Two Explosions on the Great Northern Grade Killed a Powder Driver
A load of dynamite tumbled into the upper Wenatchee River; days later, 100 kegs of black powder went up and Swan Johnson was blown eighty feet.
Recently a wagon load of dynamite destined for the Great Northern railroad on the upper Wenatchee upset on the grade and the entire load tumbled into the river. At the same place, a few days subsequently, a load of 100 kegs of black powder exploded, and Swan Johnson, who was driving, was blown eighty feet and received injuries from which he soon died.
“Swan Johnson, who was driving, was blown eighty feet and received injuries from which he soon died.”
Railroad and construction work remains among Washington's most dangerous jobs, and this brief notice preserves a worker who died moving explosives for the Great Northern. The Wenatchee River corridor is now a highway and rail route, but the risks of moving volatile materials have not vanished.
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