Lewis, Edward d. 1894

LEWIS

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 9/6/2006 at 14:17:19

The Newton (IA) Journal, Wednesday Mar. 14, 1894

KILLED AT THE MINES - Edward Lewis, a mule driver at the Jasper County Coal Company's Mine, on Thursday, March 8, 1894, between 9 and 10 o'clock. Corner Newell held an inquest and Henry Thomas, the mine boss gave the following testimony which was corroborated by several other witnesses:
Henry Thomas, Sworn, age 52, residence, Colfax, Iowa, occupation, mine boss.
The entry was the second one west on the south side, some where in the neighborhood of two hundred yards south and west of the shaft. The entry is in good order, and the track is also in good order. About where the body was found, the entry is timbered about five feet high; the track is mostly level, but rises as you go east, but where the accident occurred was almost on a level. There was no props or other obstruction on the track. The accident occurred about 10 a.m. Thursday, March 8, 1894. Myself and several others, when we heard of the accident, went back to the place, where we found him, Edward Lewis, dead, under the front car of the two cars on this trip, with his head on the south side of the track, the right hind wheel of the car was on his back, his body and legs were crushed and mangled under the main body of the car. The front wheel of the car on the right side was off the track outside the rail, as though in passing over the body of deceased it had been forced from the iron rail. I think the cause of accident was either that the head of deceased came in contact with one of the cross bars as he was arising to shift his position and he was knocked from the car on the track and the car ran on him; or that he hand slipped from the rum of the mule he was driving, he lost his balance and fell with the result above noted. Deceased had only been at work in the mine seven days. He had been injured once before in the manner first above noted. Deceased had lost the sight of one eye. HENRY THOMAS.