Sam Beck
April 9, 1902
Arizona Republican Newspaper

A skip in an 800 foot incline in Burson's Homestake 
Mine caught half way down and the cable continued to 
unwind.  The skip then fell several hundred feet, 
killing Sam Beck and fatally injuring a man named 
Anderson working on the pump at the bottom.  It 
also destroyed the gallows frame.


Sam Beck's Death
April 12, 1902

The body of Sam Beck who was killed in Burson's Mine 
near Wickenburg on the 7th was taken to Prescott where 
interment was made in the I.O.O.F. cemetery.  Mr. Beck 
was 44 years old and a very popular man.  His only 
relative in this country is Wash Beck who is a miner 
at Pickerell's camp in Yavapai County.  Sam Beck was 
at one time forman of the Jersey Lily Mine and accepted
 the formanship of Mr. Burson's Mine about ten days 
before he was killed.

The particulars of the accident as published in the 
Prescott Courier are as follows:  About 6 p.m. April 7, 
Beck and his asistants had removed a broken pump from the 
400 foot level and had made place for a new pumps, which 
was being lowered in a car that went down to the 400 
foot level.  Al Anderson was helping Beck; a lock chain 
and block was placed on the pump to unload it.  Beck 
rang for the engineer above to let out cable to lower 
the car to clear it from the pump, when he intended 
to put timbers under it and slide it to the floor: 
Beck kept repeating the signal to lower the car and 
the car failed to move.  Beck jumped under the 
platform to see what was the matter and called to 
Anderson to look at the car.  Anderson looked up 
and called to Beck that the track above was full of 
slack cable.  Beck called to Anderson to shake the 
car when the 800 pound iron car started and fell 35 
feet breaking the timbers of the gallows frame above.  
Anderson was found jammed up against the timbers in an
almost unconscious condition while the dead body of 
Beck was found near the car.  It is suposed that the 
slack cable struck Beck and knocked him off his 
balance so that he fell with the car.  The cold air 
had been shut off from the lower levels and the air 
was scalding hot where Beck fell.