A Dangerous Afternoon in Hover
Two young brothers suffer severe acid burns after a household mishap.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Guy and baby Kingsbury, the two sons of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Kingsbury, were severely burned with carbolic acid last Tuesday morning at 11:30. Mrs. Kingsbury and the children were at the home of Mrs. John Mills, having gone after vegetables. The youngest child was placed in a chair by a table and Guy was left to watch him. The baby succeeded in climbing on to the table and then reached a bottle of acid which was on a large keg by the table, and proceeded to distribute it well over his own body and the back of his brother. Dr. F. M. Crosby, of Kennewick, was immediately called and the children were soon relieved of the terrible burning. They are now doing nicely and it is hoped neither will be disfigured.
“The baby succeeded in climbing on to the table and then reached a bottle of acid... and proceeded to distribute it well over his own body and the back of his brother.”
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the lack of child-safety regulations for common household chemicals in the early 20th century, a stark contrast to modern poison control awareness and packaging standards.
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