Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1920-09-24
CLINTON B. KIDDER
OF FERGUS FALLS DIES
Manager of Otter Tail Power Com
pany Passes Away as Result Of
Electric Shock

$50, as the result of a severe cleo
trio shock received ten days before.
The accident occurred while Mr..
Kidder was working in the trans
former house on Friday morning,
Sept. II, and since that time he has
never fully regained consciousness.
Funeral services will take place
on Friday morning at eleven o'clock
at Fergus Falls. Russell Baker, man
ager of the local Office will leave to-
night to attend the services.
The following is taken from the
Fergus Falls Daily Journal of Sept.
21:
"Mr. c. B. Kidder, general man
ager of the Otter Tail Power Com
pany, who was so seriously burned
on Friday morning, September 10,
died at the George B. Wright Hos
pital in this city on Monday even
ing, September 20, at $3.50 o'clock.
"It will be remembered that Mr..
Kidder was found at the transform
er house in the western part of the
city a week ago last Friday in
terribly burned condition. He left
his home early in the morning, and,
after a short visit to the office, went
to the transformer house to make an
inspection. In doing so in some I'M
accountable manner he fell into or
touched wires carrying 100000 volts
and was very severely burned. He
was seen going into the transformer
house about twenty minutes to 8
and at twenty minutes to 10 Virgil
Anderson, who works for one of the
coal companies which has a yard
near there, saw Mr.. Kidder sitting
on a bench outside the transformer
house evidently in great distress. He
was unable to give any information
about how the accident happened,
but asked to have doctor called,
but instead of doing that he was at
once taken to the Wright hospital
where it was found that his right
side, including his head and his arm
had been terribly burned.
From the very outset it was
known that his chances of recovery
were few, but he had a fine constitu-
ton, had always lived most exem
plary life and was such thorough
optimist that his friends and physi-
clans thought it among the possibil-
tiles that he might successfully
Withstand the shock. From the time
he was taken to the hospital until
his death there was no time when
his mind was clear, although he ap-
% -
family who we're constantly at his
bedside. After passing the first
crisis which comes in the first forty
eight hours his friends hoped that
he was going to pull through but on
Sunday evening his lungs began to
fill up and from then. on it was ap-
parent that the end would be only
a question of short time. AS stat
ed, he passed away very quietly and
peacefully at $50 Monday evening.
"Mr. Kidder became connected
with the Otter Tail Power company
about ten years ago. At that time
he was residing at Wahpeton to
which city he had moved in order
that he might look after a large
amount of land which his family
owned in the vicinity. He had pre-
viousIy been engaged in electrical
work, seeing the possibilities of the
development of the Otter Tail Power
company, he became acquainted with
Mr.. Vernon A. Wright, which re-
suited in his becoming officially con-
nected with the company. Mr.. Kid
der virtually built and developed
the great system which now radiates
from Fergus Falls. He knew every
part Of it, all the people connected
with it, all the officials of the towns
which it serves, and every one of
them counted him as their friend
One of the professional men of Fer
gus Falls stated the other day, Mr.
Kidder was a real asset for the peo-
pie of the community which he served
He had a new conception of what q
public utility should be. He was al
ways showing how inter-dependent
the public and the system are, how
one cannot prosper or suffer without
affecting the other
"Clinton Baxter Kidder was bor1
at Geneseo, Ind, November 20, 1857
and was, therefore, So years,
months and % days old at the time
of his death. His father and mother
Mr.. and Mrs. Willard Kidder, wer
Of New York stock, and his fathe
was engaged in the -four milling
business. The family later move'
to Terre Haute, Ind, where MI
Kidder was educated, graduating
from the Rose Polytechnic Institut
as an electrical engineer. His frs
work was at Cincinnati, where b
changed over horse street railwa,
to an electric railway. Later on h
became superintendent of the syste1
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