Septic Tank Death

[MWB]

TAMPA - For nearly 30 years, septic services contractor Kermit Dale
Lancaster earned good money going places most people dread, his family said.
A former Marine, Lancaster, 67, joked about his gritty job but never
complained about the work that supported his wife and three sons.

The Thonotosassa man died at Tampa General Hospital at 9:20 p.m. Monday
after becoming trapped in an underground tank at Acorn Trace Apartments,
11115 N. Nebraska Ave., slipping neck-deep into sewage, officials said.

``It's pretty hard to deal with,'' his son, Troy Lancaster, 29, a St.
Petersburg computer engineer, said Tuesday through sobs. ``You kind of hope
for dignity at the end.''

The Tampa office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration plans
to investigate his death, acting area director Brian Hennessy said.

OSHA's standards for confined spaces such as sewer systems require the area
to be evaluated for hazards before an employee enters.

Tampa Fire Rescue officials said Lancaster was wearing rubber boots about
1:15 p.m. when he entered the tank, which is about 4 feet wide and 12 feet
deep and pumps sewage to the city's sewer lines.

He had retired about a year ago but went to work with his youngest son,
Travis, 27, who was taking over the business, Dale Lancaster Inc. ``I don't
think he realized his limits had changed,'' Troy Lancaster said.

He became disoriented and yelled for help, Troy Lancaster said, possibly
because of the heat in the sweltering tank and methane, which deprives the
heart and brain of oxygen.

``My father had always warned me about methane,'' he said. ``He used to say,
`If you get to where you're feeling lightheaded, get out.' ''

A co-worker passed the man a ladder and tried to grab his hands, but they
were slippery and he slid farther into the sewage, Troy Lancaster said. At
some point, he inhaled and ingested the material, he said.

Firefighters gave him oxygen and pulled him from the tank, Capt. Tracy
Walker said. The rescue took about 25 minutes.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

A Wisconsin native, Dale Lancaster was an outdoorsman. ``His endurance was
amazing,'' Troy Lancaster said. ``At nearly 70, he could still run circles
around us.''

He celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary last week and was expecting his
sixth grandchild, his son said.

He loved to dig for gold in the mountains of Georgia.

``He had about $30 worth of gold that he spent $5,000 getting,'' Troy
Lancaster said. ``He was extremely proud of that.''

[Bill Schenley]

Post by MWB
TAMPA - For nearly 30 years, septic services
contractor Kermit Dale Lancaster earned good
money going places most people dread ...

I know it's overused, but it sounds like Kermit died doing what he
loved ...

Post by MWB
``It's pretty hard to deal with,'' his son, Troy
Lancaster, 29, a St. Petersburg computer engineer,
said Tuesday through sobs. ``You kind of hope
for dignity at the end.''

I dunno' ... but if I were Troy ... I would have passed on that last
sentence.

[Al Radzik]

Post by MWB
``My father had always warned me about methane,'' he said. ``He used to say,
`If you get to where you're feeling lightheaded, get out.' ''

My God, he died from inhaling concentrated fart. Can you imagine the
blue flame had he lit a cigarette?

Alf

[Rich Clancey]

Post by Al Radzik

Post by MWB
``My father had always warned me about methane,'' he said. ``He used to say,
`If you get to where you're feeling lightheaded, get out.' ''

My God, he died from inhaling concentrated fart. Can you imagine the
blue flame had he lit a cigarette?

These methane deaths have frequently happened in the large hog
factories where the pig poop collects under the porous flooring in
sever amounts. There can be a very large cloud of methane hanging
over the fecal mass. Unconsciousness is apparently instantaneous, so
it isn't quite the death struggle it sounds like. But there has to be
a better way.

[Ralph]

Maybe we have found a more "humane" method of execution?
<wink>

"Never hit your grandma with a shovel; it makes a bad impression on her
mind." (spike jones)

Post by Rich Clancey

Post by Al Radzik

Post by MWB
``My father had always warned me about methane,'' he said. ``He used to say,
`If you get to where you're feeling lightheaded, get out.' ''

My God, he died from inhaling concentrated fart. Can you imagine the
blue flame had he lit a cigarette?

These methane deaths have frequently happened in the large hog
factories where the pig poop collects under the porous flooring in
sever amounts. There can be a very large cloud of methane hanging
over the fecal mass. Unconsciousness is apparently instantaneous, so
it isn't quite the death struggle it sounds like. But there has to be
a better way.
--
rich clancey
The troublesome ones in a family are usually either
the wits or the idiots. -- George Eliot

[Andy Dingley]

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 19:01:24 +0000 (UTC), Rich Clancey

Post by Rich Clancey
These methane deaths have frequently happened in the large hog
factories where the pig poop collects under the porous flooring in
sever amounts.

Every so often it kills an English farmer. In mainland Europe they're
better organised - and the farms are bigger.

Back in the '80s there was concern amongst firemen about aircraft
fires, particularly military fighters. If the hydrazine didn't get
you, carbon fibres might still do so long after the crash had burned
out.

So when a Dutch F16 crashed and burned, firemen didn't approach the
aircraft too closely at forst, until after they'd gone to a nearby pig
farm and borrowed a slurry-tank-cleaning 'moon suit', with its own air
supply.

[mack]

Post by MWB
TAMPA - For nearly 30 years, septic services contractor Kermit Dale
Lancaster earned good money going places most people dread, his family said.
A former Marine, Lancaster, 67, joked about his gritty job

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
gritty? I'd have used another adjective that happens to rhyme with
"gritty".

[Brian Watson]

Post by mack

Post by MWB
TAMPA - For nearly 30 years, septic services contractor Kermit Dale
Lancaster earned good money going places most people dread, his family

said.

Post by MWB
A former Marine, Lancaster, 67, joked about his gritty job

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
gritty? I'd have used another adjective that happens to rhyme with
"gritty".

Yep.

There's been a similar tragedy this side of the pond. Except this time it
was chicken shit slurry that was in a big tanker, ready for spraying as
fertiliser.

One guy fell in, two of his colleagues were overwhelmed by the fumes (urgh!)
and died with him.

Phew!

[PirateJohn]

Post by Brian Watson
One guy fell in, two of his colleagues were overwhelmed by the fumes (urgh!)
and died with him.
Phew!

When they had the funerals, did they have to specially ventilate the rooms?


~~~~~~~~~
Every patriotic America needs to see Fahrenheit 9/11; traitors and fools won't
bother.

Drug free, no-spin radio: http://www.airamericaradio.com/
Democracy in action: http://www.moveon.org

Like father, like son. One term.

[The Rynosseros Below The Stage]

Post by PirateJohn

Post by Brian Watson
One guy fell in, two of his colleagues were overwhelmed by the fumes (urgh!)
and died with him.
Phew!

When they had the funerals, did they have to specially ventilate the rooms?

Both will presumably have been interred by now.

Post by PirateJohn
~~~~~~~~~
Every patriotic America needs to see Fahrenheit 9/11; traitors and fools won't
bother.
Drug free, no-spin radio: http://www.airamericaradio.com/
Democracy in action: http://www.moveon.org
Like father, like son. One term.

[b***@gmail.com]

This was my grandfather, and your comment isn't funny.