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044
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Transcription
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There have been many sad experiences with dug wells. Diggers have been buried alive because not enough care was taken to prevent earth from caving in on the digger. Children and animals have fallen in wells that were not covered or fenced.
Mari Sandoz, the daughter of a prominent homesteader in Western Nebraska, tells a story of her father, known as OLD JULES, who dug a well on his homestead near Hay Springs. Nebraska, he hired two young neighbors to help him. The young fellows would operate the windlass and take the dirt out of the well. Water was found at 60 feet, and when OLD JULES was finished they pulled him out in the bucket. The boys thought they would have some fun with the old man s they would lift him almost to the surface and let him drop. The rope broke and let him fall to the bottom of the well. His foot was badly broken, and the frightened boys were so scared they pulled him out of the well and went off and left him to find his way home. It was three weeks later that soldiers from Fort Robinson found him in his home with a badly infected foot, and took him to the hospital. The doctor who treated him, was the now famous Dr. Walter Reed.
We had two dug wells on our homestead. There was one that was not used and it was covered with planks and then fenced. Dad had a fine Shire stallion that weighed about 2000 lbs. The horse was reaching thru the fence to get the green grass in side the enclosure, the fence broke, and he stepped on the planks and fell in the 40 foot well. He was no doubt killed at once when he hit bottom. We filled in the well, but Dad lost a registered Shire stallion worth at least $1000.00.
There are many stories told of homesteaders who tried for a year or more to get water and finally gave up, and left their homestead.
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Metzger Memories
