While traveling down historic highway 49 through Jackson you cannot miss the rusty remnants of the old Kennedy mine off in the distance. It is also impossible to ignore the towering shell of what is left of the Argonaut mine on the side of the hill as you drive down into Jackson as well. Both mines share some pretty interesting and also tragic history. Here is just some of the history I have dug up over the years about these two amazing historic landmarks in Amador County. Enjoy!
ARGONAUT MINE
Discovery
The Argonaut Mine, which was originally known as the Pioneer
Mine, was discovered around 1850, by James Hager and William Tudor, who
according to the 1860 Census show were freed slaves living among the Chinese in
Township 1, Amador County. At some point
around 1857, the property was acquired by George Stasal, Frank Hoffman, Peter
Laubersima, William Slaughter, Charles Weller, Otto Walter and Louis Mentzlen
to form the Pioneer Mining Company. It would later become The Argonaut Mining
Company in 1893.
Infamous Robbery
December 1st, 1921--- According to the Sacramento
Union newspaper, at approximately 1:30 a.m. the Argonaut Mining Company was
robbed after bandits overpowered the two night watchmen, James Podesto and
Reese Williams, blew the company safe and escaped with nearly $100,000 ($50,000
of which was in gold). The robbers wore red bandana hankerchiefs over their
faces and carried pistols and shot guns.
“The mill safe then
was wheeled to the convenient point and the bandits leisurely drilled a hole in
the door, filled it with nitro-glycerin and blew it open. After removing all
the gold inside they escaped in a waiting automobile…..Upon investigation it
was found that the bandits had cut the telephone lines leading directly into
the mill….The wheel tracks of a large car were plainly visible in the road to
Ione, 12 miles distant. Rain began falling early, however, and when the posse
reached that point it was forced to turn back.
Sheriff Lucot stated the robbery evidently had been planned by someone
familiar with the methods employed by the company.”
It was believed that it was an inside job, and involved
possibly eight men who worked at or were familiar with the mine. Two men were
eventually arrested and at least one of men, Hiram Baker, was acquitted of the
crime. At that point Argonaut
Consolidated Mining Company was owned by John T. Smith of New York, who was President,
along with co-owners E. A. Stent of S.F.
and John Raggio of Stockton.
Mine Disaster
On August 27, 1922, the worst mine disaster in California
history took place, when a toxic mix of gas and fumes caused a fatal fire 4,650
feet deep, trapping the miners below. There had been rumors that the fire could
have been started by arson, from a rival employee at the Kennedy Mine, but
there has never been any proof to substantiate the claim. The fire lasted for 2 days, and rescue
efforts lasted for weeks. All but one of the miner’s bodies were recovered and
they were buried at the Jackson Cemetery. The 47th miner was not
found until over a year later, when the mine shaft was being flushed out, the
remains were accidentally discovered. It was the body of the man who wrote the
message on the wall “3 o’clock, gas getting strong, Fessel.” The man was Edward
William Fessel, and he was finally buried next to the other fallen miners. The
fatalities of this disaster were Amador County residents, of Italian, Serbian
and Spanish ancestry.
It was surveying work done years prior by Kennedy Mining
Engineer, Walter Ephraim Downs that directed the rescuers to dig through to the
Argonaut mine shaft in an attempt to rescue the trapped miners in 1922. Although the effort was futile, his work
gained national attention for giving the rescuers a fighting chance to reach
the Argonaut shafts. On another note, Mr. Downs was the son of Robert Carleton
Downs’ the superintendent of the Union Mine (later Lincoln Mine) in Sutter
Creek and owner of the Hanford & Down’s stores which were located in Sutter
Creek, Jackson and Volcano. Walter
Ephraim Downs’ brother, Fred, was the one who tragically drowned in the Preston
Reservoir in Ione, in 1902.
Wife of Argonaut Mine Disaster Victim Attempts Suicide
Allegedly the widow of miner Charles Fitzgerald, attempted to take her own life on September 18, 1922, when she swallowed poison. Amador County Physician, Edwin Eugene Endicott came to her aid and successfully saved her life. Interestingly though, it wasn't his wife that attempted suicide, but instead it was his mistress who did so after learning that her beloved had perished in the disaster. Learn more about the details of this story in Episode 3 of my Season 2 podcast on the subject.
