Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-31
CHARLES HUNGATE KILLEL
Clothing Feoomes EntangIed in Revolvir G
Shaft at an Ice House.
DEAD BEFORE HELP COULD REACH HIN
Deceased Had Been I'm the Ice Business
in Omaha for Many Years and Was
n Man Highly Respected
by All.


Charles c. Hungate. secretary and gem
eral superintendent of the Omaha Ice &
Cold Storage company, was instantly killed
at the company's plant at Cut-On lake
Wednesday afternoon when, in making the
rounds of the plant, his clothing caught in
shaft in the hosting gallery whirlinE
him swiftly around to his death. The body
was thrown violently to the floor Of the
shed, and when other employees rushed up
almost at the same instant life was ex-
tinct Not a sound of any kind was ut
tered by Hungate as he was drawn to his
death, and It is therefore believed he was
killed Immediately.
The accident occurred at 410 o'clock
Within a short distance of the spot were
Foreman Charles Newell and five others
who witnessed Hungate's fate 1t was
these who rushed to aid the unfortunate
man, but their services were evidently use
less after the first revolution of the shaft
The time occupied was but few seconds,
when the clothing could hold the weight no
longer and follow the swiftly revolving
shaft and the body was dropped to the
floor.
Among the duties OF Mr.. Hungate as
general superintendent Of the company was
that of conducting the work OF cutting Ice
on Cut-Oh lake and storing II in the COM
pany's houses on the shore The power for
moving the ice cakes from the lake and up
into the building is distributed from the
power house by shafting. Hungate was in
the shed called the hosting gallery, look
ing over the work, when he got too near a
shat raised not far above the floor. Just
what his errand was at that particular
spot or what purpose he could have had in
going there could not be explained, as
there was apparently nothing to claim his
attention there.
Body Not Badly Bruised.
As soon as the alarm could be given the
machinery was stopped and work for the
day discontinued The body was removed
to the undertaking rooms of the Cole-Mc-
Kay company. II was found that not many
bones were broken and 1t Is not believed
the skull was fractured. The left arm and
ankle were broken. while there were nu-
merous bruises about the body.
Hungate was widely known In Omaha.
| He came here with the family from Blair
/ Neb., where he was born, while very young,
and as a young man was popular. He was
| a member of the Thurston rifles before the
| Spanish-American war when that organiza-
ton attracted members from the first
families in the city. He was IS years OF age
| and had been connected with the Omaha
Ice & Cold Storage company or compan
les of which it is the outgrowth, for about
thirteen years. His sudden death was q
great shock to scores OF friends and bust
ness associates who held him in sincere
respect There were many expressions OF
regret heard from persons who knew hin
as the intelligence spread and the highes
terms of esteem were used.
Hungate was married and lived with hi
wife and two children, boy and girl aged
and years respectively, at S7O4 Nortf
| Nineteenth street. He is survived by thesi
and by his father, brother and FIVE sis
ters The brother is George F. Hungate
also of the Omaha Ice & Cold Storage com
| pany. OF the sisters. Bessie NJ Hungat
is cashier for The Bee Three others re
side In Omaha and one in Kansas City
The father is on a trip out into the state
visiting at Blair and other points At
tempts to locate him late in the evening
had been. unsuccessful.