Ben Thomas dies after being exposed to Blue Lick water at the Hemingray factory

DEADLY FUMES

From Blue Lick Mineral Water

Suffocate a Resident of Covington and

He Drowns

In a Pool But Four Inches in Depth —

His Little Son Has a Narrow

Escape.

Ben Thomas a laborer residing on Greenup street, near Third, in Covington, was drowned in a pool of water not over a foot deep, near the Hemingray Glass Works, yesterday morn­ing. During the winter months Thomas was a fireman at the Covington Jail, and had con­siderable trouble about his salary as nearly every month there was an attachment of some kind against it. Since he gave up his position at the Jail he has been working at different places. Yesterday morning he and his six­teen-year-old boy went down to the river bank to

CHOP UP AN OLD LOG

For wood. The father went to one of the pools of water that are formed by the stream coming from the well and stooped over to get a drink. The mineral odor was so strong that it suf­focated him and he became unconscious, fell into the pool of water and was drowned.

His son was standing near him at the time and did not realize that his father was in any particular danger until it was too late. He went to his rescue and in his efforts to pull the body out he came within the influence of the gaseous odor and was himself suffocated and fell over on the ground in an unconscious condition.

Two men in a skiff noticed the struggle of the son and came to his rescue. They found that the young man was unconscious and they rolled him around and succeeded in resuscitating him. The patrol was called and he was

REMOVED TO THE HOSPITAL.

The body of Thomas was taken to the morgue.

The water in the pool was not five inches deep. A few years ago the Hemingrays were boring a gas well and struck a vein, and concluded to go deeper. Instead of striking gas they struck blue lick water. An effort was made to stop up the place, but the gusher was too strong, and a pipe was stuck down, and it has been flowing ever since. The pipe has a wooden casing built around it. The water comes out in a large stream, and on the way to the river forms several pools and it was at one of these that Thomas met his death.

He was a man about about 55 years of age and leaves six motherless children. It is thought that the boy may probably recover, although his entire system seems to be permeated with the deadly fumes. Thomas was a native of Butler, Ky. Last year one of his children died and he was too poor to have a funeral. Mr. John England made him a present of a coffin and the father placed his dead infant in it and carried it under his arm

TO A CEMETERY,

Where he dug a grave and buried it with his own hands. His family is in very destitute circumstances and is in need of assistance. The children are entirely too small to earn their own living.