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| Sac Union, 9/19/1922 |
Deaths At the Argonaut Mine
Besides the 47 miners who were tragically killed in the Argonaut in the Summer of 1922, there have been many others who met their demise at this infamous mine. To date, I have found the stories of Raphael Giannini, Frank Goss, Claude Smith, Guiseppi Isarti and John Mitchell who all died in the mine at different times over the years of operation. I can guarantee you there are more that I haven't found, yet.....
CHARLES FRANK GOSS
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| Amador Dispatch, 5/20/1904 |
GUISSEPI ISARTI
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Amador Dispatch, 6/16/1916
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JOHN MITCHELL
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| Amador Dispatch, 3/1/1918 |
CLAUDE SMITH
Another Tragic Death – “The ill-fated Argonaut Mine, scene in 1922 of the disaster in which 47 men were killed, today claimed the life of another. Claude Smith, 22, was instantly killed when a dynamite cap he had set blew up prematurely because of a defective fuse. A companion, Harvey Jones, was badly injured.” – Healdsburg Tribune, March 17, 1930.
To learn more about that tragic death at the Argonaut Mine, Please click here to read:
RAPHAEL GIANNINI
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| Amador Dispatch, 5/19/1932 |
KENNEDY MINE
According to Amador County history, the Kennedy Mine started
in January of 1860, when Andrew Kennedy filed a mining claim along with four
other men who were associated with the Oneida mine, to the north. Kennedy had
dug a prospecting shaft approximately 100 feet deep, using a bucket attached to
a winch. Within a year or so, Kennedy sold his interest in the mine for $5,000,
due to the fact it wasn’t doing very well.
By 1869, the mine was sold to eleven businessman from Jackson in the
amount of one dollar. The men formed the Kennedy Mining Company.
“So named from its
discoverer was developed by John Fullen, James Fleming and James Bergon,
working the rock at the Oneida Mine. In 1871, it was taken by a joint-stock
company, the Richlings being large owners. The mine has hardly been a success,
and in 1880 it was closed down. The vein is close to the foot-wall and has
pitched rapidly to the east, following a pitch of nearly forty-five degrees,
which is considered very flat. It is believed that it will eventually join a
vein about six hundred feet to the east, called the “volunteer.” The lode does
not follow the rift of the slate and consequently is not a true fissure vein.”
– Page 149 “History of Amador County” by Jesse Mason
July 1872- In a record 9 days, the Kennedy Mine made nine
thousand dollars (equivalent to about $170,000 today). The mine made over
$300,000 between 1870 and 1878.
“September 18, 1874 –
Boarding House at the Kennedy Mine was destroyed by fire.” –History of
Amador County, 1881.
The mine was sold in 1886, for $97,500 to bay area
investors, and the company changed its name to “Kennedy Mining and Milling
Company.” The mine operated until 1942, when all mines were closed by the U.S.
Government to support the war effort. At that time, the Kennedy Mine was listed
as the deepest gold mine in all of North America, with a vertical distance
measured at 5,912 feet, and 50 miles of underground excavations. In 1961, Sybil
Arata purchased the property to live out her retirement. She resided in the
Manager’s Residence “Bunkhouse” for the rest of her life. Her final wishes for her property were to
keep the area open for wildlife to roam, and for the mine to be preserved for
historical posterity.
An interesting tidbit -- In 1904, an escaped ward, Dan
Gillette, from the Preston School of Industry made his way up to the Kennedy
Mine property and tried to fit in with the employees there at the new boarding
house. He managed to get himself a free meal and hide out for a while, and just
as he was going to head down into the mine along with the other miners,
Constable Kelly from Ione, who was hot on his trail, arrested him.
Deaths at the Kennedy
Mine
Obviously this is not a list of every man who died at the Kennedy Mine, but here is a list of the few stories I have been able to dig out of the archived newspapers of the time period. So far I have found a total of 41 deaths, and counting. Obviously, I am saving some of the stories to publish at a later time, and on other blogs but here are just a few of the deaths I have uncovered during my research:
On March 15, 1902, miner David De Ricci made a misstep,
falling backward down into the east shaft 2,600 feet. “In his descent, his arms, legs, the back portion of his head and every
vestige of clothes were torn from his body.”—
May 26, 1902 -- "A
miner named Francisco Giovanoni [SIC] lost his life at the Kennedy Mine shortly after
midnight on the night of May 26. The fatality was purely accidental. It
occurred at the 2300 foot level of the north shaft. There were from fifteen to
twenty men around there at the time. A plank 18 inches wide was in position for
the men to walk to and from the shaft, and below this was a chasm thirty feet
deep, made by the excavation of ore. Deceased was in the act of carrying the
lunch bucket to the station when he was seen to make the fatal step off the
planking, and fell to the bottom of the chute.”—Amador Ledger, May 30, 1902.
