
the hill had caused the trip to leave
the rails. Hornick was good driver,
but he was a hard, fast worker, and
did not care to take the time to sprag.
He had repeatedly been cautioned
concerning the wheels and earlier in
the day. the mans recklessness in
driving had caught he attention OF
the Dit boss, who remarked to the
lad, Guess you're going some this
morning" The driver only laughed
and continued his work.
A miner and a trapper, lad VINO
works the trap door. were sitting IN
the entry near a door and heard Hor-
nick coming with the trip. All of a
sudden the rumble of his cars stop
| ped and did not start again, as they
should One of the listeners got up
opened the door and loked down the
entry. Seeing no ligLt it was evident
that some thing was wrong and the
workers started back some little dis
lance to Inc place where the accl
| dent occurred. Hornick was found
| quite dead with the car bearing down
upon the body, as described above
| The alarm was Immediately given
and the body removed to the home q
short distance from the shaft. ne
| deceased was a son of Mr.. and Mrs
Mike Hornick, Bulgarians. worMng al
the mine He has also five brothers
and FIVE sisters. who survive. HornicF
was a great, wholesouled, good natur
| ed fellow, Industrious and a gooC
worker. He was a general faVorltt
at the mine and the announcement Of
his death caused deepest regre
among his fellow workmen. The
| mine was Immediately closed dowr
| for the day.
Coroner J. c. Barringer, of Oska
loosa, was summoned to make an eX
animation into the accident. +. -
Boyer, Jno. Doak and Jno. Love were
taken as jurors and reached the mine
about three o'clock. The inquest was
held at the company Office and thu
coroner and the jurors entered thu
mine to make personal investigation
of the place where the accident oc
CURED. The verdict was. Death caus
ed by accident"
Funeral from the st. Mary's churcl
in Oskaloosa at nine O'Clock a. m
Wednesday morning, October Z, ant
interment in Catholic cemetery.
The United Mine Workers. OF which
organization Hornick was a membe
in good standing, will meet the process
sion from Evans at the west end o
High avenue near the Oskaloosa col
lege and act as an escort of homo
for the deceased as the tody is takei
to the church.