[Nd-talk] FW: Did you know a blind man worked as a miner?

[Milton Ota]

From: Peggy Chong [mailto:peggychong at earthlink.net] 
Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2017 12:38 PM
To: Chong Peggy <peggychong at earthlink.net>
Subject: Did you know a blind man worked as a miner?

 

Yes, a blind man worked as a miner for more than twenty years.  SHee his
obit below.

 

Peggy Chong

The Blind History Lady

 

  Obituary   

 

 

      The Anaconda Standard, 19 September 1914

      (Montana)

 

      THREE ARE DEAD IN MINE CAVEIN

       PROMINENT BUTTE MINERS MEET TRAGIC FATE IN SHAFT AT MAIDEN ROCK

       HARRY RODDA IS ONE

       William Bailey, pioneer of the district, another, and James Martin
the

       third-Young boys dig the victims out of the mass which falls upon

       them-Dog gives warning, but its actions not interpreted at first-All
had

       intended to return to city on the day of the accident.

        

       William Bailey, foreman of the Original mine up to four years ago,
and in 

      charge of a part of the Clark mining properties in Butte for many
years; 

      Henry Rodda, the well-known blind miner, and James Martin, a local
miner, 

      who made his home in Meaderville, met a frightful death Thursday at
Mr. 

      Rodda's mining claims near Maiden Rock in the extreme southern part of


      Silver Bow county on the Big Hole river.

       The three were working at the bottom of a shaft about 20 feet below a

       tunnel level that ran in at the side of the hill where the prospect
was

       located. A cavein from the tunnel into the shaft, or winze, probably

       caused by the recent rains, started and caught the men at the bottom.

       Tons of rock and earth fell upon the three men and smothered them to

       death without the slightest chance for them to escape.

       No living person saw the accident. A little black and white dog, 

      "Bernee," belonging to Harry Rodda, and his constant and devoted
follower, 

      was with the three men when the accident occurred. With an
intelligence 

      that seemed remarkable, the little dog ran back to the tent where the
men 

      had been camping. It was nearly a mile and a half from the mine and
was 

      next to the tent where a number of Butte boys were in camp.

 

      Dog's Vague Message

 

      The dog took a position in front of the entrance to the tent and began
to 

      howl. He kept this up, and when the boys noticed him he acted in a
frantic 

      manner, rushing off in the direction of the mine and then running back


      when the boys did not follow him.

       The boys remarked about the strange actions of the dog at the time
and

       thought there might be something wrong, but the idea of a cavein did
not

       occur to them then.

       Messrs. Bailey, Rodda and Martin had left for the mine at 8:30
o'clock in 

      the morning and it was about 11:30 when the dog returned with the
warning 

      which the little animal sought to convey.

       William Webb, George Rowe, Arthur Treverthan, Bert Haycock, William
Uren

       and E. Perryman, young men from Butte, were in the adjoining camp.
Webb

       was doing the cooking for the crowd. In the afternoon most of the
boys

       went off hunting into the hills. Webb, who had also been cooking for

       Bailey, Rodda and Martin, started to prepare dinner at 4 o'clock. At
4:30 

      dinner was ready, but the three miners did not come. The others ate
their 

      meal. They talked and wondered why the miners were not back. They
recalled 

      again the strange manner in which the dog had been acting.

 

      Dog's Actions Interpreted

 

      Finally Webb and Uren decided to go to the mine and see, and they
arranged 

      with the others that if there was anything wrong, they would fire a
shot 

      to call them.

       When the two reached the mine, they saw at once what had taken place
and

       fired the gun to call for help. The other boys hurried to the mine
and

       the six started in to dig down to the imprisoned men. They hoped to
find

       them still alive.

       Never in their lives did they work as hard as during the hours that

       followed. Darkness had come on, but they lighted a fire and kept
right at 

      it. In describing it Webb said:

       "The mine is on the side of a steep hill and we had to go straight
into a 

      place where the drift was choked by a former landslide. At that point
a 

      shaft had been sunk about 20 feet. There was a windlass at the head of
the 

      shaft and we worked with this and a big bucket removing the earth as
fast 

      as we could. We took out about six tons of earth and rock and I should


      judge when we came to the body of William Bailey it was about 11:30 

      o'clock at night.

       "We kept on working down, and about 1 o'clock in the morning found
the

       bodies of both Martin and Rodda. They were together when the fall of
rock 

      caught them."

       As soon as the last bodies were found two of the boys hurried to a
store

       conducted by Mr. Bennetts, near Maiden Rock, and telephoned to
Divide.

