Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1915-09-23
BOILER EXPLOSION KILLED
YOUNG MCDOWALL FRIDAY
Terrible Fatal Threshing Accident
Near Langdon Came as Shock
to Every Resident

boiler explosion that occurred Friday
forenoon, when the traction engine of
the McDowall Bros. threshing outfit
blew up at the Gautche farm nine
miles northeast of Langdon.
The terrible death dealing tragedy,
which happened at about eleven
O'Clock after a steady forenoon's run
killed its victim almost instantly, and
by what would seem to be little less
than miracle permitted all others of
the crew on the machine to escape
without injury. Without moments
warning the front end of the boiler
blew out, fragments of the heavy iron
door, used for cleaning out the fues,
being carried over the straw stack and
found hundred yards away from the
scene of the disaster. McDowall, who
has operated the engine for several
seasons, was on the platform when his
engine blew up and standing besides
him was Albert Dahlvang, his fire.
man. After the explosion McDowall
was found with the lower part of both
legs under one of the big hind wheels
of the engine. 1t would appear that
the terrific force of the explosion had
caused The recoil Of the engine from
Its set position almost twenty feet,
coming dawn ca MeDowall, where he
lay after his impact with the tender
and water tank, located at the rear of
the engine. Dahlvang, the fireman,
picked himself up uninjured short
distance to one side of the engine and
was the first to find McDowall, who
had only partly lost consciousness.
The injuries resulting in McDowall' s
death were found later to have been
received at the time of the explosion
and by the force of the impact of his
body with the tender at the rear of
the engine and not by being crushed
to death under the engine There was
a fracture of the spinal column at the
lower part Of the back and internal
injuries, while both pelvic bones were
broken. His brother, Jack, in charge
OF the separator, was with him during
the few minutes until he died, and
during which he was quite conscious
of the fact that he was going to die.
The mother, Mrs. McDowall, was
hurrledly brought from the home near
by, but was unable to reach there
until he had died and not permitted
to see the body until it had been
removed to the Gautche house. When
the news of the accident reached
Langdon the first to hear it were his
two brothers, Hugh and Will, in town
looking after the unloading of car of
coal for the outfit.
One of the results of the explosion
was the setting afre of the straw
stack and barely making possible the
saving of the separator. 1t was also
found Necessary to pillow fire break
around the burning straw pile in order
to save the unthreshed grain and in
sure the safety of the farm buildings
located within two hundred yards
from the scene of the fatal accident.
The cause of the explosion probably
will never be known, the engine,
although it had been in operation a
number of years, was in good repair
and running in perfect order. Dahl
wang, the fireman, states that the
pump was working all right and that
the gauge showed plenty of water in
the boiler up to within a few minutes
of when the explosion occurred. 1t is
suggested by some that the heavy
crop, and the unusual stand of straw.
where they had been threshing through
the forenoon might have been too big
strain on the engine and had some
thing to do with the explosion.
David Beaton McDowall was the
second son of Hon. and Mrs. Jas. Nc
Dowall, highly respected old pioneers
of Harvey township, the father of the
deceased having passed from this life
in May of last year. The age of
David Beaton McDowall was about
thirty-three and he was brought to
this county an infant in arms when
the family emigrated from Owen
Sound, Ont. in 1882. In addition to
the widowed mother he is survived by
four brothers, Hugh, Jack, William
and Donald, all of whom are residing
here and one sister, Mrs. Anna Grier-
son, of Edmonton, Alta. Being the
elder of the unmarried sons left in the
home since the death of his father
about year since, his gentle and
kindly thoughtfulness will be greatly
missed by his mother, whose loneli.
ness since the double bereavement
within the past year is sure to develop
the sincere and heartfelt sympathy, of
the large circle of the friends of the
n HH-IA