Giovanni Battista Bruno

ACCIDENT NO. 38 - July 21, 1911 - John Bruno, South Hecla Branch, C.&H. John Bruno, an Austrian, employed as underground watchman, lost his life on this day at the 37th level of No. 9 shaft, South Hecla Branch, C.& H.

At the inquest conducted over his body by Coroner Fisher the following witnesses testified:

John Bir: “I work at South Hecla No. 9 Shaft. I knew the deceased, John Bruno, see him most every day. He was a watchman underground. I am a lander at No. 9 shaft. The accident happened this morning. I did not see him before the accident this morning, did not see him until I went down to pick him up. We had just dumped the last skip at No. 9 this morning and when the skip was on the dump I saw blood on the bottom of the skip. I ran the skip out and then went down and waited for the night captain, Robert Simpson, and told him something had happened, and we went down and found Bruno a little above the 39th level, between the 38th and 39th levels. We found the body right on the skip track between the rails. We found his skull cap and hat near the 37th level.”

Robert Simpson: "I am trammer boss at South Hecla No. 9 and 10, double shaft. I knew the deceased, see him every day. Did not see him this morning, saw him last night going down about a quarter to seven. As I was going down he was standing in the side of the shaft - between the two shafts - at the 37th level where he was stationed. This accident happened this morning about twenty-five minutes past five. This morning as I came up Bir, the lander, told me he saw blood on the skip and a piece of shirt and thought there was a man killed, and wondered who it could be. I told him I had seen all the watchmen but one and said I would go down and see if it was he. Bir said he would go too. We went down and found a skull cap near the 37th level and farther down between the 38th and 39th found the body right between the rails. The ladder road is right between the two shafts and he is supposed to go up and down on this ladder way. He had no business in the shaft. The shaft is all partitioned, a railing all around and small places for him to put his hose through to sprinkle the shaft. Have no idea how he got in the shaft."

Verdict: "We find that the said John Bruno came to his death on the morning of July 21, 1911, at the 37th level of No. 9 shaft of South Hecla Branch, of Calumet & Hecla Mining Company by being struck by the skip in some manner unknown to the jurors."