MAN KILLED IN CAVEIN OF PASTURE GULCH AT DE SOTO TUESDAY

Gus Hinrichsen Of The DeSoto Neighborhood Met Death Tuesday

HAD LOST COW IN SIMILAR MANNER

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Man Killed in Cave-in Of Pasture Gulch At Desoto, Tuesday-Gus Hinrichsen of the DeSoto Neighborhood Met Death Tuesday-Had Lost Cow in Similar Manner

Gus Hinrichsen, 39-year-old-son of Henry Hinrichsen, lost his life some time shortly after noon, Tuesday, in a cave-in of dirt in the pasture of the family farm. He was about a quarter of a mile from home but was unable to call for help and died of shock and suffocation.

Hinrichsen’s death was one of the strangest ever recorded in this community and his many friends and acquaintances are deeply shocked by the incident.

Through the Hinrichsen farm runs a deep, winding creek on either side of which is pasture land. During the dry weather of the past few years, large cracks opened up in the pasture as was the case in many other places. The heavy rains of the past weeks have found their way into these cracks and, although starting three hundred and four hundred feet back from the creek bank, the outlet has been into the creek. Water running through the cracks have opened up huge underground caverns which are not discernible from of the ground. “Natural” bridges formed over the caverns throughout the pasture appear safe but continued rains have softened the surface to the extent that they will not support a great deal of weight.

Several days ago the Hinrichsens lost a cow when the dirt gave way underneath her. According to information received, Gus had gone into the pasture to cover the dead animal with dirt from the sides of the gulch into which she had fallen. His work completed, he started for home but he had gone less that tow hundred feet when the earth gave way and Hinrichsen was buried beneath yards of dirt in a huge cavern eight feet deep.

Although he did not return home throughout the afternoon, no concern was felt over his absence because the family thought that he had gone to Blair with neighbors. His continued absence throughout the night, however, gave cause for a search early Wednesday.

Searchers found a short bit of the handle of Hinrichsen’s spade protruding from the dirt, which gave a clue as to his location with the resulting discovery of the body.

The deceased man was born in Washington County on a farm in the Wranch School district on March 9, 1902. His entire life had been spent in farming, more than twenty years of which had been on the home place in the Desoto hills. Gus had never married. He was a member of the German Lutheran Church of Blair.

Surviving, besides his father and mother, are two brothers, Frank and Walter, and a sister, Mayta, all of this immediate vicinity. Another brother, Emil, died in 1936.

Services will be held at the Presbyterian Church in Fort Calhoun Friday afternoon at two o’clock p.m. with interment in the Fort Calhoun Cemetery. Sievers Funeral Service will be in charge.

Find a Grave Memorial #18175614

Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clipping on file at the Blair Public Library.