New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1903-07-15
Dynamite Explo sion Near ST. Peter
Kills Three Men.
Are Mangled Dreadfully BY Charge
Intended For Well.
Fire Follows and Creamery Is To-
tally Destroyed.

One of the most terrible and appal-
ling accidents recorded in this section
of the state occurred about seven miles
from st. Peter, Wednesda afternoon,
between 4 and S O'Clock, when the
North Star creamery located at that
place was totally destroyed By fire..
three men killed by an explosion of
dynamite and two others were seri-
ously injured.
The creamery where this most dis
tressing accident occurred is located
on what is known as the seven mile
creek, about seventies from ST. Peter,
on the New Ulm road in Nicollet
county.
They story Of the affair as given by
the Mankato Review is as follows,
and was given them by John Mans
who visited the wrecked creamery soon
after the explosion.
It seems that for two or three days
past the manager of the creamery has
been experiencing trouble with the
we'll which is located underneath the
building and from which the creamery
is supplied with water. Two men, the
Mcdonald brothers of Kasota, ex-
perienced we'll men, were engaged to
repair the we'll. They were at work
Wednesday afternoon trying to pull a
screen out of the well, and being I'M
able to accomplish their purpose de-
cided to blow it out of the way with
a charge of dynamite as the repairs
depended upon this. The men got the
dynamite ready and were about to
lower it into the we'll when it suddenly
and unexpectedly exploded with a
terrific force, shattering the building
and killing the three men, Jos. Riepke,
the secretary andmanager, and Malcom
and Archie Mcdonald, the repairers,
who were at the top of the we'll when
the dynamite was being lowered.
Two of the men were Instantly killed,
but one of the Mcdonald brothers
lived few hours but his injuries were
such that he could not be saved.
Patrick Keef. was working on the
top of the creamery at the time of the
explosion and his thumb and three
fingers were blown off. The butter
maker, Mr.. Anderson, also happened
to be in an adjoining room to the one
in which the we'll was located and his
| face was badly cut up. d. e.. j ::
Mr.. Keef and Mr.. Anderson, both
severely injured and suffering from
the terrific shock, succeeded in getting
the bodies of thethree unfortunate men
out of the building when the ceiling
and other portions commenced to
tumble, catching fire and burning with
such rapidity that it was impossible to
save it after the terrified people had
arrived upon the scene.
The bodies of the three men, all OF
which were terribly mutilated, were
taken to St. Peter, that of Mr.. Riepkie
being returned to his home Thursday,
and the two McDonalds to their homes
in Kasota. f.
Mr.. Riepkie, who was both secretary
and manager of the creamery, is a
single man and lived about three miles
from the building. He was to have
been married to a daughter of Mr..
Mans this fall. The entire one side of
his face was blown off, as was also
other parts Of his body.
The North Star creamery was built
about four or five years ago and has
been successfully operated ever since.
Only recently new machinery was in
stalled and new cement floors laid. 1t
is a total loss to the company.
Df f'ttis Early Risers
The famous little pills.