Hoover Dam

The Story of Hoover Dam - Essays

1933 Fatalities

The following information was taken from the Volume Three of the Hoover Dam Project History, pages 310-313. The information is presented here in the same format as it is printed in the history.

Industrial Fatalities

Accidental Falls
Date Name Place Employed by
Jan. 1 Fred C. Palmer Arizona Valve House Six Cos. Inc.
Feb. 1 Vernon H. Blair Near Low-Level Mixing Plant Six Cos. Inc.
Mar. 12 Tom Markey Railroad Bench Six Cos. Inc.
May 22 Pete Savoff Nevada Keyway near Inspection Tunnel Six Cos. Inc.
July 19 John M. Nelson Concrete form Six Cos. Inc.
Dec. 6 L.E. Roach Top of the jumbo form in #3 tunnel Six Cos. Inc.
Dec. 29 P.A. Malan Form #J-10, into slot Six Cos. Inc.
Explosions
Date Name Place Employed by
Jan. 10 Gus Enberg Construction Adit Six Cos. Inc.
Jan. 11 Howard Cornelius ditto Six Cos. Inc.
July 1 F.B. Kassell Nevada Powerhouse Six Cos. Inc.
Electrocuted
Date Name Place Employed by
Sept. 15 John Owen Lee Portal Tunnel No. 2, Nevada side Six Cos. Inc.
Struck by Falling Material
Date Name Place Employed by
Feb. 7 M.H. Kaighn #7 Penstock Tunnel Six Cos. Inc.
April 8 Dan Kalal Arizona Side
Dam Excavation		 Six Cos. Inc.
June 23 Mike Landers Nevada Penstock Raise Six Cos. Inc.
July 13 George Faulkener Railroad Trestle Six Cos. Inc.
Nov. 8 W.A. Jameson Slide of concrete and debris
in center of slot - Dam		 Six Cos. Inc.
Struck by Motor Trucks and Other Heavy Equipment
Date Name Place Employed by
Feb. 7 J.H. Powers Upper Tunnel No. 2 Six Cos. Inc.
Mar. 16 Wm. Koontz No. 1 Tunnel Six Cos. Inc.
May 20 H.D. Bluhm Foundation for dam Six Cos. Inc.
June 26 L.W. Steele Near Hi-Mix Plant Six Cos. Inc.
Oct. 1 James Jackman 
(Alias James 
W. Brown)		 On Form #0-6, Nevada side Six Cos. Inc.
Nov. 8 James Tocci Arizona side of project Six Cos. Inc.

Non-Industrial Fatalities

Automobile Accident
Date Name Employee of
May 9 Donald H. Smith Six Cos. Inc.
Suicide
Date Name Employee of
Feb. 12 Paul Rainwater Six Cos. Inc.
July 5 J.W. Ferrin Six Cos. Inc.
Deaths from Natural Causes
Pneumonia
Date Name Employee of
Jan. 8 Jack Stacey Six Cos. Inc.
Jan. 12 Jacob Ruterman Six Cos. Inc.
Jan. 16 G.C. Baker Six Cos. Inc.
Jan. 17 L.A. Katch Six Cos. Inc.
Feb. 17 G.D. Farnsworth Six Cos. Inc.
March 3 A.J. Winkler Six Cos. Inc.
March 3 Paul C. Sharitz Six Cos. Inc.
Aug. 31 William Garl Six Cos. Inc.
Deaths from Natural Causes
Miscellaneous
Date Name Cause of Death Employed by
Feb. 16 Kahn Lindsay Malignant Malaria Six Cos. Inc.
Mar. 6 Dr. Wales A. Haas Acute appendicitis and 
probable Mesenteric Thrombosis		 Six Cos. Inc.
April 1 Harry Gilbert Streptococcic Meningitis Six Cos. Inc.
April 15 Welton Burgess Coronary Thrombosis Six Cos. Inc.
June 5 D.W. Borden Peritonitis Six Cos. Inc.
July 7 Fred J. Scott Coronary Occlusion Six Cos. Inc.

No records available at this office concerning deaths on the project of persons not employed by the Government or by the contractors.

Summary of Fatalities

Cause Industrial
Prec. 1933		 Industrial
During 1933		 Non-Industrial
Prec. 1933		 Non-Industrial
During 1933		 Total
Heat Prostration 13* 0 3 0
16
Drowning 5 0 1 0
6
Blasting 9 3 0 0
12
Falling Material 11 5 0 0
16
Accidental Falls 6 7 1 0
14
Struck by Equipment 11 6 0 0
17
Automobile Accidents 0 0 7 1
8
Misc. Accidents 3 1 0 0
4
Murders & Suicides 0 0 3 2
5
Pneumonia 0 0 21 8
29
Other Natural Causes 0 0 22 6
28
Totals 58 22 58 17
155
*Occured on job, but not classed as "Industrial Accident".
Introduction   |   1931   |   1932   |   1933   |   1934   |   1935


Last Updated: 3/12/15