McBee, Hubert

Picher Oklahoma, May 11.---Hubert McBee, 3 years old, son of Mr. and Mrs. John McBee, 117 Picher street, Picher, was drowned about 7 Thursday night, May 10, 1923, in a flotation settling tank at the Eagle-Picher Netta Mill, near First and Main streets, Picher. The child was last seen alive by Merle Coffey and Charley Coffey, boys 10 to 12 years old, who reside next to the McBee home at 115 Picher street. Merle Coffey told Mrs. McBee that Hubert followed them to the tanks and was last seen sitting on a trough near the flotation sludge tank about 6:30 last night. A search was started by neighbors and at 7:40 the child's body was located in the east tank by Dan Daugherty and C. H. Todd. A hook was obtained from the fire truck and the body of the child was taken from the water and removed to the Picher hospital at Picher, in an ambulance of the Todd undertaking company, of Picher. Dr. T. J. Dodson made an examination and declared that the child had been dead for several minutes. The body was then removed to the Todd mortuary. The tank where the boy lost his life is a round device with concrete walls about 7 feet high used for settling sludge from the flotation department of the mill. The receptacle contained about four feet of water, covered with a froth which made it impossible to see the body.

Hubert was one of a pair of twins. The other twin died in infancy. He is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John McBee, and his sister, Imogene McBee, 7 years old. The body was taken to Granby Missouri, today where the funeral will be conducted from the McBee home at that place at 2:30 Sunday afternoon.