Hattie May Flanigan

The Alva Pioneer Alva, M County, Oklahoma Territory Vol. 1, No. 28

03-30-1894

Submitted by: Jo Aguirre

AN APPALING [sic] ACCIDENT

One of the Most Heartrending Fatalities That We Have Been Called Upon to Report

Buried Alive in a Dug-Out on Last Saturday Night

T. M. Flannigan [sic] and I. M. Hayes arrived in the city yesterday afternoon from their claims about 30 miles southeast, and reported the death, by the caving in of a dug-out, of Mr. and Mrs. John Flannigan [sic] and their five-year-old girl. They were brother and sister respectively of the above-named men, and only arrived at their new home from Goddard, Kansas, on Thursday of last week. On Saturday evening the unfortunate man was at a neighbor's house after some tobacco, and had promised his brother and brother-in-law to come up to their places three miles north on Sunday morning, but as he did not come they concluded on Sunday afternoon to go down and see Mr. and Mrs. Flannigan [sic] and arrived on the scene of the distressing catastrophe about 4 o'clock. The first sight of the caved-in death-trap almost paralyzed the brothers, and Mr. Flannigan [sic] started immediately to the neighbors for assistance and Mr. Hayes begun the work of rescue, with a faint hope that the unfortunate might be found alive. The alarm spread rapidly and neighbors came as quickly as possible and worked as they never did before, but about sundown the bodies were taken out and it was very evident that death had been almost instantaneously and painless and they had been dead for 15 or twenty hours. They were found in bed and Mr. Flannigan's [sic] head was badly crushed in on one side by the end of a pole, but Mrs. F. and little girl seemed to have had the breath crushed out of them by the immense weight of the lumber, poles and dirt, as they were in no way bruised.

The house was partly dug in the ground and partly built up at the sides and ends with sod laid brick-fashion, as is the custom in the west when making a sod house, and for a cover poles were laid across, a layer of tough sod on them and then dirt on top of that. It was undoubtedly very heavy, and the end directly over their bed having fallen first their escape was impossible. They were buried Tuesday [27-Mar] on the claim in the presence of a large number of the settlers of the vicinity.

Mr. Flannigan [sic] was 40 and his wife was 29 years old.

This is the most dreadful disaster that has happened in the Strip, and it should be a warning to all who have dug-outs to build them stoutly, as the weight may be doubled by a big rain at almost any time.

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