Beckham County, OK - Deaths: William Nolte, 1909
Tuesday, 09 Sep 2008
Submitted by: delma25@pldi.net (Delma Tindell)

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NOLTE, WILLIAM
(4 Feb 1909, Thursday, Sayre Standard, Sayre, Beckham Co, OK):
William Nolte, a laborer, was killed today at 2:30 p.m. by a cave in of a
sewer ditch which is under construction from the Rock Island yards to the
river.
Nolte was about 30 years old and a paper found in his pocket indicated
that he had come from Indiana.  He had been here two or three weeks and
had been boarding at the Reed hotel.  No one here seems to know anything
about him and the town in Indiana where he came from is unknown.
Hampton is a married man and his home is at Purcell, where he was taken as
soon as his injuries had received surgical attention.  The accident
occurred at a point in the ditch about fifteen feet deep, near the river,
where the soil is sandy.  One bank slid into the ditch, crushing the two
men against the other bank.  Hampton who is powerfully built, saved
himself by throwing his shoulders against the bank when he saw it coming.
Nolte's shovel was crushed against his head, fracturing his skull, and his
body was badly crushed.  He was dead when taken out.  The sum of $31.40
was found on his body.  An effort will be made to locate his relatives,
but there is little to work on.
This is not the first accident of the kind of occur in similar cave ins,
but is the first to terminate fatally.  Several men were buried in cave
ins during the digging of the waterworks flowline over a year ago, and a
few months ago a laborer was caught in a cave in in a ditch in the Rock
Island yards near the depot but was not seriously hurt.  The soil where
this accident occurred is a dry quicksand, peculiarly apt to slide.
(10 Feb 1909, Elk City Record, Elk City, Beckham Co, OK):
William Nolte, a laborer, was killed today at 2:30 p.m., by a cave in of a
sewer ditch which is under construction from the Rock Island yards to the
river.
Wade Hampton, who was working with him, had one hip dislocated and was
otherwise badly bruised, but will recover.
Nolte was about 30 years old and a paper found in his pocket indicated
that he had come from Indiana.
Hampton is a married man and his home is at Purcell, where he was taken as
soon as his injuries had received surgical attention.
The accident occurred at a point in the ditch about 15 feet deep, near the
river, where the soil is sandy.  One bank slid into the ditch, crushing
the two men against the other bank.  Hampton who is powerfully built,
saved himself by throwing his shoulders against the bank when he saw it
coming.
Nolte's shovel was crushed against his head, fracturing his skull, and his
body was badly crushed.  He was dead when taken out.  The sum of $31.40
was found on his body.  An effort will be made to locate his relatives,
but there is little to work on.
This is not the first accident of the kind to occur in similar cave ins,
but is the first to terminate fatally.
(11 Feb 1909, Thursday, Sayre Standard, Sayre, Beckham Co, OK):
The body of William Nolte, the man who was killed by a cave in in the Rock
Island sewer ditch last Thursday was taken from Lane's undertaking rooms
Monday, where it had lain since the accident awaiting the arrival of Mr.
George V. Saltwelder of Whiting, Ind., brother-in-law of deceased, with
whom the authorities had communicated.
The body was shipped to Whiting for interment.
Mr. Saltwelder is a wealthy brewer of Whiting, which is a suburb of
Chicago, and expressed great surprise that Nolte should be found digging
ditches; that he had at various times started him in business at which he
would prosper for awhile, but that the temptation to travel, a habit which
he had acquired early in life, would become too strong and he would
suddenly sell out and leave home.
Damages will be demanded of the railroad company.
(11 Feb 1909, Thursday, Sayre Standard, Sayre, Beckham Co, OK):
Geo. B. Soltwedel of Whiting, Indiana, brother-in-law to William Nolte,
the man killed last Thursday afternoon by a cavein of a sewer ditch
arrived in this city last Saturday, took charge of the body paid all
expense incurred, employed John R. Lane to embalm the body and shipped it
on Monday evening's east bound train to Whiting for burial.

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