James Phillips

Accident 6. - A very serious accident occurred at the Hecla branch of the Calumet & Hecla Mine, January 27, caused by the bursting of a steam valve, scalding five men, viz:

• James Phillips
• Fred Trathen
• Charles Gemmer
• James Williams
• Andrew Erickson

These men were at work in a wooden launder or covering repairing a defective joint in a five inch steam pipe that ran from the G.H.&S. boilers to the No. 6 shaft house. The men were in the launder repairing the joint and the steam had been shut off with a valve at No. 7 shaft, about six-hundred feet from where the men were at work. The steam being shut off the pipes contracted, and in order to make the last joint it was necessary to turn on the steam in the pipes and expand them sufficiently to bring them together at the joint. Mr. Luther, foreman, went to No. 7 shaft and opened the valve to turn on the steam to expand the pipes and then closed it again. As he was returning to where the men were at work the valve exploded injuring the men mentioned above. As soon as possible the unfortunate men were taken to the mine hospital and their wounds were examined and dressed by the physicians. Erickson, Williams and Gemmer were then taken to their homes, their burns not being as serious as those of Phillips and Trathen, who were burned in a terrible manner, their faces being so badly burned as to be unrecognizable, and they were also injured internally by inhaling the scalding steam. The physicians did everything in their power to reduce the suffering of the unfortunate men, but it was beyond human skill to do more than prolong Phillips life a few hours, and he died Tuesday morning, the 29th.

An inquest was at once called before Justice Sowden at the Village of Red Jacket, but was adjourned until February 6.

The jury brought in the following verdict: “James Phillips came to his death at the Calumet & Hecla Mine, while engaged in his usual occupation, by the unavoidable and accidental bursting of a steam valve, on the 27th day of January, 1895."

Trathen, after lying about three weeks in the hospital and receiving excellent care and treatment by the physicians, recovered.

Accident at the Calumet Hecla Mine

Houghton, Mich., Jan. 29- "The bursting of a steam pipe in the Calumet & Hecla mine last night seriously scalded five machinists, two of whom will die. The Injured men are Andrew Erickson, Charles Grimmer, James Williams, Fred Trathen and James Phillips. The last two Inhaled so much live steam that their lungs are scalded and they cannot recover."

Northwestern, T. and 1, P. (2021) Clipping from The Oshkosh Northwestern - Newspapers.com, Newspapers.com. Available at: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78596648/the-oshkosh-northwestern/ (Accessed: 6 July 2021).