Giovanni Lora

ACCIDENT No. 36. - Sept. 10, 1903. John Lara, employed as watchman in No. 7 shaft, Hecla branch of Calumet and Hecla Mine, was run over by the cage and killed, at the 44th level.

From the evidence that could be had, no one being present when the accident happened, it seems that he was caught by the ascending cage and dragged up the shaft about 35 feet above the 44th level, and when his body was freed from the cage, he fell down 25 feet below the 44th level, where his dead body was found. An inquest was held before Coroner Fisher.

John Capolloi testified: "I work at the No. 7 shaft, Hecla Mine, as watchman. I know the man that was killed this morning. He is my first cousin. He was watchman in the same shaft. I work from the 46th level down and the deceased was watchman above the 46th level. We went down together in the morning to the 48th level. He went from there to his place at the 46th. He was there when the cage came down the second trip. The third trip I stopped the cage at the 49th and the man got out and I rang the cage up. The cage started up and soon after the bell ringer rang one bell to stop the cage, and called to me to come up. I started up the shaft and found his watch at the 46th level, and found the deceased just below the 44th level. His body was in the middle of the track, dead.”

John Stephens testified: “I work with the timber man at the 48th level, No. 7 shaft. I know nothing of the accident except finding the body. I went down on the third trip of the cage; I noticed the bell ringer going up in the cage. Soon the bell ringer came down and said that John Lara was under the cage, I started up the shaft, I asked him how he knew, lie said he heard a noise. On my way up I found his hat and lamp, and further up I found his body, in the shaft, lying on his stomach, feet up and head down, one boot was gone. He had nothing on but his pants and socks, and one boot. We took his body up to the 44th level and put him on the cage and sent him to the surface. He was dead when we found him.”

Verdict — “We, the jury, find that John Lara came to his death accidentally on the 10th day of September, 10, 1903 at No. 7 shaft, 44th level, Hecla branch of the Calumet and Hecla Mine, while employed as watchman, he evidently having fallen in the shaft and being run over by the cage.”

Giovanni Lora, Jul 11 1892, Ship: La Bretagne, departed from Havre, arrived in New York, New York, USA. Final destination Negaunee, Michigan.
"United States Italians to America Index, 1855-1900," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KD4F-2PD : 27 December 2014), Giovanni Lora, 11 Jul 1892; citing Italians to America Passenger Data File, 1855-1900, Ship La Bretagne, departed from Havre, arrived in New York, New York, New York, United States, NAID identifier 1746097, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.

"Michigan Deaths and Burials, 1800-1995", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHJN-VY2 : 23 February 2021), John Lora, 1903.