The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1913-10-07
Boiler ExplOdes;;
Six Badly Injured
Wrecked Boiler Hurled Forty Rods
From Engine Near Springfield,
Men Barely Escape Death
ALL EXPECTED TO RECOVER
Boiler Was Inspected Last July; Nc
Possible Fault on Part of
Engineer
The Injured

Herman Rosenau, Wabasso, age
20, struck in face by piece of
iron, jaw broken, ear torn from
head, severe scalp wounds; con-
dition serious.
Chas. Wendt, terribly scalded
by escaping steam. Confined in
ST. Johns hospital, condition
serious.
Armand Fimeyer, son of the
late Mr.. and Mrs. Albert Fimeyer,
of New Ulm, eyes scalded, and in
jured in face.
Otto Fimeyer, aged 4, brother
of Armand Fimeyer, scalded about
face, head and feet.
Carl Peterson, face scalded.
Henry Rosenau, shoulder in
jured.
Miraculous escape from instant ant
terrible death was experienced, early
Tuesday morning, by threshing crew
on the farm of Adolph Trebisch
about six miles from Springfield, wher
a Is h. p. steam engine was totally
destroyed by an explosion. Pieces
of iron were strewn about the farm.
yard and the escape of the crew hard
ly seemed possible. The engine was
owned by Ebert Meyer and Martin
Christensen and has been used fol
fifteen years, having undergonen gov.
ernmsnt inspection last July. The in.
jured,. although in several instances
serioul;ly hurt, are expected to recover
Drs. Rothenburg and Schrader, Of
Springfield, and DR.. Piper Of Sanborn
were talled TO the scene and dressed
~ wtfnds At ths injured
Boiler Thrown 40 Rods
The threshing rig was being oper.
ated in the barn yard. Two stacks
Of grain had been threshed, and En-.
gjneer Arnold Ryan was engaged in
pulling the separator between the
two remaining stacks. The engine
was between the two stacks, around
which were standing the members Of
the crew. Without warning the boil.
er exploded, parts Of the engine being
strewn about the yard, and the boiler
was blown into the air and over the
house and trees a distance Of fully
forty rods, and then dropped to the
ground. The boiler was Strengthened
out so that it resembled huge piece
of battered sheetiron, and one could
scarcely imagine that it once served
the purpose Of a steam boiler.
The only members Of the crew tx
escape injury were, Engineer Ryan
Kurt Nelson and Geo. Slatzen.
Thrown Against Stack
Adolph Trebisch, on whose farm
the accident occurred, and Kurt Mel
son, member of the crew, were neal
the engine at the time, assisting in
holding the drive belt, but both es-
capped injury. They were thrown
against the stack, but escaped without
q scratch.
That Engineer Ryan was not ser.
iously injured almost passes under
standing. He was at his post d
duty on the engine when the crash
came and the wrecked hulk Of the
engine gives evidence that he must
have been in the very midst Of the
flying pieces Of iron.
The tank man, Geo. Slatzen, was
in the net Of placing wooden blocks
under the drive wheels of the engine
to prevent them from clipping in
the mud, but despite his close prox-
unity to the explosion he also escaped
serious injury.
To Mike Investigation
Ebert Meyer, Who has been with
his machine almost constantly since
Il Vas started up, states that his engi-
neer was competent IN every respect
and he does not attach the slightest
blame to him, but he does feel that the
blame may be laid to the inspector.
However, the State Inspector viii
have an expert On the grounds imme-
to make : close investigation,
and It is then possible that the blame
viii Be placed where it rightfully be-
longs. Brown County Journal
Thomas G. Stafford made another
trip TO Becker County last week ac-
companied by Fred Bucler and Albert