Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1886-07-15
Fatal Accident in Port II uron.

The celebration at Port Huron on the
3rd passed of very pleasantly, and at eight
O'Clock the display OF fireworks which had
been arranged on Military street bridge
an iron structure, was commenced. An
unusually large number Of pieces had been
prepared, the expense OF which had been
betrayed by the citizens Fourth OF July
fund Louis N. Minnie. who will be re-
membered as having been nominated TO
the United States consulship at Sarnia,
was In charge of the display and occupied
a position on the large wooden platform
from which the pieces we're exhibited.
crowd of fully 10000 people were on hand
TO witness the sight.
The preliminary displays went of al
right, amid the cheering OF the crowd. AT
> 40 the torch was set to an elaborate
piece, George Washington" The adtoin-
ing pieces had been left uncovered, prob.
ably through neg igence. A shower OF
sparks from the Washington piece fell on
them. and In an instant the whole mass Ot
fireworks went off. The bridge caught fire
too, at once. Mr. Minnie FASTENED to the
end OF the platform TO make his escape,
but he had not gone 10 feet when the hor-
ritied crowd saw him make a convulsive
gasn and fall on tho nlatform. The I'm
preston was general that he crawled to
Ine edge % the PLATFORM and down TO the
bridge arches.
The firemen were at once on hand, and
In a very few minutes the flames were ex-
tinguished. When the firemen Chamber.
Ell up on the Charred platform they found
the body of Mr.. Minnie lying on IL, burned
until he was scarcely recognizable. he
had evidently been sutfocated by inhaling
the flame and died before the fire reached
his body.
Mr.. Minnie was not alone on the plat
form. There were with him Owen Walters,
young fellow named Tidgeon and
G. Atkins, of Clyde. Atkins clambered
down the supports and escaped uninjured,
before the inhammable platform had taken
FIRE. The other two were not SO lucky.
Walters stood close to the burning pieces
and was badly burned about the face and
hands before he could get away. His hair
was singed of, and he was seriously In
.ured, not so much, however, as to cause
apprehension OF any serious result. He
tumbled from the platform to the arches
ceeded in getting. down the supports, but
not until his hands were badly burned.
Louis N. Minnie, the victim OF the disas-
trous fire, was as well known and respect
ed as any man in Macomb county He
was raised in that city, where he always
took a prominent part In Democratic
councils. He was elected city clerk four
years ago, and held the Office until last
spring. In the summer of 1885 President
Cleveland nominated him for the Sarnia
consulship. A sharp political fight at once
began, which was urged on by some OF
Minnie's political opponents, both within
his own party and without IL. The end
was his withdrawal. Since that he has
not been engaged in any business. he
engineered the plan for a Fourth of July
demonstration, and helped TO raise the
money for the event In which tie lost his
life Mr.. Minnie leaves wife and three
children. The cause of the fatality seems
to have been carelessness In the exposure
of the pieces not intended for immediate
use, but whether this is chargable to Mr..
Minnie himself or not can hardly be do
termined.