The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1906-05-17
FELL INTO TANK
OF BOILING WATER
JAMES A. RICHMOND MEETS WITH
HORRIBLE FATE.
BODY is LITERALLY COOKED.
Man Lived in Great Agony Only a
Few Hours After the Accident.
Which Occurred Near Eea-
con Friday Afternoon.

James A. Richmond, residing at No.
DOL lis North G. street, employed as a
hosting engineer at the Raven Coal
Company works southwest of the city.
10 was fatally scalded at the mine FRI
day afternoon. The sufferer died
about one o'clock Saturday morning.
About three-fourths of the body had
30 been literally cooked by the boiling
hot water into which the man fen.
Richmond was preparing to DO some
DO repairing and he left the engine house
shortly before noon to fix pipe that
went into an exhaust tank at the out
side of the house. The tank Is six
and half feet in depth AMI receives
three different exhausts from engines
and pumps about the works This
Dol keeps the water boiling. Richmond
was standing over the tank on board
looking at the threads on the end OF
the pipe when the plank broke, letting
DO him down into the boiling water. He
yelled, but on account of the roise
about the place he could not be heard.
He caught the end Of pipe as he fell.
DO He raised himself out of the water
and was climbing out upon piece OF
board when this turned or also broke
DO and he was immersed in scalding wat
er a second time. Again he pulled
himself out of the tank, this time sue
cessfully, and walked to the engine
room, where he met Robert McCord,
one of the top men. Il am badly
scalded," said Richmond as he en-
90 tered the building. McCord thought
that he was fooling at nrst, as he SAID
it in SO light a manner, but as he
90 commenced taking off his shirt 1t was
seen that it was wet and that the
man was in agony. When the cloth
90 ing came off the flesh came with it.
There was but few square inches OF
the mans body below the breast that
90 had not been fairly cooked. Oil was
poured over the burns and every,
thing possible done to relieve him.
Physicians were summoned and the
90 man was cared for and taken to his
home on North G street. He was suf-
fering intensely and morphia was adj
ministered. He kissed little grand
daughter and fell asleep, from which
90 he did not awaken. The shock had
been too great and the heart could not
endure.
so A number of men were at the works
at the time of the accident. In addi-
ton to McCord there we're John A.
90 Bell, Charley Bacon and William J.
McFate, who gave every attention
possible.
Richmond was a man of about forty
eight years of age and leaves wife
90 and a number of children. He is a
member of the Red Men lodge He
has resided in the city about three or
four years and was the owner Of the
90 Jennings place." where he resided.
He was a fine engineer and hard
worker in every way. He was good
90 citizen and had keen interest in the
affairs of every day life. His name
that evening was voted as delegate
to the republican convention from the
90 First ward. The ward caucus, al
though knowing the man to be dying
at the time, permitted the name to
remain, out of respect to their fellow,
90 and the accident was feelingly men
toned by the chair at the meeting.