Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-07-20
BOYS DANGEROUSLY HURT
Throw Some Caps Used for Exploding Dy-
Mantle Onto the Fire.
LOcuAw OR BLoOOPolsoNWe FEARED
PORTIONS of Copper Caps and burned
y illuminate of Mercury Enters
the Flesh of the Lit
tie Ones.

The three little sons OF Arthur w Slack.
l2H South Sixth street, were seriously in
jured yesterday afternoon by the explosion
OF a number OF caps wadded with illuminate
Of mercury which they discovered while
playing in an clubhouse at their home. Uriah,
the eldest OF the three, who Is about IL
years OF age, Is the most seriously in
jured and It is feared that possibly he may
lose the sight of one II not both eyes. The
other two boys, Ronald, aged s, and Robert,
aged 4 years, are suffering from npfnber
Of flesh wounds in the face, arms and
legs,
The caps. OF which there were about a
dozen, we're the remainder OF some used
by the childrens grandfather, the late u.
II. White. about ten years ago for blasting
bis blum, the contract for grading which
he had. The caps were attached to wire
and were intended 60 be used in connection
with an electric battery. For years they
had been in a basket on a high shelf in the
clubhouse, their presence entirely forgotten
by the members OF the family.
The children, while playing, found them
and child like decided to ascertain II they
would "go on" They secured some paper
and made a smaIl bonfire, placing the
caps on IL. When the explosion came the
eldest boy was leaning over the fire. and
hundreds Of the small particles of the ex-
ploded caps penetrated his face and prac-
ucally his entire body. Pieces Of the caps
pierced both eyes and although the child
was resting easily last evening the gravest
results to his eyesight are feared Numer-
GUS pieces of the caps pierced the legs and
arms Of the two smaller lads but their in
juries are not nearly so severe as those
of the elder hoy.
Ouyipp In the fact that cans were of
copper and that undoubtedly numerous
particles Of them are imbedded In the flesh,
Il Is feared that either tetanus or blood
poisoning may set in later. DR.. Macrae, jrh
who was called to attend the lads. said
that in the case OF the elder boy it would
be practically impossible to extract all of
the PARTICLES of the caps which had pene-
trated him as his body was literally per-
forated from head to foot
The boys grandmother, Mrs. White. who
makes her home with them. is suffering
from a fractured thigh, the result Of a
fall at Lake Manawa, and the hrst thought
OF the eldest boy was that she might be
H. worried over the accident. When his father
and mother ran out into the yard, at
tracted by the noise OF the explosion and
the cries of the children, the young lad
with the blood streaming from the numer-
Gus wounds In his face, called to them
"Ten granny amt hurt bit"
A little sister OF the boys was with them
but just as the lads placed the bunch OF
caps OH the burning paper she ran to the
side OF the clubhouse and was thus shielded
from the flying missiles when the explosion
occurred.
Dr. Dean, the eye specialist. who was
called to attend the eldest boy, stated
after a second examination last evening
that there was a bare chance of saving the
eyesight although both eyes were seriously
injured, and 1t was evident that minute
PARTICLES Of the copper caps were imbeddec
in both eye balls
Arthur W. Slack. the father, is the pro-
prietor OF a teamiug transfer business and
IL wen known throughout the city. H'
was at one time sergeant in the police
force. p" ''' ""