E. WILSON JOHNSTON
Arizona Republican Newspaper
ROBERT BEVERIDGE
JOHN CARLSON
July 23, 1898, Arizona Republican

Jerome: Three dead men and one injured, E.W. Walter, is 
the result of a cave-in in the United Verde Mine this 
morning.  The accident occurred about 9 o'clock without 
a moment's warning.  The catastrophe is peculiar in that 
the casualties all occurred above ground.  The caved 
space is about two hundred feet square, directly under 
the company assay building and the end of the foundry 
and was caused by stopping up from the 500 foot level in 
a place known as the big stope.

The dead and injured men had just gone to work.  All were 
in the assay building, which was a substantial brick of 
two stories.  At the first warning of the cave in, Walter, 
who was near the door, rushed out, but was struck by a 
mass of falling brick and was badly bruised, but no bones 
broken.  Beveridge came next, but with Carlson and Johnston 
was buried in the debris and was crushed and smothered to 
death.

The body of Beveridge was unearthed in a few minutes.  
Next came the body of Carlson and nearly two hours later, 
Johnston was reached.  The doctor says all were killed 
outright although the workmen say they heard Johnston 
calling some time after the others had been removed but 
they could not reach him in time.  Johnston was the 
company's civil engineer and was about twenty seven and 
unmarried.  He was a cousin of W.A. Clark and has been 
employed over four years.  He came from Butte Montana and 
was very popular.  Beveridge, the company's assayer, was 
about forty.  He leaves a wife and six small children.  
He also came from Butte and had been employed three 
years.  Carson was a smelter roustabout and had just 
entered the assay building on an errand. He had been 
employed only a short time.  He was supposed to be 
single, thought nothing is known of him.