The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-15
TWO MEN KILLED
AT POWER PLANT
Merton K. Wheeler and William
d. FreckeltOn Are the
Victims.
FALLING PILEDRINER
CAUSE OF FATALITIES
Incident Occurs on Eleventh
West Street. Near South
Temple.

jured Friday afternoon at 12:I0 o'clock
sc at the Jordan River power plant OF the
~ Utah Light 6 Railway company on
Eleventh West between South Temple
~ and First South streets. when pile
s. driver broke from It's moorings and in
~ its fall 10 the ground disconnected and
brought with il the high tension wires
81 of the Telluride Power company.
Merton f. Wheeler. electrical eugi-
q ncer. son of J. NJ. Wheeler, president
g of the Swansea Consolidated Mining
e company OF Silver City, was struck by
h the falling wires and almost instantly
Z Killed.
William d. Freckclton. laborcr, living
4 at 4I4i South State street. WAS caught
b in the wreckage of the falling pile driv-
er and injured TO such IN extent that
u he died at the i. D. $. hospital two
= hours after the accident.
Il Andrew Weston. known as ''Old Ar
Il dy. a laborer, was caught in the
wreck and badly bruised about the head
and shoulders, but not seriously injured.
!, He is at the l.. d. 5. hospital, in ia
81 vorable condition.
8 The cause Of the accident is unknown.
N other than that the pilcdriyer was
= not constructed TO sustain its own
!. weight.
Z The contracting firm of Mccormick Il
Grey had at work at the Jordan plant
Z q gang oil men driving piles for the
= Foundation of building 10 be con
. structed by the Utah Light Il Railway
company. The pile driver was cou-
4 structed Of light 2X6 inch lumber and
4 was about thirty feet in height. The
weight used to drive the piles, which
was manipulated by donkey. engine,
!. was of iron and weighed 1900 pounds.
This tower was sustained by wire
bIeS, and if is thought that The accident
was due TO the breaking of one of the
cables.
Death of Wheeler
Mr. Wheeler was employed by the
Utah Light & Railway company After
he had finished his lunch Friday noon
he sauntered out Of the power plant and
laid down about fifty feet from the
pile driver, with tho purpose Of watch
ing the driver operate. Seated near hln1
was Mr., IIarrcll, Ju cmpoyt of the
plant. Without sound of warning tho
large pledrjver toppcd. and then with
a reuding of tImhers collapsed aud fell
10 the ground. breaking the three high
tension wires III its course, The wires
carried a current of 10000 volts. With
the crash Mr.. Wheeler jumped to his
feet aud TO the opposite side Of the pile
driver. Thou the dangling wires caught
him. He threw his arms in the air to
hands. head aud shoulders were fearful
]y burned. He fell TO the ground and
within five minutes WAS dead.
w. G. Swaucr chief operator at tue
Jordan plant, SAW his assistant in the
deadly foils and Immediately ran into
the station and turned Of the current.
Mr.. Swnncr- was within five feet of Mr..
Wheeler when the crash came, and he
barely escaped being caught by the
wires himself. Mr.. Harrell also was IN
imminent danger and only removed
himself from under the falling wires as
they camc in contact with the hands Of
Mr. Wheeler.
Mr. Frcckclton was standing about
thirty feet south OF the pilcdriver 1t
fell directly on him. crushing him to the
ground and literally burying him III
n broken timber. Soon after the accident
he became unconscious and remained
SO until he died two hours later upon
the operating table at tho hospital,
Mr. Weston was standing closer TO The
driver than was Mr., FTcckeltnn and
WAS in lnrcd more through being struck
BY splintorcd timbcr than from the di-
rect force of the falling tower. The
tower came down around him rather
than upon him. giving hlm IN oPporlu.
nitv 10 s+aegcr from ont the pile of
wood and IRON.
Wilcox on Scene,
Or, +. +, Wilcox WAS the first te
reach lbG scene OF the atclupul. "dHu
finding that Mr.. Wheeler was beyond
help, he confined his attention 10 the
two other injured men. Their wounds
were dressed and they were hurried
away 10 the hospital. Dr. Landcnbcr-
ger company physician for the Utah
Light and Railway company, and Dr.
Wade arrived shortly after thc fatality.
The patrol wagon, with force of p"-
licemcn, was soon npon the scene, and
the officers offered what help they could.
Mrs, Mary Mills trained nurse, liy-
ing Mt 30, South West Temple street
Was beside the injured men Immediate
ly after the crash came. She had been
visiting Mrs. Lizzie Wilson at II GJ"r,-
dale street about 200 yards from rho
power plant IIearing the crash Of tim.
her aud the commotiom following she
lost no time III reaching the sccnc
''When ! arrived. - said Mrs Mills.
81 Immediately saw that Mr., Wheeler
WAS beyond all help and 50 ! did what
] could 10 help Mr.. Frcckcl;ou, Nc
pulled him from under the timber He
WAS bleeding profnscly from thc nose
and mouth aud ! had to hold him up
right lest he might strange with his
blood, 1t was one Of the most terri
bic things | have ever seen.
j. NJ. Mccormick Of the firm OF Nc
Cormicli & Grey. an eyewitness TO the
accident, said last night that he bad
positively no statement to make con
piledriver TO fall. ''Ny nerves arc in
so shaken Il condition that ! do not
wish TO 20 into description of the ne.
cidcnt. Tomorrow / viii make n state
mont" said he,
+. T.. Hanson, claim agent for the
Utah Light and Railway company. sad
last night that tho company was in no
way responsible for the accident, as
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