Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1914-08-14
THRESHERS
EXPLODE IN THIS COUNTY
DURING THE PAST WEEk
Continued from first page)

burning Of the separator owned by
Naffziger Bros, which was operating
on the IL ". Price farm, four miles
northwest of Pullman. The separ-
ator burned almost to the ground
Thursday morning of this week and
members OF the crew who were work
ing close to the machine at the
time OF the fire are emphatic in their
contention that there was no eX9lo>
sion. Almost instantly, and witnOu
any warning, the machine became O
soothing bass of flames, and was az
most totally destroyed before the
blaze could be checked. The outfit
was working in very smutty grain,
which was being headed, and there
was no suggestion Of incendiarism.
There was 10 insurance On the sep
arator. aad 200 sacks of grain were
destroyed, although this was insured.
Tho machine had exploded three
times previous to its destruction, out
on each OF these occasions the fire
had been put out with water with lit
tie damage. The two injured men
were brought to Pullman and their
burns were dressed.
At O'clock this morning the sep
arator belonging to b. Anterior
caught firg while standing idle, and
the draper and interior of the ma
chine were damaged There was
fire in The engine at the time and it
is not improbable that the fire origi-
mated from spark from the engine.
The machine is being repaired today
and the loss will be slight.
Only Two separators are now oper-
ating in the Evansville district and
only two east of Albion.
Community Insurance
The inability of separator owners
to secure insurance has worked a
great hardship on the farmers. md
in some districts the farme rs OF the
community have banded together to
insure the separators which will har-
vest their crops.
Merit Davis on Saturday tele-
phoned 10 Pullman to send officers
to his place to arrest a stranger
whom he had accosted roaming
through hia grain fields. Constables
were sent to the place by automobile,
but the man had fled.
Francisco Espinosa, the Indian
who claims to be from California ar
rested near Pennington, last week
by Deputy Sheriff Jim Sterling of
Moscow, was arraigned before Judge
VIII F. Morgareidge to answer to in
formation filed by Prosecutor John
Nesbit, charging him with having
attempted to burn a stack OF grain,
the property of one C. C. Simmons"
His attorney A. Nj. Curry, asked that
the hearing be set for Saturday.
which was sc ordered. The prisoner
admits that he has visited most of
the territory of the Palouse coun-
try where thTeshing machines have
burned tits season. These places in
clude ColfaX, st. John, Palodse,
Oakesdale, Garfield and Farmine@on.
He states he is a laborer and was
looking for work, but that because.
he said, Il am an Indian nobody
give me work"
Mike Savage, an Austrian, was ar
rested at Garfield, charged with at
tempting to burn shocked grain on
the E. j. Byrne place, where he was
employed. He was taken to Colfax
for hearing. 1t is alleged that many
match heads were found in shocks
near which he had been lounging.
Experts Seek to Discover Cause
The State College has for several
years been graphing with the
troublesome smut problem of the
wheat growers and has made sub
stantial progress toward a solution
CT the problem from the standpoints
Of seed treatment, soil handling.
breeding, etc. 1t is confronted now
with a new phase of the question.
ramely, the so-called smut explo-
sions," occurring so frequently in
connection with threshing the pres
ent season, and is making efforts 10
solve this difficulty. Investigation
are being carried on in the laJora-
tories Of the experiment station to
ascertain the explosive character of
smut and methods of controlling the
same. Observations are being made
daily by several members of the col
lege staff upon the operation OF
threshing outfits in the PaIouse
country.
Vice President Waller proFesso,