James R. Dawson (1871-1907)

DAWSON

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 5/9/2017 at 18:06:36

From Nevada Representative September 13, 1907

County Correspondence

AMES

A very sad accident occurred Wednesday forenoon at the college Mr. James R. Dawson descended into a well which was being drilled on the place of Mr. Prail, west of the campus. He called to be drawn up, and the man started to do so, when Mr. Dawson lost his hold and fell back into the well. He was gotten out as soon as possible, but life was extinct. A charge of dynamite had been exploded in the well the preceding evening, and it is supposed that the gas that formed remained in the well and was the cause of his death. Mr. Dawson was about 38 years old and lived with his aged mother in the north part of Ames.

On another page of the same issue of the newspaper:

James R. Dawson of Ames but formerly living west of Nevada, was asphyxiated Wednesday forenoon in a well west of the college. He was thirty six years of age, unmarried, a son of the late Washington Dawson, and lived with is widowed mother. He was a member of the Woodmen camp of Nevada in good standing. His funeral will be held at one-thirty Sunday at the home of his brother at Ames and the interment will be the same afternoon in the Nevada cemetery.