Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1908-01-03
TH0S. GIBSON MEETS
With AWFUL MISHAP
ATTEMPTED TO INVESTIGATE
BELATED DYNAMITE CHARGE.
Occurred Yesterday Noon at In
terurbdn Line Camp Just East of
City-BOth Eyes Blown Out and
Face and Head Otherwise Mu-
tildted-A Sad Happening.

construction work for the Milwaukee
Electric Railway and Light company,
met with frightful accident yester-
day ut the company's camp about
mile and half east of this city.
A result Of Investigating a be-
lated charge of dynamite, Gibson was
injured in horrible manner about
the head, losing the sight of both
eyes, the same having been blown
completely from their sockets. His
face was also disfgured almost
beyond recognition.
Immediately after the accident, the
unfortunate gentleman was brought
to the city and taken to the Elmer
gency hospital. Drs. HabhePger and
Shinnick were summoned and admin
istered to the wants of the sufferer,
who although conscious at the time of
his arrival here, was apparently
suffering great torture and his mutt
lated head was indeed horrible
spectacle to behold. The victim of
the accident was brought to town by
w. ]. Fleming, the time keeper at
the camp. using the rig owned by T.
K. t'innerty, the foreman at the
camp. the latter named gentleman
walking to town.
Mr.. Finnerty, the foreman, was
the nearest to the scene OF the acct
dent when il occurred. In speaking
of the affair to d representative of
The Leader, he gave the following
version Of how it happened: Three
holes in the frozen DIRT had been
charged just before noon. Gibson
renamed to zee that the explosions
occurred. Two of them went off, but
the third refused to respond to the
lighted fuse. Mr.. Gibson went back
to investigate the delay and thinking
the fuse had gone out. he leaned over
the charge. AS he did so, terrific
explosion occurred and Gibson was
hurled about. thirty feet, the torce of
the charge striking him in the face.
Gibson has been with the company for
the past two years, off and on. He
worked under me last winter and the
winter before and again started work
about two weeks ago. He was con-
sIdered a good man in handling
dynamite. But the best of them will
get caught occasionally
The operations by the doctors dis
closed not only the fact that both eyes
had been blown away, but that the
unfortunate gentleman had received
other horrible wounds about the face
and head. Two irregular wounds were
discovered over the left eye one near
the angle of the eye about half an
inch in length. The other was about
an inch and half in length. This
was also irregular and directed from
the eyebrows upward, not extending
below the eyes, however extending
to the peri Uranium. The doctors
found that there was no fracture of
the skull. A wound over the right
side of the forehead extends from the
base of the. nose, upward and out
ward for distance of about two
inches. This wound is also irregular
and extends to the peri Uranium.
There was a confusion of the eyellds
and both were closed, taking consider
able force to open the same on account
of swelling.
With the left eye, both lids were
swollen and the eye closed. The wound
was irregular on an angle with the
eye, together with a slight confused
wound of the lower lid. The eyeball
of the left eye was completely opened
up and the contents blown out. In
fact there was nothing but shreds
existing of the structure of the eye.
Pieces of mud were removed from the
eye while the operation was in pro-
gress-
With the right eye the lid was torn
in five places, presenting very rag
geo appearance The lower lid was
torn in two places and communicates
with a wound to an angle of the
mouth. The bony sucket was COM
pletely filled with clay, the whole
structure of the eye being destroyed.
On Gibson's face there is wound
extending from an angle of the right
eye, awaydown to right angle
of the mouth. the same being very
irregular and extending down TO the
bone
Gibson has made Watertown his
home most of the time for the past
five years, coming here from Fond du
Lac, where he has a brother residing.
Word vas sent to the brothe- yester-
day informing him of the sad accident
happening yesterday. A message was
also sent summoning the company's
physician and surgeon from Milwau
kee.
DIR. Lemon of Milwaukee, physician
and surgeon for the company, arrived
here yesterday afternoon. After
examining the patient, he deemed it
advisable to take the sufferer to ST.
Mary's hospital at Milwaukee and
left for there with Mr.. Gibson On the
b :55 train last evening. The physician
gave out but very little hopes for the
recovery of the unfortunate man.