Bennett, Jeff

Jeff Bennett, ground boss of the Emma Gordon Mine and John Reynolds, a machine man, were killed last night at 7:30 by an unexpected explosion. The men were preparing for a heavy shot and must have put off the squib shots and were reloading to break the ground. The supposition is that the heat from the squib shots exploded powder while the men were reloading the hole. John Reynolds' body was badly mutilated, he was killed instantly. Jeff Bennett was taken out of the mine and breathed once or twice. His body was shipped to Carterville Missouri where his family resides and Reynolds will be buried there.

The first accident which resulted fatally at the mines near town, occurred last Friday evening at the Emma Gordon Mine. The deaths of Ed Reynolds and the ground boss, Jeff Bennett was about seven o'clock. They were putting in a couple of shots before leaving the shaft and unaccountably one of the charges was discharged. One of the men was killed instantly while the other breathed twice when brought to the surface. Both of the bodies were badly mutilated, the body of Bennett being shipped to Carterville Missouri where his remains were buried Sunday. He leaves a wife and child who had not yet moved here. The family of Reynolds lives in East town and the funeral occurred Sunday, the remains being interred in the G.A.R. cemetery, Miami by the Woodmen. The cause of the premature explosion can only be explained by the men putting in the explosives before the drill hole had been properly cooled and that did not give them time to get to the surface before the blast went off.