July
27, 1905 – Albert Erickson, 16 years old, was instantly killed
while adjusting a belt in the C. A. Smith Sawmill this evening.
The boy was employed at odd jobs about the mill, and at midnight one of the belts slipped the wheel. Erickson climbed up 40 feet to adjust it, and his clothing was caught on the shafting. Before the machinery could be stopped he was whirled round and round the bar and horribly mangled. Both legs and one arm were torn from his body. Andrew Bergstrom, another mill workman, witnessed the accident, and stopped the machinery. He then called the other men to the rescue, and the first to answer the call was the boy’s own father.
The father was struck speechless by the nature of the accident and had to be taken away by friends.
The boy was dead when taken down from the shafting. Coroner Kistler was summoned and ordered the body taken to the family residence.
The Minneapolis Journal; “Boy Whirled to Death in
Wheel. Father First to Answer Call of Man Who Witnessed Mill Tragedy.”; July
28, 1905; p. 1.The boy was employed at odd jobs about the mill, and at midnight one of the belts slipped the wheel. Erickson climbed up 40 feet to adjust it, and his clothing was caught on the shafting. Before the machinery could be stopped he was whirled round and round the bar and horribly mangled. Both legs and one arm were torn from his body. Andrew Bergstrom, another mill workman, witnessed the accident, and stopped the machinery. He then called the other men to the rescue, and the first to answer the call was the boy’s own father.
The father was struck speechless by the nature of the accident and had to be taken away by friends.
The boy was dead when taken down from the shafting. Coroner Kistler was summoned and ordered the body taken to the family residence.
The C. A. Smith mill at Camden Place was the largest sawmill plant in the city
of Minneapolis.
The Minneapolis Journal; “A Model Lumber Manufacturing Plant. C. A. Smith Lumber Company, an Establishment Unique and Complete—History of Its Growth and Description of Its Equipment.”; Nov. 26, 1903; p. 83.
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If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including: census records, birth records, death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records. I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.
If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including: census records, birth records, death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records. I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.
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Website: TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History
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