Another accident which resulted fatally occurred at the home of Allan Bearss, in the western part of the county. While the family were surrounding the breakfast table one morning, the ridge pole of their house, which was not of sufficient diameter to support the weight

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

of the sod roof, suddenly snapped asunder, precipitating tons of sod and roof boards down onto the family. Their little five year old girl was instantly killed.

Another accident occurred when two Bohemians of unpronounceable names had taken a contract to dig a well on the homestead of William Wilmot, six miles west of Hemingford. They had reached a depth of about sixty feet, were hoisting the earth out with a horse and rope which passed over a pulley, this pulley supported by three poles forming a triangle. The horse backed up and tumbled down the well on top of the digger, but as the horse filled the capacity of the well quite completely, did not descend very rapidly and the digger was enabled to take advantage of what space the horse did not take up and escaped with his life. He was brought to the surface and the neighbors gathered to rescue the horse from the well. The fall had not killed him. so a strong rope was secured. Mr. Wilmot owned a large gray team. A rope was placed about the horse, the team attached to the other end, and he was hoisted to the surface ; but, through some miscalculation, he did not get into the clear. The gray team commenced to back up when Mrs. Wilmot, thinking they would be drawn into the well, and being one of their most valued possessions, seized a sharp butcher knife, rushed out and drew its edge across the taut rope, severing it, which precipitated the old horse to the bottom of the well a second time.