Meier, William

The very unusual accident at the Lucky Jew Mine of the Eagle Picher Lead Company Friday, costing the life of one mine and seriously injuring nine others, may herald the existence of a new menace to the life and limb of miners in certain parts of the district unless great care is exercised to prevent a recurrence of such accidents. From the most reliable information that can be obtained the accident at the Lucky Jew Mine was caused by an explosion of natural gas which had accumulated in a cave or watercourse. In various parts of the district such caves and water courses are literally lined with great deposits of rich lead and zinc ores and when discovered it is very natural for the men employed in the mines to want to explore them. For these caves to be filled with gas is the unusual thing, but there are in the district places where the death traps may be encountered. In this territory it has not been unusual in drilling prospect holes to encounter gas pockets that would ignite and product minor explosions at the top of the drill casing.

These occurrences clearly indicate the presence of quantities of natural gas which if encountered in mining operations would almost surely result in serious accidents similar to that which occurred at the Lucky Jew Mine, and great care should be exercised when a cave or water course is encountered. No miner should be allowed to enter such openings until it is known beyond a doubt that there is no gas present. This can be determined by the use of what is known as miners' safety lamps. These lamps are provided with a screen over the flame which will prevent any gas that is present from being ignited and the presence of gas will extinguish the light.

A gas pocket was encountered at the Lucky Jew Mine a few years ago, but without the serious result that followed the accident Friday. A short distance north from the Lucky Jew Mine, a hole was drilled several years ago that produced enough gas to burn at the top of the casing when confined with an improvised burner made of a tin can placed over the top of the casing with a small hole made in the bottom of the can. On the Karcher land, north from the Underwriters Land Company's new mines on the Stebbins land, several drill holes have shown the presence of small quantities of natural gas. Still further west quite a number of drill holes have penetrated small pockets filled with gas. Small quantities of both oil and gas have been encountered in drill holes in what is known at the northwest "wild cat" territory. These occurrences all prove that this is quite a territory in the proximity of the Lucky Jew Mine and Underwriters Mine where there is considerable seepage of natural gas from the shallow oil and gas fields of southeast Kansas, and should any considerable quantity of this gas be confined in a cave or water course it may deal out death and destruction at any time it comes into contact with an open flame from a miner's lamp.

R. V. Ageton, safety engineer for the Tri-State Zinc and Lead Ore Producers association, and O. N. Wampler, safety engineer for the Eagle Picher Lead Company, went to Pittsburg yesterday to secure a number of the safety lamps used in the coal mines. These should be kept ready for use at all mines where there is any likelihood of the presence of gas, and miners should not let their curiosity to explore new caves and water courses lead them into possible danger.

Picher Oklahoma, Nov. 27--One miner was fatally injured, three were seriously hurt and six others painfully cut, bruised and burned when natural gas exploded in a natural cave in the Lucky Jew Mine of the Eagle Picher Lead Company, two miles north of Picher, about 3 pm this afternoon. The dead man is William Meier, about 20 years old, of Verona Missouri, who received a fractured skull, burns and lacerations. He died at Picher hospital at 7 pm tonight.

List of Injured:

• Vernie McFreer, who has a possible fracture of the skull; seriously injured.
• Charles Beck, possible fracture of the skull; seriously hurt.
• Robert King, possible fracture of the skull; seriously hurt.
• C. H. Buxton, cuts, bruises and burns.
• C. W. Powers, cuts, bruises and burns.
• Raymond Riggs, cuts, bruises, and burns.
• F. J. Berkley, cuts, bruises and burns.
• V. H. Cunningham, cuts, bruises, and burns.
• Ora Williams, cuts, bruises and burns.

All the injured were in Picher hospital tonight, except Cunningham and Williams, whose injuries are less serious and who were permitted to go to their homes.

Details of the manner in which the explosion occurred were not available tonight, but it was understood the gas ignited from lamps worn by the miners, who had gone into the cave to explore it. The explosion was terrific and loosened a volume of debris. The avalanche of dirt, however, was not large enough to bury any of the miners and it did not block the passage. The hard rock lead and zinc cave had been opened during the morning and about 8 o'clock the miners, who were machine men and helpers, shovelers and bruno men, went into the opening, one of moderate size, to investigate conditions. All of the men were in the cave when the explosion came. Mine officials had not learned tonight whether the men lighted their lamps after reaching the interior of the new opening or why the explosion did not occur until after the entire crew had reached the inside.

Meier and two or three of the others were knocked unconscious by the explosion. The men were rushed to Picher hospital in an ambulance of the Todd undertaking company, of Picher, where they were attended by Dr. Cootle, Dr. Russell and Dr. Ralston. Meier was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Meier of Verona. Meier is employed in a Picher mine. He is survived also by a brother, Vernie Meier, of Verona.

Picher Oklahoma, Nov. 28, 1925.--The nine miners who were injured late Friday in an explosion of gas in a cave at the Lucky Jew Mine, north of here, in which William Meier, 20 years old, was killed, are recovering. Three of the men were injured seriously and six others suffered painful cuts, bruises and burns. Meier, whose home was at Verona Missouri, died at a Picher hospital about three hours after the accident. He was unmarried.

The injured men are: Charles Beck, C. H. Buxton, Raymond Riggs, Robert King, V. H. Cunningham and Ora Williams, all of Picher; Vernie McTeer of Baxter Springs Kansas; T. J. Berkley and E. W. Powers of Treece Kansas, McTeer, Beck and King are the most seriously injured. Cunningham and Williams were able to leave the hospital after they had received medical attention. The other seven are at the Picher hospital, Picher Oklahoma. Surgeons declare all will recover.

The cave where the accident occurred had been drilled into earlier Friday and all of the men working in the drift had stopped their work to inspect the cave, which dazzled them with apparent richness. The party of ten had gone only a short distance when the explosion occurred. Ambulances of the Todd undertaking company, of Picher were summoned and conveyed the injured miners to the Picher hospital, Picher Oklahoma.

Meier was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Meier of Verona. He is also survived by one brother, Vernie Meier of Verona. The father works in the mines at Picher. The body of the dead youth will be taken to Verona today. Funeral services will be held at the family home at 2 Monday afternoon and burial will be in the Verona cemetery. The Lucky Jew Mine is owned by the Eagle-Picher Lead Company.

Picher Oklahoma, Dec. 1.--The funeral of William Meier, 20 years old, who died at a local hospital Friday night of injuries received at the Lucky Jew Mine several hours earlier, was held at Verona Missouri, at 2 yesterday afternoon. Burial was in the Verona cemetery under the direction of the Todd undertaking company, of Picher.