John Alexander McLean

ACCIDENT No. 16 - March 5, 1903. Occurred at the 45th level of No. 5 Shaft, at the Calumet branch of the Calumet & Hecla Mine, causing the death of Alexander McLean, by a fall of hanging wall rock striking him on the head and back. He was at once taken to surface and then to the mine hospital, where he died six hours later. An inquest was held before Coroner Fisher.

Dominick Bessolo testified as follows: "I am timberman-boss of the gang that McLean worked with. I was working with him when the accident happened. I tested the ground before going to work. I do that every day. The ground sounded good, the timber was only six feet from the back of the stope, everything looked all right. We went on the staging and looked the ground over and thought it all right. We then got a piece of timber and put it in the place from whence the rock fell."

Fred Davey testified: "I worked with the deceased Alex McLean. We tested the hanging and it sounded all right. I had just left to go down in the level to get an axe, when the rock fell that struck the deceased. The rock was about two and one-half feet long. I did not think there was any danger of anything falling. McLean was helping to lift a piece of flat timber when the rock fell down on him. We sounded the hanging and looked it all over with our lights."

Verdict "We, the jury, find that Alexander McLean came to his death on the 5th day of March, 1903, from injuries received while on duty in No. 5 Shaft, of the Calumet branch of the Calumet & Hecla Mine, at the 45th level, by a fall of hanging rock. We find by the evidence in the case that it was purely accidental."