Fatal Accident in Wilbur Well
A farmer is killed after falling eighty feet while cleaning a well.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
William O'Brien, a farmer living eight miles south of Wilbur, was instantly killed last night. He was cleaning a well eighty-four feet deep and signaled to be hauled up. When the bucket was within twenty feet of the top he fell out to the bottom of the well. He was dead when taken out. He was a thriving farmer and leaves a wife and family.
“He was cleaning a well eighty-four feet deep, and signaled to be hauled up. When the bucket was within twenty feet of the top he fell out to the bottom of the well.”
Accidental deaths in rural agricultural work were frequent in the 1890s, often resulting from basic equipment failure or lack of safety protocols. Today, OSHA standards and modern drilling technology have largely mitigated these specific risks, though farming remains one of the most dangerous occupations.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.