Robert was the youngest child of Josiah Moore and Lydia Elvira (Spurling) Worcester. Both parents were born in Maine, Josiah in Columbia, 1836, and Lydia in Cranberry Isles, 1858. Lydia's full "birth name" of record appears to have been Lydia Elvira Jordan Spurling. She is sometimes found as "Elvira".
Montana Standard, Butte, MT, 12 May 1938:
Bob Worcester, 47, widely known Big Hole man, was buried alive early yesterday when an old well on the Jack Hurley property at Wisdom, which he was cleaning, caved in and crushed him to death beneath 11 feet of gravel. Worcester, with several other men, had pumped the water from the hole and he had been lowered to the bottom to start cleaning the sides and bottom. As he reached the bottom, which is about 40 feet below the surface, the old well curbing gave away and allowed several tons of sand and gravel to descend on him. Rescue work was started immediately but because of the uncertain character of the ground it was two hours and a half before his body was recovered.
Mr. Worcester was born in Gibbonsville, Idaho[sic], and went to the Wisdom country when he was a boy of 10 years. All of his life was spent in Wisdom [sic] except for two years in Alaska. He was a giant of a man who stood 6 feet 6 inches, and weighed 270 pounds.
He has no known relatives except a niece, Mrs. Becky Shook in Avery, Idaho.
Funeral services in Wisdom. The American Legion at Wisdom will accord military honors. Burial in Wisdom cemetery.
Notes:
Robert was born in Seattle, Washington, not Avery, Idaho(see Birth above).
From Census records, he also worked in Curry County, Oregon, in 1920 and San Diego County, California, in 1930.
Mrs. Shook is believed to have been the former Rebecca Price, only known child of Robert's sister Lovie.
At least three other Montana city newspapers carried the story of Robert's death: Billings, Dillon and Helena.∼PVT 30 BN US Guards, Alaska
Dillon Tribune May 12, 1938
Bob Worcester Trapped By Falling Gravel in Hurley Well
While cleaning an open well at Wisdom Wednesday, rotting timbers gave way burying Bob Worcester, ex-service man, beneath an avalanch of loose gravel. Before he could be reached, he died of strangulation, it was reported.
The accident occurred about 11 o'clock Wednesday morning at the Jack Hurley place. It was over an hour before a frantic rescue crew could uncover the body which remained upright in the well. The body was not crushed or mutilated by the cave-in. Death apparently occurred from asphyxiation.
Coroner James E. Phillips and H. M. Brundage brought the body to Dillon late Wednesday.
Please also see Memorial #32682767
Montana Standard, Butte, MT, 12 May 1938:
Bob Worcester, 47, widely known Big Hole man, was buried alive early yesterday when an old well on the Jack Hurley property at Wisdom, which he was cleaning, caved in and crushed him to death beneath 11 feet of gravel. Worcester, with several other men, had pumped the water from the hole and he had been lowered to the bottom to start cleaning the sides and bottom. As he reached the bottom, which is about 40 feet below the surface, the old well curbing gave away and allowed several tons of sand and gravel to descend on him. Rescue work was started immediately but because of the uncertain character of the ground it was two hours and a half before his body was recovered.
Mr. Worcester was born in Gibbonsville, Idaho[sic], and went to the Wisdom country when he was a boy of 10 years. All of his life was spent in Wisdom [sic] except for two years in Alaska. He was a giant of a man who stood 6 feet 6 inches, and weighed 270 pounds.
He has no known relatives except a niece, Mrs. Becky Shook in Avery, Idaho.
Funeral services in Wisdom. The American Legion at Wisdom will accord military honors. Burial in Wisdom cemetery.
Notes:
Robert was born in Seattle, Washington, not Avery, Idaho(see Birth above).
From Census records, he also worked in Curry County, Oregon, in 1920 and San Diego County, California, in 1930.
Mrs. Shook is believed to have been the former Rebecca Price, only known child of Robert's sister Lovie.
At least three other Montana city newspapers carried the story of Robert's death: Billings, Dillon and Helena.∼PVT 30 BN US Guards, Alaska
Dillon Tribune May 12, 1938
Bob Worcester Trapped By Falling Gravel in Hurley Well
While cleaning an open well at Wisdom Wednesday, rotting timbers gave way burying Bob Worcester, ex-service man, beneath an avalanch of loose gravel. Before he could be reached, he died of strangulation, it was reported.
The accident occurred about 11 o'clock Wednesday morning at the Jack Hurley place. It was over an hour before a frantic rescue crew could uncover the body which remained upright in the well. The body was not crushed or mutilated by the cave-in. Death apparently occurred from asphyxiation.
Coroner James E. Phillips and H. M. Brundage brought the body to Dillon late Wednesday.
