Explosion Injures Four Children Playing with Gunpowder
A tragic accident in Elma highlights the hidden dangers in household heating appliances during the early 1900s.
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.
ELMA, Wash., March 3.—The four children of Ed Curtis, the oldest being only 12 years old, had a narrow escape from being burned to death during the absence of their mother from home. All of them sustained painful injuries as a result of their ignorance concerning the dangers of powder. The little ones were at play in the house, amusing themselves by throwing powder down the air flue of an air-tight heater. Beginning with a few grains, they gradually became more daring, being anxious to see a great flash. They poured in a whole package, which caused a deafening explosion, blowing the stove into a thousand pieces and burning the children severely. The older boy started after his mother, who had gone to town, and after going more than a mile while suffering intense pain he became exhausted. He was picked up by neighbors and carried to a physician, where he received treatment.
“They poured in a whole package, which caused a deafening explosion, blowing the stove into a thousand pieces.”
This incident reflects the dangers of coal-burning 'air-tight heaters' popular at the time. The story underscores the lack of supervision and the prevalence of explosive materials in rural pioneer households.
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