Rogers, Thomas

Webb City Missouri, Nov 22 an inquest over the bodies of the four miners who were killed in an accident at the Ben Franklin Mine yesterday morning at 11:30 o'clock, was held yesterday afternoon at the Webb City undertaking company's morgue by coroner R. M. James. The verdict was accidental death. The bodies of all four men were shipped away today for burial. Frank Jackson of 405 North Roane avenue, 28 years of age was born in Washington county Missouri He leaves a wife and one child, a daughter. The body was shipped to Sullivan Missouri, today and burial will be in the cemetery at that place tomorrow.

Patrick Brown, 618 South Centennial street, 30 years old, was born in Polk county Missouri He is survived by a wife and four young children. He was a member of the W. O. W. lodge No. 6. The body was sent to Lebanon Missouri, where the funeral will be held tomorrow.

Joseph Duty who was a boarder at 214 East Daugherty street, came here only about three months ago from Washington county, Missouri. He was born at Peoria Missouri, and was 22 years old and unmarried. The body will be shipped via the Missouri Pacific railroad at 7:30 this evening to Irondale Missouri, accompanied by a sister and brother-in-law. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Coffman. Burial will be at Irondale tomorrow.

Four Killed by a slab at the Ben Franklin Mine. Rock fell without warning, pinning three hard rock lead and zinc shovelers and a "dummy" beneath it. The four men were killed instantly by a slab of rock weighing several tons at the Ben Franklin Mine in the southeast part of Webb City Missouri at 11:30 o'clock yesterday morning.

The dead:

Frank Jackson, shoveler, 405 North Roane avenue, Webb City.

Thomas Rogers, shoveler, 918 North Allen street, Webb City.

Patrick Brown, shoveler, 415 North Tom street, Webb City.

Joseph Duty, dummy, 215 East Daughty street, Webb City. Note: Dummy - The man who assisted the machine man [or driller] in setting up the drill. The dummy did the hard jobs of carrying drill steel, setting up the drill, etc., the miners called these workmen dummies, because they considered them not smart enough to run a drill until they had more experience.

The men were between the ages of 22 and 35. Rogers and Duty were single men and had resided in Webb City but a short time.

The bodies of Rogers and Brown were crushed beyond recognition.

The bodies were taken to the morgue of the Webb City Missouri undertaking company.

Where the slab fell there are three connecting drifts, specified as the left, center and right drifts. A large slab, estimated at thirty feet long, eight feet wide and eight to twelve inches thick extended from the right drift through the center and to the edge of the left drift.

According to O. F. Hyatt of Joplin, ground foreman at the mine, a portion of the slab which was in the right draft was taken down several days ago, as it was considered dangerous, while the remainder of the slab was thought to be securely fastened between two pillars. It was not known at that time that the slab extended into the center drift.

Lucian Akers, machine man, who was up in the heading of the center drift had brought the ding bar from the machine man in the right drift, and Joseph Duty, "dummy" for the machine man in the right drift, was sent to where Akers was to secure it again. According to Akers, he had thrown the bar down to Duty and the latter, started away with it when the slab fell, catching him and three shovelers who were at work at the bottom of the stope in the center drift.

David Reeves, roof trimmer, testified at the inquest held yesterday afternoon by Coroner H. M. James in the chapel of the Webb City undertaking company that he had inspected the roof early yesterday morning and took down all loose stuff that he could find, but at that time the slab showed no signs of being loose.

Brown was 30 years old. He was a member of the Woodmen of the World lodge and is survived by a wife and four children. The body will be shipped today to Lebanon Missouri for burial.

Duty was 23 years old. He came to this district but a short time ago from Peoria Illinois. The body will be sent to Irondale Missouri for burial. A verdict of accidental death was give by Coroner James.