Thompson, Carl

Picher Oklahoma, April 5, 1927 Carl Thompson, 40 years old, of Joplin Missouri, met death at Picher about 4 o'clock this morning when he was buried by a chat slide at the Dorothy Bill Mine No. 2 in the west part of Picher. Thompson operated a line drag at the chat pile of the mine. Other workmen on the night shift became suspicious that something was wrong then they failed to see Thompson for about half an hour and immediately began a search. They discovered that a chat slide had occurred and after two hours digging they succeeded in recovering Thompson's body. Thompson was married and had several children. Little is known here regarding relatives. The body is at the morgue of the Todd undertaking company, of Picher. Burial Mount Hope Cemetery, Webb City Missouri .

During the last few months there have been five fatalities from slides at tailing piles, men being buried under many tons of the loose material. Such accidents will increase unless steps are taken to prevent them, and they can easily be prevented. Since the equipment of many plants re-treat tailings, it is common practice to install drag lines and scrapers to carry the tailings to the plant, cuts being made in the side of the tailing piles, and as the work progresses there is left an almost perpendicular wall of the loose material, sometimes more than 50 feet high, that will slide with the least disturbance, burying everything in its path. The workman who goes under one of these walls of tailings to adjust the equipment, or for any cause is flirting with death. Children playing around these tailing piles, as they often do, are in imminent danger. Moving the drag line more frequently so as to cut off the top of the pile, and not leave the high walls, would be one remedy. Attention is called to the tailing pile at the New Chicago Mine No. 4 plant. The plant is mentioned simply because it is located near the concrete highway at Picher Oklahoma, where it comes under the observation of thousands of passers-by daily. There are many other tailing piles where the hazard is equally as great. At the plant mentioned there is an almost perpendicular wall of tailings fully 50 feet high. A workman or other person going near that wall is taking a chance as great or greater than going into the most dangerous mine in the district. Because such hazards are on the surface, where they can be plainly seen, they are passed by lightly. Steps should be taken immediately to remove such hazards.