The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-12-19
TERRIBLE AUTO EXPLOSION.
Harry Richard and Little Brother
Blown Up in Columbia.

Blown Cp III OOluIuDAd.
Columbia, Dec. 13.-The boilers Of
an automobile exploded yesterday
afternoon. blowing little Macolm
Richard. the four-year-old son Of Mr..
j. E. Richard, high into the air,
breaking his left thigh and rendering
him unconscious for many hours. MI.
Harry Richard, an older brother, who
had been driving the machine, was
thrown violently to the ground and
stunned. The machine was torn
literally into fragments, parts of it
being thrown on the roof Of the house
next door and others being hurled far
into the air and lodged in trees high
er than the roof Of the house and the
yard in which the explosion occurred
was strewn with parts of the machine.
The shock of the explosion was felt
three blocks away. and the detona-
ton was heard as far as Main
street
The machine was an old one,
which had not been used for num-
b r of years and was operated by
steam engines instead Of gasoline.
Mr. Richard, the father of the two
occupants Of the machine, is a deal
er in automobiles and had this old
steam driven me chine in his back
ward. It was one of the first brought
stcs this city and for more than four
years has been displaced by more
modern machines and thrown aside.
Yesterday Harry Richard thought he
would try the old machine and put it
In repair. After cleaning and in
specting it, he fred it up, and taking
his little brother with him went for
short spin. Everything worked salts
factorsiy and he returned to the yard
at his home Immediately after
stopping the auto Mr. Richard step
ped out and was in the act of assist
ing his little brother to alght, when,
for some unaccountable reason, there
was an explosion, which wrecked
the machine and injured the two oc-
cupants.
The force of the explosion cannot
be comprehended until the effects Of
it are seen. There is 7ndt part of
the machine which has not been torn
into splinters except the metal run
ming gear and that is so twisted and
torn that it will never again be used.
The large backyard in which the ex-
plosieaS occurred is filed with rem
.nants Of the woodwork; in every
corner are parts of the seats, top and
body. Everywhere are to be seen
bits of leather, wood and tufts of
hair with which the cushions were
stuffed. Parts of this woodwork were
thrown so high and so far that they
came down on the roof Of the house
next door. and o,her parts lodged in
the branches of the high trees in the
yard. The engine and other ma
chinery is nothing more than a heap
of rubbish.
Those who saw the explosion say
that Harry Richard was dashed to
the ground. The baby brother who
was slipping down from the seat at
the moment was Immediately over
the boilers and caught the full force
of the explosion. He was thrown
higher than the top of the house and
fell in such way that his left leg
was dou bied under his body and frac-
tured by the fall. Mrs. Richard, the
mother of the little fellow was in the
house, and when she heard the explo-
sion, rushed out to see her baby boy
writing in pain on the ground. The
elder brother had been knocked down
and stunned but soon recovered and
assisted in caring for the injured
baby. A physician was quickly called
and the broken limb was set. Last
night the little boy was in satisfac-
tory condition.
Mr.. Harry Richard, who was in
charge of the machine, when it was
blown up, is one of the most expert
enced and expert drivers in Columbia
He has been connected with the shop
of his father for more than FIVE years
and has served a term Of months in
one of the foremost automobile works
in the country.