1936 – Oct 6, Morning Mine Lead Mine shaft cable breaks, cage falls 900 ft., Mullan, ID -10

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 11-19-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–10  Fromm, James Richard.  Wallace, Idaho. The First 100 Years: 1884-1984.  1984. 

–10  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC. Mine Disasters.

–10  US Bureau of Mines. Hoisting accidents and their prevention…Mullan, Idaho, Oct. 6, 1936.

Narrative Information

Fromm: “Ten die in Morning Mine shaft accident. They dropped 850 feet when the cable broke.” 

US Bureau of Mines. Hoisting accidents and their prevention…Mullan, Idaho, Oct. 6, 1936:

“The hoisting accident in the Morning mine at Mullan, Idaho, has aroused considerable interest in methods of preventing similar accidents.

“Morning mine, Mullan Idaho

“Ten men were killed when a man cage fell 900 feet in the Morning mine of the Federal Smelting and Mining  Company, Mullan, Idaho, at 12:10 a.m., Tuesday, October 6, 1936. Immediately prior

to the accident five men, including the cager, got on the lower deck of the 2-deck cage at the 3450-foot level. They were hoisted to the 3050-foot level in order to complete loading men on both decks. The cager then permitted six men to get on the lower deck, making a total of ten men. The cage doors were then closed and fastened. The hoist engineer was signaled to lower the upper deck

flush with the station floor and this was done. The cager unfasted the lock at the top of the upper cage door and was in the act of raising the bar extending across the cage door, about midway, when

the hoist rope broke about 1200 feet above the cage. According to the cager the cage appeared to fall, bounce, and then fall again. As the rope went by it was whipping from side to side in the cage

compartment. The cage fell about 900 feet to the bulkhead below where it was smashed and badly twisted.

“One of ten men was found on top of the cage and whether or not this man fell down the shaft in the excitement, or whether he, in some unaccountable manner, was thrown out of the cage on to the top, is not known….

“The rope attached to the chippy was 3/8 of an inch thick and 4-1/2 inches wide, being flat, made up of 13 primary strands 3/8 inch in diameter, each of the primary strands consisting of 4 secondary strands of 7 wires to the strand, or a total of 364 wires. The 3/8 inch diameter strands are manufactured by the John Roebling’s Sons Company, and the ropes are made up of the Federal Smelting and Mining Company by sewing the strands together with no. 16 wire. The rope which broke was put in service January 17, 1936. The ropes are changed regularly at the end of a year regardless of the amount of wear….” (pp. 1-2)

“Among other things this accident indicates the desirability of having an emergency set of catches that can be operated from the man cage independently of rope tension. In addition a set of chairs

or chains might be installed at every shaft station that may be operated from the cage when the cage is stopped at a shaft station to take or discharge men; however, shaft station chairs have in themselves some definite hazards unless they are carefully designed, installed, maintained and operated….” (p. 3.)

Sources

Fromm, James Richard. Wallace, Idaho. The First 100 Years: 1884-1984.  1984. Accessed at:  http://www.3rd1000.com/history3/events/wallace.htm

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Safety and Health Research..  Mining Disasters (Incidents with 5 or more Fatalities). NIOSH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2-26-2013 update. Accessed at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/disall.htm

and http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/content/allminingdisasters.html

United States Bureau of Mines. Hoisting accidents and their prevention, Federal Smelting and Mining Company, Mullan, Idaho, October 6, 1936. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Interior. Accessed 11-19-2024 at: https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/1936_Morning_Mine_Report.pdf