SEVEN KILLED, FIVE HURT IN NITRO BLAST IN NEW MEXICO

Hobbs, N. M., June 23, - (AP) – Seven men, including a prominent New Mexico financier, were killed and fire seriously injured today in the premature explosion of a nitroglycerin time bomb with which a drilling crew was preparing to “shoot” an oil well near here.

The list of dead, so badly seared and mangled that identification at first was difficult:

GEORGE A. KASEMAN, about 65, president of the Albuquerque, N. M. National Trust and Savings bank of the Albuquerque and Cerrillos Coal company, with mines at Madrid, N. M.
H. A. GREER, gauger, for the shooting crew
J. T. BROUGHTON, a derrickman.
FORREST HUSTON, rigman.
CHARLES WRIGLEY, rigman.
ALEX BLAIR, shooter’s helper.
V. B. PECK, shooter.

All of the dead except Kaseman were residents of Hobbs and vicinity.

The injured: Fred Luthey, Albuquerque, N. M. vice president of the Albuquerque National Trust and Savings bank; eye lost, other serious injury.
Herman Crile, Roswell, N.M., attorney.
Jack Starkey, Hobbs, superintendent of the Two-State Drilling company.
J. B. Headley, Roswell, independent geologist.
Ole Johnson, rigman.

Associates said that Kaseman was financially interested in the well, in the rich Monument district southwest of here, and had come here with Luthey, Headly and Crile to inspect it.

The Helena Independent, Helena, MT 24 Jun 1938
__________________

Transcribed by Jenni Lanham. Thank you, Jenni!