Whittaker, Albert

Hockerville Oklahoma, Oct. 25 The fifth mine fatality in the vicinity of Hockerville during October occurred at 10 o'clock this morning when Albert Whittaker, 42 year old shoveler at the Blue Ribbon Mine, was crushed and almost instantly killed by a shower of boulders falling from the roof of the drift in which he was working. The first stone to strike Whittaker broke his leg and knocked him down, according to other miners, and rock falling after he was down, crushed him to death.

Whittaker lived at Hockerville and leaves a wife and four children. His body is at the Todd undertaking company, of Picher Oklahoma, pending funeral arrangements.

Following the accident, Riley Clark, district mine inspector, conducted an investigation at the mine and later announced that a coroner's inquest would be held at 10 o'clock Friday morning before J. W. Robinson, justice of the peace at Hockerville. Clark said he had his own personal idea of how the accident happened, but believed six men of a coroner's jury should be given the opportunity to make their own decision.

Hockerville Oklahoma, Oct 26 A decision of "death from falling rock," not specifying responsibility for the accident, was the unanimous report of the coroner's jury called here today to investigate the death of Albert Whittaker, 42, who was crushed to death by a falling boulder, in the Blue Ribbon Mine yesterday. Riley Clark, district mine inspector, and A. L. Commons, county attorney, both questioned the eight employees of the mine who testified. James Hopper, roof trimmer, gave the most detailed account of Whittaker's death, and gave testimony indicating that the dead man either went into the fatal draft against orders or else failed to hear the order to stay out until the roof trimmings was completed. Hopper stated that he had gone into the drift about an hour after beginning work that morning and ordered the shovelers to get out and that they had complied. He then worked around and on the boulder that killed Whittaker, he said. Hopper related how his light had gone out and he had gone to a barrel for water and upon coming back to the drift had warned the men again not to enter the drift. He had started to knock down a little "loose stuff" in the opposite side of the drift, according to his testimony, when he heard a shower of small stones fall and turned around to see Whittaker had been showered with dirt and rock and covered up to the knees. Hopper stated that he shouted to Whittaker to leave and that immediately afterward Whittaker fell over on the ground. The fatal boulder then crashed down, passed Whittaker on its way down, but rolled back again on his head and chest, then rolled off of him again, Hopper said. The boulder would make about two cars full of rock and had fallen from a point 20 feet up on the wall, he added. The roof of the dirt was 60 feet high, he said.

Other witnesses were Wiley Raker, shoveler; Earl Killion, shoveler; Ed Loomis, Tom Loomis, ground boss, R. Loomis, machine man, and Sam Whitman and George Whitman, brothers of the dead man, who testified he was partially deaf. All of the witnesses who were in the drift with Whittaker before the accident testified that Hopper had warned them out while the roof was being trimmed. The coroner's jury was composed of William Emmet, J. B. Robinson, Evert Robertson, N. B. Phillipps, John Pane, and William Belt all of Hockerville. The hearing was held before J. W. Robinson, justice of the peace of Hockerville Oklahoma.

Funeral services for Mr. Whittaker will be held at the Baptist church of Granby Missouri at 2 pm Sunday. The body will be removed from the Todd undertaking parlor at Picher Oklahoma late this afternoon to the family home, where it will remain until 12 noon Sunday. Besides his wife, Mrs. Urcel Whittaker, surviving are four children, Marvin Whittaker, 15, Alvin Whittaker, 11, Mary Whittaker, 7, and Orene Whittaker, 2; his mother, Mrs. George Whittaker of Granby, and two brothers. One of the brothers resides in Hockerville and was hoisterman at the Blue Ribbon Mine when the body was brought from the mine following the accident, the hoisterman not knowing that it was his brother who had been killed.

Hockerville Oklahoma, Oct. 27. Funeral services for Albert Whittaker, 41 years old, who was killed at the Blue Ribbon Mine Thursday when struck by falling rock, will be held at the Baptist church in Hockerville at 10 o'clock Sunday morning, after which the body will be taken to Granby Missouri, where final services will be held at the Baptist church at 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon. The Rev. Billie Bain, pastor of the Picher Baptist church will officiate. Burial will be in Granby under the direction of the Todd undertaking company, of Picher Oklahoma.