Burning Oil, a Shattered Shanty, and a Logger Who Threw Two Men to Safety
Chester LaChapelle rescued his cousin and a roommate after a gasoline stove exploded near Kapowsin, sacrificing his own face and hands to the flames.
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A story of heroic life-saving in a logging camp shanty came to light last night with the arrival in Tacoma of Chester LaChapelle, a 24-year-old Bismarck boy, who has been at work near Kapowsin.
LaChapelle saved the lives of his cousin, William Blair, and a roommate named "Shorty," at the sacrifice of being burned so badly about the face and hands that he will be marked for life.
While the trio were in their shanty "Shorty" attempted to light a small gasoline stove. The gasoline exploded, throwing the burning liquid in all directions. LaChapelle, with clothes burning and hot oil streaming down his face, seized Blair and "Shorty" in quick succession, and hurled them through a window out of harm's way.
“LaChapelle saved the lives of his cousin, William Blair, and a roommate named "Shorty," at the sacrifice of being burned so badly about the face and hands that he will be marked for life.”
Logging was one of the most dangerous jobs in early Washington, and gasoline stoves added new fire risks to already combustible shanties. LaChapelle's rescue is a reminder that workplace safety often arrived through individual courage—and that the bodies of workers paid the price.
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