Salt Lake Tribune | 1908-01-07 | Page 1 | Big Pipe Bursts; L. H. Wheeler Killed

' eiG PIPE BURSTS; LH.WHEELER KILLED Superintendent of Construction of Boston Con. Meets Sudden Sud-den Death. ONE OP MOST VALUABLE EMPLOYEES OF COMPANY Expected to Join Wife and Friends at Theater Party in Evening. I L. 11. Wheeler, superintendent of construction con-struction for tlio Boston Consolidated Mining company, died at St. Mark's hospital hos-pital at 7 o'clock Monday night from Injuries In-juries causod by the bursting of a- twenty-Inch pipe lu the puinphousft of the company at Garfield late in the afternoon. after-noon. Mr. Wheeler was watching Engineer Klnzlo drain the pipes at the close of ihc afternoon shift, about 1:35 o'clock, when a flange of a twenty-Inch pipe broke and a stream of water shot out wltli teriillc force, knocking over a 1500-pound easting, east-ing, which fell, striking Mr. Wheeler. His leg was broken and his skull was fractured In throe places, lie died a few minutes after being taken to St. Mark's hospital. His wife and little son, aged sl.v years, had left, Garfield on the -1:15 train, about twenty "minutes before the accident, in company with A. J. Bottler, for Stilt Lake. Mr. Whcclcr was to come later In tho evening and Join his wife and friends In a theater party at the Salt Lake Theater. Tho pumping plant was recently installed in-stalled and opened Saturday. Mr. Wheeler waa watching tho marhincry to detect any defects when the sudden explosion ex-plosion disrupted tho pipes and the casting cast-ing was thrown from Its buse. Medical aid was promptly rushed to his side, and he was brought lo this city to Ik operated oper-ated upon. Dr. lr. Worthlngtoii was called, but Mr. "Wheeler died In less than live minutes nfter arriving at the hospital. hos-pital. Mr. "Wheeler hnd been in tho employ of the Boston Consolidated for about two years and a half, and Lafayette Man-chctt, Man-chctt, general manager of the Boston Consolidated company, stated Monday night that he and Mr. Xewhousc considered con-sidered Wheeler one of the best men in their employ. He came to Salt Lake from Denver, where for a number of years he was superintendent of tho F. M. Davis Iron company. Mr. Wheeler had charge of tho construction work lu all the mills owned by the Boston Consolidated. Consoli-dated. The wife and -child survive him, and I are now stopping at the homo of A. J. Bottles, mill ma'nagor of tho Boston Consolidated Con-solidated company. Ho also stated Inst night that Mr. Wheeler was one of the most valuable men In tho employ of the company .. -