Hussey, John

Foul air in a new shaft of the Kansas Exploration Company, a mile west of Waco Missouri, cost three men their lives at 5:15 yesterday afternoon. The men, Dewey Beck, 27 years old, of Joplin Missouri; Fred Spencer and John Hussey, both of Carl Junction Missouri, were installing an air flume in the shaft to blow out the foul air when the accident occurred. The flume had been attached to an electric blower and dropped into the shaft, but the end fell into the water causing it to be ineffective. The three men killed were stationed at a pump seat about twenty feet from the bottom of the shaft and Spencer, a machine man, got into the can to go to the bottom and lift the end of the flume from the water.

His companions noticed him collapse in the tub and signaled to the hoisterman to raise it to a level with the pump seat. This was done, and while Hussey, Beck and C. Hollingsworth, who also was in the pump seat, were endeavoring to remove the body from the tub, it slipped and fell to the bottom of the shaft. Hussey, a shoveler, then stepped into the tub and was lowered to the bottom in an effort to rescue Spencer, who was a large man and weighed about 230 pounds. Hussey also was overcome and fell from the tub. It was then that Beck, Spencer's helper, had the tub raised to the pump seat and had himself lowered to the bottom. He too was overcome by the foul air and fell from the tub.

Hollingsworth, who resides at Carl Junction, ordered the can again drawn to the pump seat with a view of attempting to rescue his companions, but Carl Weathers of Oronogo, who was stationed at another pump seat, about forty-five feet from the bottom of the shaft, signaled the hoisterman not to let him make the attempt. The two then were pulled to the top of the shaft and John Mayes of Miami, ground foreman, who left the shaft about 9 to go to his supper, was notified.

After first stationing men at the lower pump seat, Mayes was lowered to the bottom of the shaft to remove the bodies, which were in about two feet of water. He tied himself to the tub and had it lowered to the bottom where he tied a rope to Spencer's body, and allowing it to dangle below the tub, had it raised to where the men could pull it into the pump seat. The can was then lowered and the body placed in it and taken to the top of the shaft.

Against the urging of his companions, Mayes repeated the feat twice more in rescuing the bodies of Beck and Hussey. Mayes' carbide light was extinguished by the foul air at the bottom of the shaft and the gas caused him to become ill. He continued the rescue work, however, after cutting the flume with his knife and laying it across his shoulder to give him fresh air.

Ross Blake, 114 Byers avenue, general superintendent for the mining company, said last night that foul air was encountered in the lease yesterday morning, but seemed to have cleared out by noon. The shaft was 330 feet deep. While no analysis of the gas had been made, he surmised that it was carbon monoxide gas that caused the death of the three men.

Since the accident occurred in Kansas, Coroner J. W. James of Columbus Kansas and James Sherwood of Pittsburg Kansas, state mine inspector for Kansas, were notified. The coroner investigated the accident last night at the mine and viewed the bodies at the morgue of the Hurlbut undertaking company, where they were brought following the accident. He said that he would confer with the mine inspector this morning to determine whether an inquest should be held.

Beck is survived by his wife, Mrs. Nora Beck; two children Beverly June Beck and Dewey Raymond Beck, all at home; his mother, Mrs. Katherine McCoy, 820 Picher avenue, Picher Oklahoma; a brother Lawrence Beck, residing in Oklahoma, and two sisters, Mrs. Harley Garner of Commerce Oklahoma, and Mrs. Gertie Snow of Neosho Missouri.

Spencer is survived by a wife and Hussey leaves a wife and five children.

No funeral arrangements have been made, pending the outcome of the corner's investigation.