FOUND IN THE SUMP. / The Bodies of Murphy and Kelleher Recovered at Last.

# Transcription — The Anaconda Standard, 1890-07-23, p.6 **Source**: The Anaconda Standard (Anaconda, Montana), Wednesday 23 July 1890, p.6. **Status**: Complete. **Method**: Cleaned from OCR against the page image. --- **FOUND IN THE SUMP.** *The Bodies of Murphy and Kelleher Recovered at Last.* *They Were Buried in Several Feet of Dirt at the Bottom of the Shaft — But a Mass of Flesh and Broken Bones.* Special Correspondence of the Standard. BUTTE, July 22. — As stated in this morning's Standard, strenuous efforts were being made last night to reach the two bodies still in the sump of the Anaconda mine. Owing to the prevalence of gas and heated air in the bottom of the shaft, work was very hard and during the night the miners worked in shifts of only five minutes each. In the sump was a few inches of water, while all efforts to find the bodies seemed at first unsuccessful. Digging in the earth of the sump, one of the bodies was finally found at 6 o'clock this morning, buried under several feet of dirt. At 8 o'clock this morning the other body was found on the opposite side of the shaft, also buried in the earth. The bodies were hoisted to the surface and taken to Sherman's undertaking rooms. The bodies were a mere mass of battered flesh and bones, all in pieces and unrecognizable except by the clothing. While the undertaker was preparing the bodies for burial, George W. Newkirk, summoned a jury and an inquest was held at the *Mining Journal* office. It developed little new, the evidence being about the same as in the other inquest. Matt Sullivan, who resides in Dublin gulch, said he was acquainted with Patrick Murphy and Tim Kelleher, who are now dead. On the morning of the fire at the Anaconda, November 22, he was at work on the 300. He gave a signal for the cage and Murphy and Kelleher came down on the cage and went down to the 800 and found a man named Lyons at the mouth of the crosscut. The three got him on the cage and gave the signal to hoist. Before reaching the top, Murphy and Kelleher fell off. The witness knew at the time of the descent there was a fire and went down to see if there were any men they could help. The witness did not know at what point his companions fell off. Jacob Oliver, deputy mining inspector, said he visited the mine in his official capacity this morning. He went down the shaft and found that the deceased came to their death by failing from the cage into the sump and that after an investigation he is satisfied there was no one to blame. Since the day of the accident he is satisfied that the officers of the company have done everything that human ingenuity could suggest to recover the bodies. On the morning of the recovery, the rescuing party was worked in shafts of not more than four or five minutes each, on account of the extreme heat. The bodies were in the sump and there must have been three or four feet of earth upon them, which had accumulated since the accident. Dr. J. A. Trembley, the county physician, was sworn, and testified that in his official capacity he had viewed the bodies and found that death had ensued from accident. The following verdict was then prepared and signed by the jurymen: STATE OF MONTANA, COUNTY OF SILVER BOW. An inquisition held at Butte City, Mont., on the 22d day of July before George W. Newkirk, acting coroner of said county, upon the bodies of Patrick Murphy and Timothy Kelleher, then lying dead, by the jurors whose names are hereunto subscribed, the said jurors upon their oaths do say: We find that the said Patrick Murphy and Timothy Kelleher came to their deaths on the morning of November 22 in the shaft of the Anaconda mine. That the cause of death was by falling from the cage, which, in time, was caused by suffocation on account of gases produced by a fire in the mine. And we further find that the officers and employes of the Anaconda company did everything in their power to prevent loss of life or accidents, and are to be highly commended for their heroic efforts to save their fellow workmen. Further, we find that no blame whatever can be attached to said Anaconda company or any of its officers. In testimony whereof we the said Jurors have hereunto set our names this the said 22d day of July, 1890. B. R. St. Charles, George B. Fitzgerald, Phil A. Julian, John Curran, Angus McQueen, W. F. Jordan. This afternoon and evening many old friends of Pat Murphy and Tim Kelleher called at the undertaking rooms to see the remains. But little was to be seen except bones and the old clothes. The Anaconda company had given instructions for as fine caskets as could be made and by evening the bodies had been placed in the caskets. That of Pat Murphy was removed to the house of his widow in Dublin gulch. The remains of Kelleher will be removed in the morning to the house of Daniel Drew in Dublin gulch and the funerals will be held at 9 o'clock to-morrow afternoon, exactly eight months from the time of their death. The Miners' union held a meeting to-night and it was decided to attend in a body the funeral of P. C. Murphy. Kelleher was not a member of the union. The Emmet Guards have voted to attend Kelleher's funeral in a body as he was a member of that organisation. As laid out in the caskets little can be seen of the bodies. The heads are gone, a little piece of scalp being all that is left. The hands and arms are the best preserved portions.