The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-08-29
Walter H. Harris. Last Victim Of
the Powder Mills Explosion
Died Wednesday
CORONER INVESTIGATES CASE
Inquest Over the Remains of the Three
Victims Is Being Held This After
noon, But Little Evidence
is in Sight for Coroner

Is Ia ZOE AOTODGF
The number of dead as a result Of
the explosion at the corning mill of
the Laf1in- Rand Powder com pany on
| Wednesday morning was increased to
three late Wednesday afternoon when
Walter H. Harris, the former superin-
tendent of the mill, died from his in
juries at the home of DR.. Lowe in the
village. Harris had shown signs of
Improvement but just before O'Clock
he suddenly became worse and he
sank rapidly. The remains of Harris
were brought to Kenosha later in the
afternoon and the coroner jury which
had been called 10 investigate the
death of Norman Phillips and w. j,
Nowland will also have charge of the
investigation of the death of Harris.
DR.. Andre and the members of the
jury met at the Miller & Cosgrove
morgue at half-past 2 o'clock this
afternoon to take up the work of
formulating a verdict, but the inquest
will not be completed until late this
afternoon. The men who could give
the evidence are all dead and it is
evident that the only finding that the
! jury can make will be one of acct
dental death. The officials of the
company have been summoned to APP
pear for the inquest and they may be
asked to throw some light on the
methods of the company, but there
were Just three men who witnessed
the explosion and their statements
| can never be secured.
Harris before he died made state
ment to DR.. Andre but it was discon-
nected and he could not place the
blame for the explosion. II saw a
FASH" said Harris, "just before the
mill went up and I made dash for
the door, hoping against hope that I
could get out of the mill. By this
time the mill was in flames. I feel
certain that there was no metal in the
powder as it was passing into the
sixth set of rolls, and if there had
been any metal there I would have
heard it grating on the other rolls. |
believe that there was head of
match in one of the cakes of ). un-
finished powder and this caused the
/ flash which | saw"
Harris was willing to make a signed
statement in regard to the things that
he had seen, but knowing that the
man was close to death the coroner
did not ask him to make this exer-
ton. If there was head Of match
IN the cakes of unfinished powder it
seems that the coroner and the other
off Gals should be able to find some
thing in regard to the way in which
the match got into the powder Ii it
was the result Of carelessness on the
part of an employe III some other
part Of the mill that employe should
suffer for the death of the three men.
There is an attitude of profound
sorrow and grief at the village of
Pleasant Prairie today, for while the
men who were killed by the powder
blast were not residents of the village
for any long time, all of them were
popular with the people. Harris was
especially well liked among the
/ younger people. He had come to the
| village nearly two years ago from
Blue Island, Ill, and had worked at
the powder plant ever since.
When Ralph Anderson was killed
last January Harris had volunteered
to take the post of superintendent of
the corning mill. Little is known of
his private life, but it is claimed that
he was a married man and that his
widow, from whom he had been sepa-
rated, is now living in Blue Island,
Ill.
The officials of the Powder Company
have given out no official statement in
regard to the explosion. but it is ex-
pected that some of the leading Off
Gals of the company will be here to-
day. No arrangements have been
made for the burial of the victims of
the blast, as it has so far been impos-
sible to communicate with their re1a-
tives. Many of the men at the plant
came to Kenosha today and went to
the morgue to look at the charred
faces of their former fellow workmen.
The little colony of southerners who
had come ur from West Virginia to
work at the plant we're deeply affected
by the death Of Phillips, as he had
been very popular among them. Phil.
lips came from the mountains of West
Virginia and he was dare devil in
way: He seemed to take pride in the
fact that he was working in the most
dangerous part of the plant.
No steps have as yet been taken tc
rebuild the corning mill, but it is Ger.
tain that it will be rebuilt just as soon
as possible.