Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-08-01

| The citizens of Wausau were mex
pressibly shocked at the message
received by John Mathie, of this city,
on Wednesday, July oath, 1905, from
st. Cloud, Mimi, to the effect that his
nephew, Karl Theodore Mathie, had
been accidentally killed on that morn
ing. 1t was message which brought
sorrow into every household in our city.
Karl Theodore Mathie was born in
Wausau y years ago and was the only
son of Mr.. and Mrs. Karl Mathie, who,
only about six weeks previous to their
sons death, had gone to st. Cloud,
Mimi, to reside, the former to assume
the management of the Watab Pulp and
Paper company. Mr.. Mathie was also
born in Wausau and for the past ten
years had been superintendent of our
city schools. Hence the family was
very prominent and known to every
body throughout the city. Kari was a
most lovable boy and favorite with
all who knew him. Endowed with
unusual intelligence; gentle and kind
of disposition, all were attracted to him
and he was such comfort and a bless
ing in his home. The community very
deeply sympathize with Mr.. and Mrs. |
Mathie in their great sorrow.
The following account of the heart |
rending accident is taken from the st. |
Cloud Daily journal:
Caught beneath a. falling mass of |
earth and stones, Karl Theodore |
Mathie, ~ years old, is dead at Watab |
and two workmen are injured. John |
Mitchell and Elgy Stiles, the two men |
caught by the falling bank of earth, |
will recover. The accident is the first |
one in connection with the enterprise |
being established at Watab by the Wa |
tab Pulp and Paper company at Sank |
Rapids.
THE death of the Mathie boy is an
sad one. The only son of |
Karl Mathie, treasurer and manager of |
the Watab Pulp and Paper company, |
he was playing about the works when |
death overlook him. His death was
instantaneous and was due
to the injuries inflicted by falling earth |
and rocks rather than to suffocation |
The boy was beneath the earlh'less |
than five minutes but when taken, out |
he was past human aid.
tsThe accident was one of those which J
no human care can guard against. Karl |
Mathie, the son of manager Mathie, was
playing with other boys about the works |
at the dam at Watab The lads were
about the cars standing at the siding
but were warned against the danger |
there. They went down along the river
bank and Karl picked up workman's |
pick where crew of eight or nine |
workmen were delving into the rivers
bank to make room for the tailrace for
the canal. The lad struck idly three
times at the hard bank and without
warning mass of earth and stone like
an avalanche came down upon the men
and the boy. He was standing in a
posture and the weight doubled |
him up beneath it. The lad was COM
pletely covered by the earth and stone
Mitchell was thrown backward by the |
were caught. He was buried up to his
waist beneath the debris. Practically |
the same thing befell Stiles, but he had |
less dirt upon him and succeeded in
getting out by himself. Within min
ute there were thirty workmen at work
shoveling like mad to recover the
Mathie boy. In less than five minutes
he was taken out but he was dead |
was rescued a moment later |
Not more than 80 wheelbarrows of |
earth fell in the cave in, but it is of |
character of earth to crush anything |
beneath it. The earthen wall is not |
more than Is feet in height at the place
where the accident occurred, but the |
earth is a clay filled with boulders and |
beneath this mass a young life was
crushed out like an egg-shell. DIR. Chill !
gren was hurriedly summoned from
Sank Rapids. He saw at a glance that
the lad was beyond the need of human
help and gave his attention to Mitchell |
who was at first thought to have broken
his back in the accident. Stiles had |
cared for himself and the doctor did |
not see him. Mitchell was taken to his |
home at Sank Rapids, where he is rest |
ing comfortably this afternoon. He is
married and has wife and two children |
Karl Mathie was tenderly carried |
to the residence of w. L. Sartell, |
coming to Minnesota some six weeks |
ago. He was the only boy of the |
family and the eldest child and the |
mother is nearly distracted by grief. |
He is spoken of as an unusually bright
and engaging lad and was the idol of /
his parents hearts, The boy was
not quite Is years of age and was born |
at Wausau, Wis, where the family |
resided many years prior to coming to
Sartell to be with Mr.. Mathie in his |
new business venture. 1t has been
decided to hold the funeral on Friday
afternoon from the Sartell home. Rev
John Faville of Peoria, ILL.,, an old
family friend of Mr.. and Mrs. Mathie,