Rancher Injured in Dynamite Accident
A local farmer was severely wounded when a blast intended to clear cherry trees detonated unexpectedly.
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.
OLDS STATION.—L. S. Phillippi, a rancher of this place, suffered severe injuries in a dynamite explosion while removing cherry trees. After placing a charge in the roots of the tree, he retired to a safe place to await the blast. When the dynamite failed to explode, Mr. Phillippi went to investigate, when, just as he got to the tree, the charge exploded.
“When the dynamite failed to explode, Mr. Phillippi went to investigate, when, just as he got to the tree the charge exploded.”
This incident reflects the hazardous land-clearing methods used in early 20th-century Washington, where dynamite was a common but volatile tool for orchard expansion. Today, Olds Station remains a reminder of the region's agricultural history, now significantly more modernized.
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