Everyone knows that mining is a dangerous occupation, and it was probably more so back in the early days. The Bristol Silver Mine had its fair share of accidents, and these- in no particular order- are some of the ones we ran across that resulted in the untimely death of miners and mine workers.
Please remember that these accidents happened while the mine was fairly "new" and in good condition. Going into an old mine now can be very hazardous, especially if you're not properly equipped and trained.
Which we both know you're not.
Tom Burke - FALL
Death of Tom Burke - Bristol Mine, Uvada Copper Company
On December 14, 1916, I received the following telegram:
"Man killed at Bristol Mine, surface laborer. Found in bottom of shaft. No evidence of how he got there. Am summoning Coroner and jury. UVADA COPPER COMPANY, John H. Sampson, Superintendent."
I immediately wired as follows:
"W.B Harris, Coroner, Pioche, Nevada. Hold inquest. Send copy transcript. Unable to attend."
Upon reviewing the evidence given by the surface foreman and a man employed as a miner, working in the bottom of the shaft at the time of the accident, I find that the deceased, TOM BURKE, was employed on the day of the accident as a surface workman, carrying powder from the tramway station to the powder magazine; and while in the performance of his duty the deceased would at no time be closer than seventy-five feet from the collar of the Gypsy Queen shaft where the accident happened. He was last seen at 8:55 a.m. by the foreman, and was at that time in the performance of his duty, the accident happening about 9:10 a.m. The miner who was working in the bottom of the shaft heard something falling down same, which proved to be the deceased. He landed across a bucket in the bottom of the shaft, killing him instantly.
On the 14th day of December an inquest was held over the body of Tom Burke, killed at the Bristol Mine, property of the Uvada Copper Company, the following being the verdict of the Coroner's Jury:
We, the jury, find the deceased was named Tom Burke, aged about 40 years, and that he came to his death on the 14th day of December, A.D. 1916, in the county of Lincoln, by falling from the collar of the Gypsy shaft to the 600-foot level, said deceased having come to his death in an accidental manner.
-Report of the State Inspector of Mines
Samuel Kincaid - FALL
Death of Samuel Kincaid- Bristol Silver Mine
On October 2, 1922, I attended the inquest over the remains of Samuel Kincaid, married, a native of the United States, aged 60 years, killed on September 29, 1922, in the Bristol Mine, property of the Bristol Silver Mines Company, Lincoln County, Nevada.
After hearing the testimony and viewing the place of the accident I found the deceased was employed as a miner by the Bristol Silver Mines Company and was working on the 800 foot level of the Bristol mine. He was coming off shift and was coming up on the man skip when the engine stopped at the 300 foot level. The cause of this was that they use "tops," a low grade of oil, and the engine died. The engineer set the brake and started to take out the spark plug when the brake lever jumped forward, releasing the skip. The engineer testified that he was three feet from the lever when it slipped and caught the same, and he stopped the skip in forty feet.
I went down the shaft to the 300 foot station and climbed down to the 800 foot level, and I could not see where the deceased could get caught on the timber at that point where the skip stopped. The shaft is 8 to 10 feet wide from the foot to the hanging-wall. The deceased was on the manway side and had the best place on the skip, as he was on the bottom, and the guard rail on the skip is 3 1/2 feet high and runs up the middle of the skip; when standing or sitting you can hold on with ease. If the deceased had held on to the bar I do not see how he could have been thrown off, as there were five others on the skip. Some of these testified the engine stopped slow; others said with a jerk.
On examination of the engine it was found that the bolt that goes through the dog on the brake-arm had sheared off, and from its appearance it had been partly broken for some time. The brakes on the engine are in good condition. The man-skip has never jumped off the rails and is used when the men are changing shifts. The incline is a 60 degree pitch and the engine a 60 hp. Western hoist. Frank Thompson was the engineer and this was his first shift. He is a licensed engineer, and is considered a very careful man.
The following is the verdict of the Coroner's jury:
"We, the jury, find the deceased was named Samuel Kincaid, was a native of the United States, aged about 60 years, and he came to his death on the 29th day of September, 1922, at the Bristol mine, Lincoln County, Nevada, through an unavoidable accident, and no blame placed on either the engineer or the Bristol Mines Company."
-Report of the State Inspector of Mines
Lynn Wilson - CRUSHED
Death of Lynn Wilson- Bristol Mines Silver Company
On December 12, 1930, I attended the inquest over the remains of LYNN WILSON, a native American, 24 years of age, who was killed in the property of the Bristol Silver Mines Company, Lincoln County, Nevada.
After hearing the testimony and viewing the place of the accident, I found that the deceased was employed as a trimmer, and at the time of the accident was working on the 900 foot level.
There were no witnesses to the accident, but it is apparent that the deceased had climbed into the chute to bar down ore and was crushed by muck.
