Originally published in the Pacific Coast Bulletin, January 11, 1923
If there’s any trio in the camp of Burnett any better known than the three shown above, the Bulletin would like to meet them. By way of introduction, in case there are some who don’t know them, we would have you meet, from left to right, Maude, Bill, and Tom.
W.J. “Bill” Cushing is the coal driver for the camp and the representative of Zone “F” in the Mine Council. He is also president of the Burnett Social Club and active in all activities of the camp.
Mr. Cushing came to Burnett last March and from the very first day declared that he liked the place better than any other spot be had ever run across. Mrs. Cushing shares this opinion with her husband, and Bob, the son, who is a timber packer in the mine, makes it unanimous.
Maude and Tom feel the same way about it, except that they make “Bill” Cushing the object of their affection.
Going on shift
With a long shift ahead of them the gang shown above could hardly be detained long enough to snap this picture, so anxious were they to get on the job. Aside from Ben Wagner’s marcel, which you can’t see in the picture, the most noticeable thing about this group is the absence of white collars, proof positive that they’re a hard working bunch of men. With Supt. J.J. Jones, they make things hum at the mine office at Black Diamond.
From left to right they are: Supt. J.J. Jones, Stanley Jackson, John E. Clarkin, Harry J. Scott, Francis C. Bergman, Ben J. Wagner.
Organizing for mine rescue and first aid work
Determined to have the best trained and equipped mine rescue and first aid teams in any of the mines of the Pacific Coast Coal Company, the Black Diamond Mine Rescue Team, with the co-operation of Supt. J.J. Jones, Mine Foreman Theo. Rouse, and the other supervisory officials, has mapped out a program looking toward the extension of its activities to cover every phase of mine rescue work.
As a preliminary to this end, each member of the mine rescue team has been appointed captain of a first aid team of five members, each team being assigned to a certain area or level in the mine.
With I.L. Clark as captain of the mine rescue team, the others in the organization are: Tom Edwards, Henry Becker, Larry W. Emery, Tom Steele, firebosses, and Ben Davis, night foreman. Capt. Clark will be in charge of the first aid team on the 11th level, day shift; Edwards on the 8th level, day shift; Becker, 9th level, day shift; Emery, 11th level, night shift; Steele, 9th level, night shift, and Davis night foreman, night shift.
All of the above mentioned men had experience in the recent Newcastle fire, with the exception of Night Foreman Ben Davis.
Henry Babb, mine carpenter at Black Diamond, left this week for Newcastle, where he will be engaged for the next month installing steam pipes in the Newcastle dry, putting in the piping in the new houses being constructed at that place, and otherwise making himself useful along the particular lines in which he is so proficient.
Burnett store robbers get long sentence
Apprehended last Friday morning, the three men who robbed the company store at Burnett on the night of January 2, were taken to Tacoma the same day by Deputy Sheriff Andy White of Wilkeson, L.E. Gamaunt of the Chevrolet agency at Burnett, and Store Manager George Mueller, where after a severe grilling the men confessed their crime and were sentenced the same day by the Superior Court of Pierce County to serve from three to fifteen years in the state penitentiary.
The two men, James Corda and S.D. Ansel of Carbonado, received this sentence, while the third member of the gang, Paul Chreska of Wilkeson, who claims to be under sixteen years of age, may be sentenced to the reformatory at Monroe until he is 21. Corda and Ansel were sent to Walla Walla last Saturday to begin their terms.
All of the loot obtained by the robbers was recovered. Valued at several hundred dollars, it included three revolvers and a quantity of ammunition, 15 black satin shirts, six suits of wool underwear, a ladies’ sewing set, flashlights, four sweaters, eight cartons of cigarettes, and numerous other articles. Entrance to the store was effected through a window on the second floor.
Ten ‘jobs’ planned
In their confession the men told how they had hidden themselves on the hillside back of the store where they had waited until the last person left the store, which was about half an hour before midnight, when Miss Margaret Ellis, pay mistress, locked up for the night. They had originally planned to hold up Miss Ellis, but at the last minute they lost their nerve.
This burglary was the first of ten “jobs” planned by Corda, Ansel, and Chreska, who in their confession admitted that they next planned to steal a car from the Chevrolet agency at Burnett in which to get out of the country with the loot.
Suspicion was first attached to the convicted men by Miss Clara Pedersen, a clerk in the store at Burnett, who remembered seeing the men in the store the day before the goods disappeared.
She reported their actions to the officials and at once Deputy Andy White and W.H. McCullough got on the trail of the suspects. They were found in Wilkeson, but when their room was searched the only thing which could be found was a box of cartridges. However, McCullough observed the cost mark above the price on the box, and checking up found that it corresponded with the cost marks used in the company store. That was the first clue.
Special credit is also due Deputies Jack McGilvray and J.L. Hill of Burnett and H.E. Wiseman of Carbonado for their able assistance and untiring efforts in bringing about the capture of the guilty persons. Store Manager Geo. Mueller worked unceasingly in running down the culprits, and he feels quite gratified at the speedy manner in which justice was meted the guilty parties.
Two Newcastle maids
One reason, or rather, we should say, two reasons, for Newcastle being such an attractive camp is shown in the picture herewith.
In case you don’t already know these winsome young ladies we’ll introduce them—Miss Alma and Miss Almira Bennett, but don’t ask us which is Alma and which Almira. They are the six-year-old twins of Mr. and Mrs. T.E. Bennett and very popular young ladies of the camp they are.
The one on the right, either Alma or Almira, was caught by the photographer in the act of prying loose an all-day sucker. Mr. Bennett, father of the twins is the efficient electrician at Newcastle Mine.
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