Pages past - Jan. 18

On this date ...

1972: The bodies of four construction workers buried beneath 20 feet of dirt had been recovered in Lubbock.

Officials said the men were working in a trench that was about 27 feet deep when the walls fell in upon them.

Raymond Rodriguez, 20, and Ollie Dean Morrell, 22, had dived under the scoop of a digging machine but were unable to avoid suffocation.

Eddie Maxwell, 20, and Javier Sanchez, 25, were found standing up, their arms around each other. A rescue squad found them about 30 minutes after the incident, but hours of resuscitation efforts were not successful.

Tom Dragoo, 29, was one of the few witnesses, United Press International reported.

“I was just standing ... looking down, when all of a sudden everything just gave way,” he said. “I jumped and yelled down, but we got no answers.”

Workers immediately began trying to shovel out dirt, but had to work by hand in the trench that was just 2 feet wide. It took more than five hours to locate the last body.

1967: New Mexico Health Department officials were dusting animals in De Baca County for fleas that could be carrying bubonic plague.

While dusting was concentrated over “major population centers,” the Clovis News-Journal reported officials were also giving away small amounts of flea powder to dog owners.

Bubonic plague had been discovered in December in rabbits throughout the county.

Hunting and trapping of rabbits had since been prohibited.

Pages Past is compiled by Editor David Stevens. Contact him at: [email protected]