The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-03-05
Holds Powder Co. Partly
Responsible for Explos-
ion Tragedy.
SECOND MAN Is DYING
Stanley GozOlki, Sole Survivor
of Explosions In a
Critical Condition.

Peter Schalkowsky met his death
through third degree burns and other
injuries sustained in an explosion at
the Hercules Powder Mill at Pleasant
Prairie on Friday, Feb. 10, and the
responsibility for the cause of this
explosion is blamed in part upon the
officials of the company for not having
taken the sproper precautions in pro-
tecting the powder in the mills from
foreign substances such as weights,
etc.
That was the verdict of the coron-
er's jury which on Monday afternoon
met at the municipal courtroom to
hear the evidence presented at an in
quest into the death of Peter Schal-
kowsky two weeks ego last Friday at
Pleasant Prairie.
Stanley Gozolki, who was working
near Peter at the time of the ex-
plosion is still at Kenosha hospital in
a serious condition. He suffered Sc
rious burns about the face and neck
and physicians and nurses in constant
attendance at his side at the hos
pital hold out little hope for his re-
covery. For time after the acci-
dent he seemed to rally but re-
| lapse came after it was discovered
that gangrene had set in mad now it
is not expected that Gozoll will
| live.
At the coronerAs inquest Coroner
Joseph Friend ordered witnesses to
give their testimony without waiting
for that of Gozolki, who would have
been the most important witness, and
who as far as is known was the only
other man who saw the explosion at
the time.
Il. H. Veale, superintendent of the
Hercules Powder company plant at
! Pleasant Prairie, and Arnold Newyear,
another employee Of the company, and
DR.. A. j. Lowe, who attended the vic
Tins, gave testimony at the inquest.
The substance of this evidence appear
! ed to bear out the verdict of the cor
oner's jury While nothing definitely
positive is known of how the accident
occurred, the coroner together with off,
Gals of the company have woven out
what they feel to be the actual cause
of the explosion.
The accident occurred in one of the
powder grinding plants of the company
where powder is ground and screened
and made ready for packing. The pow
der goes through a hundred different
screenings, according to the informa.
ton brought out at the inquest, and
each one of these is done so careful
| ly as to prevent the possibility of any
foreign substance getting into the
powder when it gets to the grinder
and pulverizer.
Metal Weight in Powder.
In spite of all of these precautions
evidence at the inquest shows, FIVE
pound weight such as that used on &
platform scale in some unaccount-
able manner got into the powder jus;
as it was about to go TO the grinder
Schalkowsky was working alone in the
grinding mill at the time and wher
this weight touched the metal grinder
a spark resulted which caused the ex-
plosion taking his life. Gozolki was
working outside of this mill and 81
feet away from it at the time of the
explosion. He was wheeling q truck
of powder towards the mill. At this
moment of the explosion a sharp ton
| que of fame leaped out from ovel
the barricades set to protect adjoin
ing property and touched off the pow
4 der in Gozolki's truck. 1t was here
1 that the latter was so painfully burned
and injured
According to the jury it is claimed
that it was in part through the negli
/ gence of some employee of the com
) ir-HA
into the powder, and verdict was