The following is the verdict of the Coroner's jury:
"We, the jurors, find the deceased was named Lynn Wilson, aged about 24 years, that he came to his death on the 12th day of December, 1930, in said county of Lincoln, by being crushed to death by a mine accident, due to the negligence on the part of the deceased.
-Report of the State Inspector of Mines
Bill Wacks - CRUSHED
Death of Bill Wacks
May 16, 1935, at 12, noon, a fatal accident occurred which was caused by a falling boulder on the 500-foot level in a stope near the Gypsy shaft in the Bristol Silver Mines Company property, Pioche, Lincoln County, Nevada. Deceased's skull was crushed and death was believed to have been instantaneous.
Verdict of the Coroner's jury:
We find the deceased was named Bill Wacks; that he was a native of Hastings, Penn., aged about 390 years; that he came to his death on the 16th day of May, 1935, in said county of Lincoln, by an unavoidable accident caused by a falling boulder on the 500 foot level in a stope near the Gypsy shaft, at 12:05 P.M. at the Bristol Silver Mines.
-Report of the State Inspector of Mines
Farris Edward Clark - FALL
Death of Farris Edward Clark
January 7, 1938, at 9:45 a.m., the deceased was accidentally killed in the Bristol Silver Mine, Lincoln County.
Verdict of the Coroner's jury:
We find the deceased was named Farris Edward Clark; that he was a native of Utah, aged about 34 years; that he came to his death on the 7th day of January 1938, in said county of Lincoln, by falling off a skip on the 200 foot level of the Bristol Silver Mine, and was found on the 1,600 foot level of that mine. The cause of death was purely accidental. Dated January 7, 1938
-Report of the State Inspector of Mines
Interestingly, a newspaper article (source unknown) reported that Mr. Clark had died in a mine explosion. One wonders if the reporter simply got the facts wrong; if the reports varied by the time they reached Utah, or if, perhaps, death by explosion just sounded more merciful than falling a quarter mile down a mine shaft. Fourteen hundred feet is roughly the height of the Empire State Building, which is 1,424' to the very tip.
Leroy Rollins - CRUSHED
Death of Leroy Rollins
A telegram received on January 15, 1939, informed this office of a fatal accident at the Bristol Silver Mines. Deputy Jack Purdy investigated the accident, reporting as follows:
"I found that the deceased was mucking in a stope in Block 91 below 1250 sub-level when a slab fell about twelve feet and caught his legs, crushed the right side of his chest in back, cut left jaw, cut head, fractured skull and spine. This happened at 2:45 p.m. and he died at 5 p.m Of his tow partners, one was running the tugger hoist about forty feet above, and the other was tramming about forty feet below. The hoistman heard the fall of ground and gave the alarm. They with two other leasers pryed the slab up and released him. He was then taken to the surface, and by that time two doctors were on the ground. In my opinion, if the ground had been properly barred down, the accident would not have happened."
Verdict of the Coroner's jury:
We find that the deceased John Leroy Rollins met his death on the 15th day of January 1939 in Lincoln County, Nevada, by being accidentally killed by falling ground while working as a leaser on the 1250 level of the Bristol Silver Mines.
-Report of the State Inspector of Mines
Elwood Charles Erickson - FALL
Death of Elwood Charles Erickson
July 27, 1937, about 11:45 a.m., deceased was instantly killed when he fell down a shaft about 150 feet, on the property of the Bristol Silver Company, Lincoln County.
Verdict of the Coroner's jury:
We find that the deceased, Elwood Charles Erickson, came to his death by an accidental fall down the Snyder shaft on the Bristol Silver Mines Company, Bristol Silver, Lincoln County, Nevada, July 27, 1937; that he was a native of Minersville, Utah, age about 31 years.
-Report of the State Inspector of Mines
Francis D. Kavanaugh - CRUSHED
Death of Francis F. Kavanaugh- Bristol Silver Mines Company
On February 10, 1930, I attended the inquest over the remains of Francis F. Kavanaugh, a native of Canada, who was killed in the Bristol silver mine.
After hearing the testimony and viewing the place of the accident, I found that the deceased was employed as a mucker by the Bristol Silver Mines Company, and at the time of the accident was working with Wesley Rawlings on the 1100-foot level near the No. 2 chute. As Rawlings stepped back to fill his lamp a two ton slab of lime slipped from the side wall and struck Kavanaugh. He was crushed against the other rib and killed instantly. Rawlings was knocked down but not seriously injured. The deceased was in charge of all the muckers on the 1100 foot level, and was regarded as a careful man.
The following is the report of the Coroner's jury:
" We, the undersigned jurors, find that the name of the deceased was Francis F. Kavanaugh, and that he came to his death on the 10th day of Debruary, 1930, in said Lincoln County, by being struck on the head by a rock while at work in the Bristol Mine, and we find said accident to be unavoidable and absolve said Bristol Silver Mines Company from all blame."
-Report of the State Inspector of Mines