The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1906-01-16
THE ONE ACCT
DENT COME
How Jimmie O'Hare. the Nitro
GIyCerin Expert, Died.

Cherryyale, Kas., Jan. l5.-'ln this
business they never happen but tonce, ?
said the we'll shooter-his death had
been predicted for twenty years.
When Jimmie" O'Hare was blown
into fragments at Chelsea one day last
week by the explosion of wagon
load Of nitroglycerin a prophecy was
fulfilled that was first made more
than twenty years ago and was reit-
Grated times without number in ev-
cry oil district in the country. For
"Jimmie" had worked in every dis
trict in the country where the chug
of the oil drill has been heard, and in
his life he handled enough explosives
to have destroyed Port Arthur several
times. Daily he lived in close asso-
citation with hundreds Of gallons Of
nitroglycerin, and it was a common
sight in tho oil country to see him
rattling over the hills on The seat of
wagon loaded with the deadly ex-
plosive.
PREDICTED HIS DEATH.
'He will get it some day" the boys
in the Pennsylvania oil fields began
saying more than twenty years ago,
and have repeated everywhere "Jim-
mie'' went
But all these years "Jimmie''
laughed at the prophecies and laugh
ing would load up his wagon and rat
tie out into the country to shoot a
well, taking with him from one to
two hundred quarts Of nitroglyserln-
But the trite adage of the pitcher
tells the story of "Jimmie's'' end. As
is usually the case in such accidents,
no body knows or ever will know how
it happened. There was an explosion
that shook the country for miles
around, and when an investigation
was made there was little to be found
except a wide. deep hole In the
ground.
NITROGLYCERIN rs FREAKISH.
The man who was killed often told
Of incidents that illustrated the
freakishness Of the explosive he hand
led, and it may have been some
''freak'' that cost him his life. "Jim-
mie" use to tell of the running away
ia the streets of Bradford, Pa, when
a team dragged glycerin wagon the
whole length of street, the cans
rlcoccheting around like billiard balls,
and no explosion occurred. Then Of
another case which occurred in the
old days when the glycerin box was
located right over the springs Of the
wagon There was leaky can, and
three drops falling on the springs
caused the loss Of two lives. He told
of still another case where shooter
on a spree hurled BOTTLES OF glycerin
against rock. All the BOTTLES broke
but not one exploded He would
close his story Of that singular occur
renee which took place in Chanute
last spring, when glycerin magazine
caught fire and was entirely burned
without exploding And then he
would say. "It's the friction, man,
i0's the friction, and that's what I'm
always looking out for.
HE FORGOT THE FRICTION" ONCE.
Maybe "JSmmie'' forgot the ''fric-
tion" for once.
Jimmie" had certain rules he OBJ
served when handling nitroglycerin.
One day while discussing explosives
he said:
"a man had better quit this busi-
ness when he loses his nerve. 1t is
Just like handling nettle. Take
hold Of it and take hold strong. A
or panicY fellow had better
stay away from glycerin, because
will happen, and it never
happens to a shooter but once. .
Jimmie was known to nearly ev-
cry oil man in new York, Pennsylvan-
ia, Indiana, Ohio, Kansas and Cali