Lived to the Age: 83 Yrs.
The Death of and Bio of Joseph Grewe- Emily Grewe Father
WATER A FRONTIER PROBLEM
In the area around Valentine, Joseph Grewe) a Gennan immigrant) was famous for his prowess as a well digger in the 1880's and 1890's. In seven years during that time, he dug more than six thousand feet of wells ranging from one hundred to two hundred and sixty feet in depth. It was claimed that this short, stout man of prodigious strength dug as much as thirty-five feet in a single day, astounding as it may seem. An honest man of skill and courage, Dutch Joe took great pride in his work and would point to a windmill and say: "There's a Joe Grewe well!" and follow it with: "Straight as a gun barrel!"
Every digger was in constant danger that something might drop into the well on him-a careless move by the tender on the rim above might allow a tool to fall in; a weakened rope might break; a faulty ratchet might release and allow the loaded bucket to fall; mis-judgment of the depth by the assistant might allow the rope to play out too rapidly and strike the digger below; or there might be a faulty attachment between the end of the rope and the bucket, for the man at the top had to carry the bucket some distance away from the mouth of the well to empty it.
lt was this last device which was Dutch Joe's nemesis. One day in 1894, he was called back to clear some obstruction from a well he had completed. He loaded a bucket of loose stone at the bottom and gave the signal to hoist it. When it was almost to the top, the bail slipped from the steel catch holding it to the rope, and the loaded bucket dropped to the bottom, killing Joe instantly. He had personally devised the steel catch which saved time by allowing the helper to release the bucket for quick unloading. Many years of use had worn the device, unnoticed by him, and Joe's own invention was the cause of his death.
Note: A HERO OF THE NEBRASKA FRONTIER: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/topic/resources/
OLLibrary/Journals/HPR/Vol01/nhrv01p2.html
WATER A FRONTIER
PROBLEM: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/
nshs_search.shtml?keywords=Joseph+Grewe&submit=Search
The Death of and Bio of Joseph Grewe- Emily Grewe Father
WATER A FRONTIER PROBLEM
In the area around Valentine, Joseph Grewe) a Gennan immigrant) was famous for his prowess as a well digger in the 1880's and 1890's. In seven years during that time, he dug more than six thousand feet of wells ranging from one hundred to two hundred and sixty feet in depth. It was claimed that this short, stout man of prodigious strength dug as much as thirty-five feet in a single day, astounding as it may seem. An honest man of skill and courage, Dutch Joe took great pride in his work and would point to a windmill and say: "There's a Joe Grewe well!" and follow it with: "Straight as a gun barrel!"
Every digger was in constant danger that something might drop into the well on him-a careless move by the tender on the rim above might allow a tool to fall in; a weakened rope might break; a faulty ratchet might release and allow the loaded bucket to fall; mis-judgment of the depth by the assistant might allow the rope to play out too rapidly and strike the digger below; or there might be a faulty attachment between the end of the rope and the bucket, for the man at the top had to carry the bucket some distance away from the mouth of the well to empty it.
lt was this last device which was Dutch Joe's nemesis. One day in 1894, he was called back to clear some obstruction from a well he had completed. He loaded a bucket of loose stone at the bottom and gave the signal to hoist it. When it was almost to the top, the bail slipped from the steel catch holding it to the rope, and the loaded bucket dropped to the bottom, killing Joe instantly. He had personally devised the steel catch which saved time by allowing the helper to release the bucket for quick unloading. Many years of use had worn the device, unnoticed by him, and Joe's own invention was the cause of his death.
Note: A HERO OF THE NEBRASKA FRONTIER: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/topic/resources/
OLLibrary/Journals/HPR/Vol01/nhrv01p2.html
WATER A FRONTIER
PROBLEM: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/
nshs_search.shtml?keywords=Joseph+Grewe&submit=Search
Lived to the Age: 83 Yrs.
The Death of and Bio of Joseph Grewe- Emily Grewe Father
WATER A FRONTIER PROBLEM
In the area around Valentine, Joseph Grewe) a Gennan immigrant) was famous for his prowess as a well digger in the 1880's and 1890's. In seven years during that time, he dug more than six thousand feet of wells ranging from one hundred to two hundred and sixty feet in depth. It was claimed that this short, stout man of prodigious strength dug as much as thirty-five feet in a single day, astounding as it may seem. An honest man of skill and courage, Dutch Joe took great pride in his work and would point to a windmill and say: "There's a Joe Grewe well!" and follow it with: "Straight as a gun barrel!"
Every digger was in constant danger that something might drop into the well on him-a careless move by the tender on the rim above might allow a tool to fall in; a weakened rope might break; a faulty ratchet might release and allow the loaded bucket to fall; mis-judgment of the depth by the assistant might allow the rope to play out too rapidly and strike the digger below; or there might be a faulty attachment between the end of the rope and the bucket, for the man at the top had to carry the bucket some distance away from the mouth of the well to empty it.
lt was this last device which was Dutch Joe's nemesis. One day in 1894, he was called back to clear some obstruction from a well he had completed. He loaded a bucket of loose stone at the bottom and gave the signal to hoist it. When it was almost to the top, the bail slipped from the steel catch holding it to the rope, and the loaded bucket dropped to the bottom, killing Joe instantly. He had personally devised the steel catch which saved time by allowing the helper to release the bucket for quick unloading. Many years of use had worn the device, unnoticed by him, and Joe's own invention was the cause of his death.
Note: A HERO OF THE NEBRASKA FRONTIER: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/topic/resources/
OLLibrary/Journals/HPR/Vol01/nhrv01p2.html
WATER A FRONTIER
PROBLEM: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/
nshs_search.shtml?keywords=Joseph+Grewe&submit=Search
The Death of and Bio of Joseph Grewe- Emily Grewe Father
WATER A FRONTIER PROBLEM
In the area around Valentine, Joseph Grewe) a Gennan immigrant) was famous for his prowess as a well digger in the 1880's and 1890's. In seven years during that time, he dug more than six thousand feet of wells ranging from one hundred to two hundred and sixty feet in depth. It was claimed that this short, stout man of prodigious strength dug as much as thirty-five feet in a single day, astounding as it may seem. An honest man of skill and courage, Dutch Joe took great pride in his work and would point to a windmill and say: "There's a Joe Grewe well!" and follow it with: "Straight as a gun barrel!"
Every digger was in constant danger that something might drop into the well on him-a careless move by the tender on the rim above might allow a tool to fall in; a weakened rope might break; a faulty ratchet might release and allow the loaded bucket to fall; mis-judgment of the depth by the assistant might allow the rope to play out too rapidly and strike the digger below; or there might be a faulty attachment between the end of the rope and the bucket, for the man at the top had to carry the bucket some distance away from the mouth of the well to empty it.
lt was this last device which was Dutch Joe's nemesis. One day in 1894, he was called back to clear some obstruction from a well he had completed. He loaded a bucket of loose stone at the bottom and gave the signal to hoist it. When it was almost to the top, the bail slipped from the steel catch holding it to the rope, and the loaded bucket dropped to the bottom, killing Joe instantly. He had personally devised the steel catch which saved time by allowing the helper to release the bucket for quick unloading. Many years of use had worn the device, unnoticed by him, and Joe's own invention was the cause of his death.
Note: A HERO OF THE NEBRASKA FRONTIER: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/topic/resources/
OLLibrary/Journals/HPR/Vol01/nhrv01p2.html
WATER A FRONTIER
PROBLEM: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/
nshs_search.shtml?keywords=Joseph+Grewe&submit=Search
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