William Spague Tretheway

ACCIDENT NO. 2-October 15, 1908 ⎼ Captain William S. Tretheway, No. 21 C. & H. A deplorable accident occurred on this date removing from active duty Capt. William S. Tretheway, a respected mining man, one who had worked in the mines of Houghton and Keweenaw counties for many years. The accident happened at the 12th level of Shaft No. 21 Kearsarge lode of the Calumet and Hecla Mine. An inquest was held before Justice Wm. Fisher and the following testimonies taken:

James Toms: "I am employed by the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company as Mining Captain at No. 21 shaft on the Kearsarge lode. I was with Captain Tretheway this morning. I met him at the 11th level and went down through with him to the 12th level. We were putting in a cement gutter there to the foot. He examined the gutter on the south side of the shaft and while he was doing that I was talking to the timbermen. I missed the Captain then and went down the shaft to look for him but could not see him. He was up in the guttering on the north side talking to the timbermen. I looked up just in time to see the skip strike him. I did not know then it was the Captain who was struck. I did not have time to get to the bell. He was under the rails and raised his head just as the skip got there. There is a space of 2 ½ or 3 feet, plenty of room for him to have gotten out of the way if he had heard the skip coming. He must have forgotten all about the skip coming. He could have stooped down and been safe or he could have got out under the casing boards. This accident happened at about a quarter to ten this morning at the 12th level of No. 21 shaft on the Kearsarge lode. There was no machine working at the time. There was a pump working down the shaft some distance below where the Captain was. He was above the plat and the pump was below the plat. I was about 25 feet under him when I saw the skip strike him. The gutter is a little above the 12th level."

Richard Tippett: "I am employed by the C. & H. at No. 21 as timber-foreman. I saw Captain Tretheway this morning. He came down the shaft to the 11th level. We were working in the guttering. He stopped to talk to us for about 2 minutes; then he went down the plat and up in the skip shaft. I heard him talking there and I went in under the air pipes so I could talk with him. I suppose we talked there for about half a minute. I was explaining about the guttering and the last word he said was "all right" and as he said that he raised up and the skip struck him. I jumped for the bell-line and stopped the skip before it had gone more than its length. I helped get him out. His legs were on the bail of the skip. The skip struck him in the head and just turned him over. He did not speak after the skip struck him. I did not hear the skip coming. The skip does ordinarily make a noise coming down, but it was slacking up at this point and was barely moving when it struck the Captain. The accident happened at about a quarter to ten this morning. I have been working there for about a year and 5 months.”

Verdict: “That the said Williams S. Tretheway came to his death on the 15th day of October, 1908, at the 12th level of shaft No. 21, Kearsarge lode of the Calumet and Hecla Mine, by being struck by a descending cage.”

The Tribune-Review
Butte, Montana
Sat, Oct 24, 1908
Page 1

INSTANTLY KILLED.

Captain William Tretheway Meets Death in Shaft at Calumet & Hecla Mine.

Captain William Tretheway, underground superintendent of the Osceola-Kearsarge lode workings of the Calumet & Hecla Mining company, met death instantly about 10 o'clock this morning in No. 21 shaft by being struck by a descending skip. It is supposed that Captain Tretheway was looking into the shaft when the skip passed. His head was badly cut.

The late Captain Tretheway was aged about 55 years, and was one of the best known mining captains in the copper country. He is survived by a wife and three brothers and one sister. The brothers are Lewis, residing in England, and Captains Martin and James of the Baltic location. The sister lives in Cornwall, England.

The late Captain Tretheway was born in Camborne, Cornwall, and was brought up as a miner. In 1873 he came to this country, remaining for a few months in New Jersey. He then returned to Cornwall, where he spent a year Returning to the United States, he remained for a few months in New York, coming to Central. Keweenaw county, in 1875. He worked at the old Central mine for 19 years and under Captain Sam Bennetts was second mining captain. He went to the Atlantic from Central and was head mining captain at the Atlantic mine for about 10 years. He resigned his position at the Atlantic about four years ago, and went to England, where he visited his old home in Camborne, and other parts. Three years ago he came to Calumet to enter the employ of the Calumet & Hecla. He started the shafts on the Osceola lode and was a tried and trusted official. His death is deeply regretted by a large circle of friends.
— Calumet News.