The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1906-02-20
DYNAMITE EXPLODED.
Fifty Pounds Miraculous Escape Of
Harry Walker, who was Thawing

Harry Walker, who was Thawing
An explosion of dynamite that
shook every building in Corvallis,
and that shattered window panes
in buildings two miles distant from
the scene was an incident of yester-
day forenoon. Though there was
enough destruction in it to have
annihilated a regiment of men it
killed nobody. The miraculous
escape from death of Harry Walk
er, who was in 80 feet of it when the
blast went off, is incidental to the
happening. There was so pounds
or about $50 sticks of the dynamite
when it went off. and had it occur
red three or four seconds later, it
would have been the death and burial
of the victim. AS it is, the drum of
his left ear is shattered, and he will
never again hear in that organ. His
left eye was blinded for sometime
afterward, but the sight is gradual
ly returning, and it is believed the
injury in that organ will only be
temporary. Walker is As years of
age, and his home is at Independ-
ence. He is temporarily employed
as expert powder manin the remov-
al of stumps from the Taylor hop
yard.
The accident happened while
Walker was thawing out dynamite.
AS is well known, dynamite freezes
in a temperature of 90 degrees, and
before use has to be thawed out.
That was the business on which
Walker was engaged at the NOM
ent of the accident. Some time be-
fore. he had put the fifty pounds
of powder into his thawing appara-
tus. The thawing process was by
steam, that method being the SAT-
est known. Shortly before the &C.
cident, he had examined the powd-
er to see if it was dry enough for
use. It was not, and taking four
or five sticks, he passed out in the
field a distance of thirty rods where
he blew up a couple of stumps. He
was in the act of returning for more
dynamite and had advanced to with
in 80 feet of it, when the whole lot
he was thawing blew up.
The Victims Story.
81 was in 80 feet of the powder
} when it went off," said Mr.. Walk
er, after the accident. 81 was
walking rapidly and in two seconds
more 1t would have been all off with
me. was looking at the dyna.
mite when the explosion came. j
saw what looked like a blue star
suddenly fame up, and I remarked
: audibly to myself, there, feeling
sure that my time had come. The
next instant the conclusion struck
me, and never before did I encount'
er such an experience. It seemed
: to me just like my head and my
: body was struck with terrible force
with a big lot of lead. 1 never
dreamed that mere conclusion
+, could have such terrible force.
/ was thrown backward probably {
dozen feet, and then thrust along
the ground. I had no other ides
than that I was done for, and ever
after 1 had regained my feet anc
could walk about, I had doubts az
P to whether OF not I was schedule;
to survive. I have handled dyna
mite ever since I was IS years old
: a period of more than rs years
and this is my first accident"
J. 1t Shattered Glass.
The defamation from the explos
ion was terrific. Window pane
were shattered in one of the build
ings at the college. The glass tran
som in SMALL s store was shattered
by the conclusion. Windows wer
also broken in the Office at Fisch
er Mill. Every building in tow
was shaken and every window rat
tied violently by the phenomenon
The defamation brought everybod,
into the street. Some suggeste,
~ that a meteor had fallen and explod
,f ed in the vicinity. Bob Husto,
ia suspected that the druggists mex
door had been fooling with chem
icals and had blown themselves an
the establishment up. He went t
investigate and found both drug
q gists in the front door with mouth
ears, and eyes open for news, BIT
all intact and unframed. A farn
er living five miles over the rive
In Linn county heard the repo1
and came to town to investigate
8, It Caused Excitement.
e, Cr0Shv Davis woc in Wochipofo