The diamond drill., 1921-06-04
HOW THEY NET DEATH
Details Of the Terrible Accident Told
by Matt Dobson, the Uninjured
Survivor

Nc hau just time and space last
week 70 make mention OF che terrible
accident that happened at the Monon-
gahela mine last Friday afternoon
between 4 and O'Clock. The details
Of the accident as told by Matt Dob
son, the sole survivor--and, by-th-way
Matt Dobson Is a hero are as follows:
The four men had been at work
| In the shaft all day and when quit
ting time arrived they got onto the
bucket To be hoisted TO the level
Iabove-140 feet from where they
started.
There were four Of them and they
stood on the rim of the bucket and
signaled the pufrer man on the level
above to hoist them up. The puffer
has a small drum and the bucket
cable filled the drum full under or,
dinary conditions. In this instance
the rope climbed" or wound on top
OF Itself piling up on one end Of the
drum. The man at the hoisting en-
gine evidently didn't notice the rope
climbing as the men were just land
ing and his attention evidently was at
iracted by their lights from the rope
ia front OF him.
The bucket was just coming in" TO
the landing and the men had partially
or fully released their hold OF the
rope to jump of the platform. A
few seconds more and they would
have landed safely but fate was
against them. Just as they were
ready 10 step Off. the cable which had
piled up onto itself slipped over to
one side and the bucket and its human
freight dropped down the shaft.
There is much ambiguity as to the
distance the bucket dropped. That
however, Is immaterial as drop OF
but few inches would have taken
the footing away from the men un-
der the circumstances.
Dobson and Alexander fell into the
bucket, but Richards and Kinsman
fell away from it, The spring in the
rope was sufficient to toss the men
off. Kinsman struck a wall plate and
evidently broke his neck thereon for
Dobson says that he grabbed Kins-
man, whose head was on the wall
plateE and tried to land him In the
bucket but the garments OF his com
pahion were SO slippery that he
couldn't hold on and the body OF Kins-
man fell down the shaft Will Rich
ards evidently fell away clear and
dropped head first to his death 14O
feet below.
When Kinsman's body slipped away
Dobson's attention was turned to
Alexander, who had fallen astride the
bucket and who would have fallen
down the shaft in second or two
more. Although badly hurt "Matty"
grabbed is companion and held him
until relief came TO him. He suffered
terribly from his own hurt but for
getting that he held his head and di-
rected the puffer man above how to
handle the bucket SO as TO land him
and his injured comrade.
There were but FIVE men at work Il
the mine. Captain Martin had pre-
vailed upon his company to let those
FIVE men stay at work so that they
might be available to the company
when work was resumed The out
come of this EFFORT to help out his
men resulted so disasterously that
Captain Martin is heart broken. lie
feels keeuly the unkindness Of the
fate that has taken such a toll under
such circumstances.
Alexander Is in the General Hos
pItal He is badly injured but il !,
thought that he will get out Of ii al
right Il win take some time befor,
he IS even able 10 be about again.
Dobson was about the next day. II,
was badly bruised but no bones brok
en- and Is very thankful for his mirac
ulous escape.
RnoH fhf Az