Individual Details
Jess Willard White Jr.
(16 Nov 1934 - 24 Apr 1982)
State Journal-Register, Springfield, Illinois, Sunday, April 25, 1982, Page 12, Cols. 1 & 2: Old Ben 26 Mine Veteran Falls Down Shaft. Sesser (AP)---Jess White, 47, a veteran boss of the Old Ben 26 coal mine, was killed early Saturday when he fell down a 600-foot shaft at the mine, officials said. They said White fell from a small locomotive transferring equipment and into the shaft. The accident occurred about 12:30 a.m.
Mount Carmel Daily Republican Register, Mount Carmel, Illinois, Monday, April 26, 1982, Page 1, Cols. 5 & 6: Sesser Miner Killed. The fatality is the first since the Wabash mine began operations in 1973 and the fifth coal-related death in 1982, including the death Saturday of a Sesser man. Jess White, 47, a "face boss" for the Old Ben Coal Co. Mine No. 26, was killed when he was apparently thrown from a switch engine of "dinky" while attempting to stop the machine from moving toward a 620-foot deep shaft.
The dinky reportedly crashed through a guard gate and plunged about 65 feet into the shaft where it lodged. White, on a routine safety check, was thrown from the open-sided cab onto a metal cage at the bottom of the mine. Franklin County Coroner Chuck Seagle called the accident a mystery, because the engine has only a forward or reverse switch and moves about 2 to 3 mph. White's death was the fifth in 1982 after a fatality free year in 1981 in the State of Illinois.
Mount Carmel Daily Republican Register, Mount Carmel, Illinois, Monday, April 26, 1982, Page 1, Cols. 5 & 6: Sesser Miner Killed. The fatality is the first since the Wabash mine began operations in 1973 and the fifth coal-related death in 1982, including the death Saturday of a Sesser man. Jess White, 47, a "face boss" for the Old Ben Coal Co. Mine No. 26, was killed when he was apparently thrown from a switch engine of "dinky" while attempting to stop the machine from moving toward a 620-foot deep shaft.
The dinky reportedly crashed through a guard gate and plunged about 65 feet into the shaft where it lodged. White, on a routine safety check, was thrown from the open-sided cab onto a metal cage at the bottom of the mine. Franklin County Coroner Chuck Seagle called the accident a mystery, because the engine has only a forward or reverse switch and moves about 2 to 3 mph. White's death was the fifth in 1982 after a fatality free year in 1981 in the State of Illinois.
Events
| Birth | 16 Nov 1934 |  | |||
| Marriage | 26 Mar 1955 | Iva Jean Kirkpatrick | | ||
| Death | 24 Apr 1982 | Sesser, Franklin Co., Illinois | | ||
| Burial | Maple Hill Cemetery, Sesser, Franklin Co., Illinois | |
Families
| Spouse | Iva Jean Kirkpatrick (1937 - 2007) |
Endnotes
1. Find A Grave.
2. Find A Grave.
3. Find A Grave.
4. Find A Grave.