       From there a message was sent to Coroner Drew. It reached him about 3

       o'clock yesterday morning. He called up Sherman & Reed and sent the

       undertaker to take charge of the bodies and bring them to Butte.

 

      Prominent Among Miners

 

      William H. Bailey, aged 62 years, was prominent in Butte among mining
men. 

      He was a resident of the city for 30 years and was recalled yesterday
by 

      early residents of Walkerville, where he first worked when he came to
the 

      big camp. From Walkerville he went to the West Stewart, rising to the 

      position of foreman. He was next connected with the Original, first as


      shaft boss, and until four years ago was foreman of the property. He
was 

      long identified in Butte with the Clark interests. He was shift boss
at 

      the Original for 18 years.

       He, with Harry Rodda, was interested in the claim at Maiden Rock,
which

       they were working when they met their death. James Martin had gone
there

       for a visit, about two weeks ago, and was also to share in the
profits if 

      a lead were discovered. All were to return to Butte last evening for a


      visit with their families and friends.

       Mr. Bailey is survived by his wife, who with an adopted daughter,
Miss

       Helen Bailey, lives at 621 North Main street; two sisters, Mrs. Louis

       Reeves Jones, and Mrs. Emily Keast of England; two nieces, Miss Mamie

       Burt, former county superintendent of schools; her sister, Miss Anna

       Burt, and two nephews, William and Joseph Burt of Butte. Mr. Bailey
was a 

      member of the Odd Fellows, Elks and Knights of Pythias lodges of
Butte.

 

      Harry Rodda

 

      Harry Rodda, known to all Butte as the blind miner and for years 

      proprietor of a candy and popcorn stand on West Park street, who was 

      killed while working with his partners in the prospect near Maiden
Rock, 

      was 57 years of age, a native of Cornwall, England. He came to Montana
the 

      first time 36 years ago and located in Marysville when that was one of
the 

      big camps of the state. On his return to England, where he spent three


      years, he married Miss Carrie Bennett, who is among those who survive
him.

       On his return he came to Montana again and made his home near Maiden

       Rock, at the lime quarry. It was at this place, Oct. 28, 1890, that
he

       lost his sight as a result of a premature blast in the quarry.
Despite

       this loss of his sight, he continued to work in the quarry until
1906,

       when the family moved to Butte to make their home. Shortly after his

       arrival in Butte, Mr. Rodda suffered a shock from the death of his
son

       William, which was greater to him than the loss of his sight.

       Before he lost his sight, Mr. Rodda's ability as a musician was

       recognized and he was a member of the old Alice band. After losing
his

       sight he gave up the study, but not his delight in music.

       He was a member of the Loyal Order of Moose and was prominent in the

       doings at the miners' picnics. He, with another blind man, often

       participated in drilling contests at these affairs and he took a keen

       interest in the miners' outings.

       Mr. Rodda is survived by his wife, three daughters, Mrs. Thomas
Blythe,

       636 Colorado street; Mrs. Owen Bennett of Colorado Springs and Miss
Vera

       Rodda; two grandchildren, Carrie and Harry Blythe, and scores of
nephews, 

      nieces and cousins. He also leaves three sisters in England. His two 

      brothers were residents of Butte until their death several years ago.

 

      James Martin

 

      James Martin, who was one of the three men who lost their lives in the


      cavein at the prospect, was 36 years old and well-known in Butte. He
lived 

      at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Uren, 85 Main street, Meaderville,
and 

      worked on the east side of the hill. He was employed at the Elk shaft 

      until it was shut down a few weeks ago, and from there was taken to
Maiden 

      Rock by Mr. Rodda with the promise that he would share in the profits
if 

      the prospect turned out well.

       Although he leaves no relatives in this country, he will be
remembered by 

      many members of the Sons of St. George, Victoria lodge and many
residents 

      of Meaderville.

       He was born at St. Just, Cornwall, where he leaves his mother, four

       brothers and three sisters. He came to this country 10 years ago,
first

       going to Nevada, where he worked silver mines, and came to Butte four

       years ago.

 

      Coroner Drew went to the scene of the accident and investigated it. He


      will hold an inquest at 2:30 o'clock Monday afternoon.

       D. J. McGrath, deputy state mining inspector, interviewed all the

       witnesses who were on the scene when the bodies were recovered to

       determine if possible the cause of the accident.

       The funeral arrangements have not been completed. They are pending
the

       arrival in Butte of Mrs. Owen Bennet, daughter of Mr. Rodda, who is
on a

       trip to Colorado Springs. It is possible, if she arrives in time, a

       triple funeral will be held Sunday afternoon.

 

      Contributed by Bob Bolitho

 

 

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