Lawrence Gianine

ON OCTOBER 30, 1909, a grim and singular tragedy occurred at the Montana Mine when Lawrence Gianine—also known in the records as Gianune or Jenuni—took his own life underground.

Gianine was regarded as a steady and reliable miner. In the early morning hours, before the mine was fully alive with activity, he entered the powder magazine and obtained a stick of dynamite. He ignited the fuse, and the resulting explosion was heard throughout the workings of the mine. When Gianine failed to appear afterward, fellow miners began a search. What they found confirmed their worst fears. The blast had caused catastrophic injuries, and Gianine was killed instantly.

The shocking nature of his death reverberated through Tonopah. Gianine was a member of both the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Western Federation of Miners, and was well known among the town’s mining community.

An investigation revealed that Gianine had left behind a note written in Italian and dated several weeks earlier. In it, he expressed despair over his circumstances, offered thanks to those who had treated him kindly, and left instructions concerning his affairs. The letter made clear that his act had been deliberate and contemplated, though the precise causes of his distress were never fully known.

Lawrence Gianine was buried on November 6, 1909. His funeral was attended by fellow miners and members of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, whose drum corps led the procession. He was laid to rest with the respect customarily afforded a working man of the camps—one more life claimed by the hard realities of Tonopah’s mining era.