The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-31
MANGLED BY
PREMATURE
EXPLOSION
(coatinusd From Fifth Pagel

OF the gun as We often do talking. We
heard the double report and looked to-
ward the gun just in time 10 see Halter
fall 10 the ground II seemed 10 knock
him down but not FAT down as you would
suppose He seemed 70 60 down in !
heap didn't see the other boys whea
they fell, but heard Davis crying out II
pain I got over 10 him as the woetors
were attending Halter and with the as
sistauce OF others we opened Davis shirt
and tried 70 soothe the awful pain BY
rubbing him. He seemed 10 be Wild and
staggered around like q blind man. After
a little persuasion on my part he came 10
his senses a little bit and I walked him
over 10 the Missouri Pacific station We
just got there and mis- strength failed
him. He remained unconscious. and leav-
ing him in the care Of others, Z made my
way back through the crowd 70 the can
mons.
The crowd was hard 70 manage and II
was all four or FIVE OF US could dc. 70 keep
them back from where Halter lay. II
was with the ramuing rod that Alexander
used that I used in keeping the crowd
back. 50 it is pretty sure that ne was not
ramming the charge when II exploded.
Why, it would have torn his hands on
7 cant see what caused the explosion.
The gun had stood there tor forty-five
seconds before the charge was put IN it
and besides a good wind blew right
through IT, Some reports say the breech
block was closed partly. but this could
NOT have been. as you can see by locking
a the gun. Another report is that the
gun had not been cleaned out before put-
ting the charge in. but I know better than
that. for / saw Halter swab the breech
out and then wipe il. Possibly in some
unknown manner a spark was left in
there The charges were smaller than
usual We had 80 pounds OF powder and
had this put up IN 20 sacks I don't be-
lieve the explosion was due 10 the care
lessness OF the boys. although it is IN
explainable otherwise now.
RosSon WycoT. chief OF the second sec
ton. who was firing the other gun. said;
7 saw the explosion leap out OF the
breech OF the gun in a fiery fame. You
could only dimIy see through the smoke,
bat I saw Halter stagger and fall He
seemed to have been thrown back about
eight feet from the gun.
1T was a horrible sight when the ex-
plosion occurred Halter was so disfg-
ured that you could not recognize him
and at first il was reported that Lomax
was killed Halter lay stretched out
there. and 1 thought he was dead at first.
as You could not detect his breathing bur
in a few moments. respiration started and
then became very lab0red. didn't be-
Heve then that they would get him 20 the
hospital alive The fsl force OF the dis
charge struck his right side, but did not
injure his body other than a Few burns.
The discharge was wholly OF powder. no
missile. OF course. being used,
All the boys are Wichita boys but
Halter He really belongs here; he has
been here 50 permanently as an employe
Of Mahon Bros Supply company, but his
folks live at Peck
This is third accident Battery A has
had. Joe Fennel was the last one. losing
one arm and part Of the other Harry
Parks was the first one and lost both his
hands. It seems that this battery is DOOM
ed 10 misfortune"