Please also see Memorial #32682767
Robert was the youngest child of Josiah Moore and Lydia Elvira (Spurling) Worcester. Both parents were born in Maine, Josiah in Columbia, 1836, and Lydia in Cranberry Isles, 1858. Lydia's full "birth name" of record appears to have been Lydia Elvira Jordan Spurling. She is sometimes found as "Elvira".
Montana Standard, Butte, MT, 12 May 1938:
Bob Worcester, 47, widely known Big Hole man, was buried alive early yesterday when an old well on the Jack Hurley property at Wisdom, which he was cleaning, caved in and crushed him to death beneath 11 feet of gravel. Worcester, with several other men, had pumped the water from the hole and he had been lowered to the bottom to start cleaning the sides and bottom. As he reached the bottom, which is about 40 feet below the surface, the old well curbing gave away and allowed several tons of sand and gravel to descend on him. Rescue work was started immediately but because of the uncertain character of the ground it was two hours and a half before his body was recovered.
Mr. Worcester was born in Gibbonsville, Idaho[sic], and went to the Wisdom country when he was a boy of 10 years. All of his life was spent in Wisdom [sic] except for two years in Alaska. He was a giant of a man who stood 6 feet 6 inches, and weighed 270 pounds.
He has no known relatives except a niece, Mrs. Becky Shook in Avery, Idaho.
Funeral services in Wisdom. The American Legion at Wisdom will accord military honors. Burial in Wisdom cemetery.
Notes:
Robert was born in Seattle, Washington, not Avery, Idaho(see Birth above).
From Census records, he also worked in Curry County, Oregon, in 1920 and San Diego County, California, in 1930.
Mrs. Shook is believed to have been the former Rebecca Price, only known child of Robert's sister Lovie.
At least three other Montana city newspapers carried the story of Robert's death: Billings, Dillon and Helena.∼PVT 30 BN US Guards, Alaska
Dillon Tribune May 12, 1938
Bob Worcester Trapped By Falling Gravel in Hurley Well
While cleaning an open well at Wisdom Wednesday, rotting timbers gave way burying Bob Worcester, ex-service man, beneath an avalanch of loose gravel. Before he could be reached, he died of strangulation, it was reported.
The accident occurred about 11 o'clock Wednesday morning at the Jack Hurley place. It was over an hour before a frantic rescue crew could uncover the body which remained upright in the well. The body was not crushed or mutilated by the cave-in. Death apparently occurred from asphyxiation.
Coroner James E. Phillips and H. M. Brundage brought the body to Dillon late Wednesday.
Please also see Memorial #32682767
Montana Standard, Butte, MT, 12 May 1938:
Bob Worcester, 47, widely known Big Hole man, was buried alive early yesterday when an old well on the Jack Hurley property at Wisdom, which he was cleaning, caved in and crushed him to death beneath 11 feet of gravel. Worcester, with several other men, had pumped the water from the hole and he had been lowered to the bottom to start cleaning the sides and bottom. As he reached the bottom, which is about 40 feet below the surface, the old well curbing gave away and allowed several tons of sand and gravel to descend on him. Rescue work was started immediately but because of the uncertain character of the ground it was two hours and a half before his body was recovered.
Mr. Worcester was born in Gibbonsville, Idaho[sic], and went to the Wisdom country when he was a boy of 10 years. All of his life was spent in Wisdom [sic] except for two years in Alaska. He was a giant of a man who stood 6 feet 6 inches, and weighed 270 pounds.
He has no known relatives except a niece, Mrs. Becky Shook in Avery, Idaho.
Funeral services in Wisdom. The American Legion at Wisdom will accord military honors. Burial in Wisdom cemetery.
Notes:
Robert was born in Seattle, Washington, not Avery, Idaho(see Birth above).
From Census records, he also worked in Curry County, Oregon, in 1920 and San Diego County, California, in 1930.
Mrs. Shook is believed to have been the former Rebecca Price, only known child of Robert's sister Lovie.
At least three other Montana city newspapers carried the story of Robert's death: Billings, Dillon and Helena.∼PVT 30 BN US Guards, Alaska
Dillon Tribune May 12, 1938
Bob Worcester Trapped By Falling Gravel in Hurley Well
While cleaning an open well at Wisdom Wednesday, rotting timbers gave way burying Bob Worcester, ex-service man, beneath an avalanch of loose gravel. Before he could be reached, he died of strangulation, it was reported.
The accident occurred about 11 o'clock Wednesday morning at the Jack Hurley place. It was over an hour before a frantic rescue crew could uncover the body which remained upright in the well. The body was not crushed or mutilated by the cave-in. Death apparently occurred from asphyxiation.
Coroner James E. Phillips and H. M. Brundage brought the body to Dillon late Wednesday.
Please also see Memorial #32682767
Inscription
Alaska, Pvt. 30 BN., U.S. Guards, May 9, 1938
Gravesite Details
Please see also Memorial #49048480
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