AROUND THE NATION; Drill Bit Hits Gas Line; Blast Kills 3 Workers

An explosion at a drill rig today killed three workers and badly burned a fourth.

Officials said that the drill bit struck a 12-inch natural gas pipeline four feet underground. The blast sent flames 250 feet in the air.

Killed were Joe Gregg Dawson, 20 years old, of Midland, Tex., and John Paul Hemphill, 32, and Willie Joe Waller, 41, both of Lamesa, Tex.

Delmar Olier, 49, of Lamesa was in serious condition at a Lubbock hospital with burns over 50 percent of his body.