Lawrence Lowell Waters, 37, sewer construction laborer, died after helping to rescue Earl Wiemerslage, 33, sewer pipe layer, from a cave-in in an excavation, Epworth, Iowa, May 16, 1958. Wiemerslage and John R. McLaren were working at the bottom of a 20-foot section of a sewer excavation which was 17 feet deep, eight feet wide, and unshored. A cave-in occurred at one side of the ditch, along which the dirt was piled, for 10 feet from the end, covering Wiemerslage to the waist and McLaren to the knees. Waters immediately jumped into the ditch, followed by Clifford E. Fritz and Rex E. Barber. With shovels Waters and Fritz freed Wiemerslage, and Barber aided McLaren. As Wiemerslage climbed out of the ditch and while Barber still was helping McLaren, a second and more extensive cave-in occurred for 13 feet from the end of the ditch. McLaren was buried to the waist, and Waters was almost completely covered. Barber and Fritz dug dirt away from Waters, who was inert. McLaren continued digging to free himself as Barber and Fritz uncovered Waters to his chest. A volunteer emergency squad of three men, Daniel A. McDermott, William G. Mausser, and Clarence Q. Urbain, then arrived and entered the ditch. McDermott began to attach a resuscitator to Waters, while Mausser and Urbain aided Fritz in digging more dirt away from him. Barber dug for 10 minutes and freed McLaren, who climbed out of the ditch, and then aided the others with Waters, who was being given oxygen by McDermott. A third cave-in occurred, releasing dirt for 15 feet along the side. One leg of McDermott was covered, and Waters was completely buried. The other men quickly freed McDermott, and dug away dirt a foot deep before reaching Waters. As the men continued to dig and McDermott again tried to use the resuscitator on Waters, another crew placed planks at an angle to shield the men from further falls. The crew then aided the others in uncovering Waters. A doctor examined Waters and pronounced him dead of suffocation and internal injuries. None of the other men sustained any injuries in the ditch
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