The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1906-07-19
VIOLENT DEATH OF
CHAS. RODENH|zER
FALLS INTO NEW COAL SHAFT
AND is DROWNED.
PAINTED WHILE AT HIS WORK.
No One At Hand Understood Opera
ton Of Machinery and Body Not
Recovered Until Life
Was Extinct.

Charles Rodenhizer, aged about IF
ty years, residing three miles west Of
Montezuma, met with a tragic death
this Saturday morning while at work
in new air shaft which he was sink
ing for the Cunningham Coal Co.
The man was seized with a conVul.
sion or a spasm Of some character
while working on some curbing. He
became unconscious or too weak to
retain his hold and position in the
bucket in which he was standing, and
pitched head first to the bottom OF
the shaft, distance Of between TWEEN.
ty and thirty feet. Here the bouy
was submerged in six to eight feet Of
water and death by drowning en-
sued Help could not be given the
unfortunate man on account of his un-
conscious condition, and no one could
get down to him on account OF the alb
sence of anyone understanding the
operation of the machine by means
of which the shaft was being sunk.
Chas. Rodenhizer owned the ma
chine and was in partnership with
Ernie Shafer in the business OF sink
ing shafts and drilling wells. John
Ross was employed by tnem in the
work. The accident occurred about
ten-fifteen o'clock The men were
taking out section of curling. Rod
enhizer was in a bucket at the bot
tom of the curbing, holding to metal
brace. Ross had just left the mouth
of the hole and Shafer was operating
the drilling machine. They were
taking out the curbing which had been
somewhat shattered by discharge of
dynamite, to repair it, when the acct
dent occurred. Rodenhizer was seen
to be sick. Shafer called to him to
hold on, but the words were no more
than spoken than the man pitched
forward and fell to the bottom into
the water. Shafer would have gone
down the shaft, which is about forty
feet in depth, but Ross was ignorant
Of the operation of the machine, and
no one else was within call. AS soon
as possible the telephone was useo
and help summoned, but the man was
in the we'll until almost twelve O'Clock
before he could be lifted out.
A hook was lowered and caught in
the clothing and several attempts
made to get a rope moose about the
legs. This method failed of results
several times and the body slipped
back into the water Finally hook
was caught in shoe and by this
means the body was lifted until ropes
could be caught over the legs and the
body raised the remainder of the dis
lance to the surface. The shoe was
just at the point Of pulling off when
the leg was caught by the moose and
another failure was narrowly averted.
The deceased was an experienced
well digger. Shafer had been work
ing with him during the past year.
He states that the man has been suU-
ject to the spells of fainting.
The body was taken charge of by
Undertaken McCurdy, and an inquest
was held this afternoon at thTee-thirty
o'clock.
William and Ernest Cunningham,
owners of the mine, were early on the
scene and it was their work that re-
suited in bringing the man to the sur
face. Assistance was rendered by D.
o. Steen, Henry Wetherell, Col. Nc
Neill, Justice Pricnett ana Officers
Donnelly and Andrews, who had been
summoned 70 the scene Of the acct
dent.
The air shaft where the accident
occurred is about one block west of
Ninth street and just west of the Har-
ry Allen home. The men nave been
engaged in the work of putting down
the shaft since July 3, when they
brought their machinery to the place