John W. Odell, Jr., 37, laborer, died attempting to save Thomas Nichelson, 39, laborer, from suffocation, Sour Lake, Texas, July 31, 1915. Nichelson descended a ladder into an empty oil tank to clean it, although warned against entering until a rope was procured. The tank was 14 feet deep and was known to contain some gas. Nichelson was affected less than a minute and a half after he entered and was overcome before he could climb the ladder. Odell immediately descended and raised Nichelson’s head. Odell was followed by a companion, but when the latter was halfway down the ladder, men outside, who then had a rope, called to him to return. He climbed out, but upon getting a breath of fresh air, tumbled back through the manhole into the tank. Odell then started to climb the ladder. When he came within reach, a man at the manhole seized his wrist, which was greasy, but at that moment Odell collapsed and fell back. A hole was later made in the side of the tank, and the three men were taken out dead. 15238-1195
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15238-1195