June 12, 1902 - 30 year old Walter Williams was instantly
killed when about 200 feet from the top of the shaft, his body came in contact
with a shaft timber. He was caught on it and dragged out of the skip. His head
and body were crushed between the skip and timbers. His companions C. Parker
and B. Allison could not explain how the accident happened because the shaft
was so dark. Williams had only worked at the mine three weeks and was new to
the area. No one knew where he came from and he had no family to contact. All
that was known was that he was a member of the Knights of the Pythias and was
living with Henry Osborne at Kennedy Flat.
March 6, 1905 – Edward
Hallam was killed at the Kennedy Mine today. He was descending a shaft from the
2400 foot level when a skip came down in another compartment. It is believed he
got scared and let go his hold. He fell, breaking his neck.” – Los Angeles
Herald, March 7, 1905
December 7, 1909, Italian immigrant Luigi Reviera was
crushed to death by several tons of rock falling on him while working at the
3,150 level of the mine with Fred Hicks. Engaged in placing a butt cap in the
hanging wall above the tunnel timbers, the rocks gave way and a huge slab came
down on him, killing him instantly.
February 27, 1911- James Baldwin was crushed to death while
working at the 3400 level of the mine.
Baldwin and his co-workers were told to be careful working in the area
that had been blasted earlier. While cleaning out the loose dirt a large mass
of rock fell from above, crushing him.
Baldwin’s helper claimed he could hear Baldwin hollering that he was
stuck, but given the massive amount of rock and dirt that covered him, the
coroner felt death was almost instantaneous.
November 17, 1913 – Miners, Maksim Rupar and Jako
Acimovich died from a premature explosion while in the mine shaft.
On December 20, 1915, the timber boss William Harvey and A. Targo both met their death when they fell down the main shaft of the mine, a
total of 3,900 feet. According to the
newspaper accounts, Harvey had been working in compartment 37 since 8 o’clock
in the morning. As he was descending a ladder at the entrance of the shaft he
became dizzy and slipped, falling. As his body was going down the shaft, just
below was A. Targo, who was standing on the edge of the shaft. Harvey’s body
smacked Targo’s knocking him off the edge and down the shaft with Harvey. Both
died and their bodies were “badly mangled.”
June 12, 1916 - Mike Vijovich also died after falling 300 feet down a shaft. After straightening a mine can that had fallen on its side, he lost his footing and slipped.
February 13, 1932 - Peter Garcia, Liberato Mendes & Sam Martinez perished after a terrible explosion at the Kennedy Mine. After setting up over 40 holes with dynamite with too short of fuses for each, not allowing themselves ample time to light the fuses and leave the area to safety, the three men went on to light each fuse one by one, and by the time they lit the last fuse, the first one went off setting off a domino effect of explosions and ultimately killing them. The three were buried by the explosion with Garcia and Martinez dying immediately. Mendes was rescued but later died of his injuries.
You can find some of the men
mentioned above in the Jackson City Cemetery, St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cemetery or the Catholic Cemetery in Jackson.
Some of my sources
History of
Amador County, - Jesse Mason, 1881.
History of
Amador County, - Federation of Amador County Women’s Clubs, April 1927
Los Angeles
Herald, March 16, 1902
Amador
Ledger, May 30, 1902
Amador
Ledger, June 13, 1902
Los Angeles
Herald, March 7, 1905
Amador
Ledger, December 10, 1909
Amador
Ledger, March 3, 1911
Sacramento
Union, May 2, 1914
Press
Democrat, December 21, 1915
Sacramento
Union, June 14, 1916
Sacramento
Union, September 19, 1922
Sacramento
Union, December 2, 1921
Los Angeles
Herald, December 7, 1921
Sacramento
Union, December 9, 1921
Sacramento
Union, April 20, 1922
Sacramento
Union, May 13, 1922
Sacramento
Union, August 29, 1922
Sacramento
Union, September 19, 1922
Healdsburg Tribune,
March 17, 1930
Amador
Ledger, April 22, 1904
Amador
Ledger, April 29, 1904
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