Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1911-02-28

manner in which evidence was TAX
coroner's inquest over the remains
of the victims of the Belmont mine
disaster, it will be long-drawn out
affair. While several witnesses were
called to the witness stand, as a
matter of formal identity of a num-
Der of the dead Roy King, mining
engineer, and in charge of that
work for the Belmont company, was
the only one of any importance,
with relation to the investigation of
the coroner's jury.
Mr. King was on the stand for
upwards of an hour during the
morning, before adjournment was
taken, being called at the opening
of the afternoons session, which
convened at 1880. District Attor-
ney Sanders examined Mr.. King at
great length, regarding distances be-
tween different points in the mine
and inside details of the working of
the underground properties of the
Belmont company.
The crowd that attended the fore
noon session was small in compari-
son with that in the afternoon. Ev-
cry available seat and all possible
standing room was taken long be-
fore the court reconvened at 1880.
At 1915 the coroner's iHry, com
posed of Thomas Lindsay, Edward
Brown, J. ]. Finlay, William Den
ny, Robert Christian, William
Hawke, A. A. Dewar, w. G.
Schweble and w. R. McFadden, con
vened in the district court, the
room being filled to it's capacity
with friends of the deceased miners.
District Attorney Sanders aided
the coroner in eliciting full infor-
nation from the different witnesses
called.
Owing to the absence of R. H.
Dalzell, secretary of the Miners
union, identification of the dead
bodies was postponed until later in
the day.
Attorney Sanders suggested that
himself, jurors or citizens be al
lowed to question any witness that
might be called upon to testify.
Mine Inspector Ryan was also call
ed upon to aid in securing evidence.
A. Grant Miller of Reno, repre-
senting the next of kin to John
Slemsek and John Mea, suggested
that the jury be questioned as to
relationship to the dead men.
Dalzell was called to the stand
at 1895 for the purpose of iden-
tifying the dead miners. He testi-
fed to a personal acquaintance with
the dead men and also to the fact
that he pinned Identification tags
on several of the corpses in the
morgue. Those he positively iden-
titled were: George Dondero, Man
uel CORDOBA, Mike Socially, Robert
Frazier, Anthony Guilfoyle and John
Mea. John Hannigan, brother of
Michael, testified to identifying his
brother by means of a watch and
cut on the face.
G. J. Vieira had known Manuel
CORDOBA upwards of six years and
identified him at the morgue.
F. M. Fitzgerald, superintendent
of the Belmont mine, explained the
system of checking men, now in
vogue at the mine.
Chas. Ducheneau, auditor of the
Belmont, explained further the sys-
tenn of keeping track of the men
while working under ground. He
was instructed by the coroner to
produce a record of the men who
invent to work on the ill-fated morn
ling of the 23rd, which will prob
ably be placed in the hands of the
coroner's jury late this afternoon
It was admitted in the evidence
that the following men were aged:
Name. Age
George Dondero, Genoa, New. 80
Mike Hannigan, Ireland. ..,.,. 2S
Manuel CORDOBA, Azores. ...... 81
Max Slemsek, Germany ...A24
Robert Frazier, Scotland. rs
Bozo Begovich, Servia. .........21
r. r. Hermle, father-in-law o.