Wilson, Roy

Cardin Oklahoma, Aug 6. after digging all night in a chat pile at the California Mine, south of Cardin, miners and relatives this morning recovered the body of Roy Wilson, 17 years old, who was smothered to death at 7 o'clock last night when buried by sliding chat. Men working with teams and shovels removed many tons of chat before they found the body. Rescue work was delayed by continual slides which endangered the lived of the toilers. Young Wilson went to the chat pile at 7 o'clock last night to take lunch to his half-brother, Harvey Cunningham, engineer of a drag used in removing chat from the pile to a tailing mill. Cunningham took the food to the mill, leaving Wilson alone on the pile. When Cunningham returned a large pile of chat covered the spot where young Wilson had been standing. Cunningham immediately called for help and the miners began feverishly shoveling the chat away. When they were unable to find the youth after a quarter of an hour's work, they abandoned the hope of bringing him out alive, and summoned additional men with teams to help recover the body. The body was found after digging into the pile for approximately 50 feet, and more than 14 hours after the slide occurred. The body was taken to Ava Missouri, tonight for burial. The Wilson family formerly resided at Ava. Besides his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ales Wilson of Cardin Oklahoma, the youth is survived by two brothers. The body was prepared for burial by the Todd undertaking company, of Picher Oklahoma.

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.

Picher Oklahoma, Aug 9 The body of Roy Wilson, 17 year old, Cardin Oklahoma youth, who met death Friday night when caught in a chat slide at the California Mine, was sent last night by the Todd undertaking company, of Picher, to Ava Missouri, for burial. The funeral was held at Ava this afternoon.

The safety engineers discussed means to put a stop to the fatal accidents after tailing piles at their weekly meeting at Picher Oklahoma yesterday. There have been five fatal accidents caused by slides at tailing piles, the last few months. The engineers realize the necessity of taking immediate steps to stop such accidents. It seem to be the consensus of opinion that shooting the tailing piles from the top, breaking down the high almost perpendicular walls would eliminate much of the hazard. Experiments will be tried at once and with powder of different grades to find the most efficient method.

Since the fatal accident at the tailing plant of the California Milling Company, it being the fifth such accident since the first of the year, companies re-treating tailings have begun taking measures to stop a recurrence of such accidents. Attention was called to the menace to life in these columns a week ago. There are more than 30 plants running tailings. Making cuts with tailing drags through this loose material, leaving high walls on either side, makes every such place an almost sure source for a fatal accident at some time unless steps are taken to eliminate the danger. The past week several of the companies have been shooting off the tops of the tailing piles, breaking down the walls. The practice of putting shots in the side of the piles is accompanied with a good deal of risk. Some companies are meeting with success by driving pipes into the tops of the piles, closing the lower end of the pipe, and then loading the pipe with a heavy charge of dynamite. The Golden Rod M. & S. Company is experimenting with various kinds of powder for this work.