New Fear Unlocked: The Unfortunate Death of Ernie Young

  Late in the evening of February 4, 1953, gas pipeline worker Ernie Young crawled into one of the large gas lines at Sterlington to clean it out. While he was cleaning, his fellow workers had no idea he was in the pipe. The men welded the pipe shut. By the time they found Ernie, it was too late. It appears he had crawled down the pipe looking for help before leaking gas overcame him and he succumbed. The coroner ruled his death an accident. I have questions. I am sure Ernie banged on the pipe, so why didn’t anyone hear him? Why didn’t Ernie hear the men sealing the pipe? It had to have made a racket! Such an avoidable tragedy.