The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-08-07
BELL INVESTIGATES
THE HECLA ACCIDENT
Confirm Findings of
Coroner Jnry's
Verdict
SAW ERROR TOO LATE
Read Record on the Meter
Inspector Finds Contribut-
ing Causes

left Wallace yesterday after
several days stay in this dis
trict during which he investigat-
ed the cause OF the Hecla hoist acci-
dent of July 25, which resulted in the
death of five men and the serious in
jury of two others. Speaking Of his
findings in the matter, Mr.. Bell sub
stantially confirms the coroner's ver-
dict on the case.
'"rhe hosting plant involved" said
Mr. Bell, was the first high class elec-
trically driven hoist installed in the
Occur d'Alenes. 1t was built IL years
ago by the Welmer SERVER Morgan
company and 1t Is a first motion,
double e-reel, electrically driven plant
with flat cables and massive Lane
type post brakes. The main motor de-
velops 375 horsepower with peak
lead motor generator set reserve of
1000 horsepower and was designed to
lift lotion load from vertical depth
of $500 feet The cables are rs Inch
by 5k inches broad with a breaking
strain of 5S tons, supplied with in
Interchangeable skips and double-deck
cages for the main work of handling
men and ore, with overhung single
deck cages on the skips for auxiliary
work between shifts. The plant was
uninjured in any way as result of
the accident beyond denting the sheet
steel hood or bonnet over the cage
when this disastrous overwinding ac-
cident pulled the cage into the mas
sive sheave wheel timbers.
Cause Of Accident.
"The hoistman, James Wallace, was
solely responsible for the wreck. With
a split shift of six men, working on
contract at the 1000 level. ready to go
down and the cage standing at rest at
the top station with the regular eager
in charge, the opposite skip hanging
at the 1900 balanced in, with full
view Of the men on the cage and in
fact Of almost the full height of the
10O-foot gallows frame from his deck
and the proper signal given to lower
he pushed the control lever in the
wrong direction and whipped the cage
ard it's load of human frei ght to death
in the shelve timbers 100 feet above.
Wallace evidently must have had the
1900 skip in mind and thought he was
applying the power to hoist on th''
side and discovered his error too late |
to prevent the crash. The accident
seems to me to have been purely
case Of human falability and momen'
tary error of Judgment. and is COM
parable to class of accidents now OF
common occurrence with auto drivers
who push a wrong lever at critical
moment and throw a loaded car Of |
people In front of a rapidly moving
train at a railroad crossing.
Discovered Mistake Too Late.
"The Hecla hoist is equipped with a
Westinghouse graphic meter that re-
cords in graduated red ink lines every
motion of the reels during the shift
This record with a short heavy red
mark above tho neutral line OF the
rover application, gives mute test'-
mony that Wallace discovered his ar
ror and reversed the power in an eff
fort to stop the skip, and probably d1d
check the force of the blow, as the
cable clamps where thew run on the
rim of the sheave wheel were slightly
bent hut unmoved from their proper
% thu oqh1n
Contributing Causes.
Contributing causes to the wreck
and wallace's fatal error were the
the fact that the 'chippe' hoist in the
third compartment was in use ana
down the shaft at the time. Another
factor and a very important one, l
think, was the fact that two new cables
had been very recently put on. These
cables when first used are subject to
lengthening stretch of more than Vo
feet, and while this stretch Is bein9
worked out. repeated readjustments
OF the Indicator gears are necessary
and involve the temporary disconnec-
ton OF the Welch speed controllers.
sensitive safety device with which the
hoist is equipped, designed to auto
matically shut off the power and ap-
ply the brake when the hoist exceeds
mayin,,m fixed speed in passing
danger point near the terminals Of its
operations.
Failure Of Human AGENCY.
"Mr. Wallace. the unfortunate oper-
ator, was married man 35 wears Of
age, was we'll thought of and consid- !