Obit: North, Thomas (? – 1873)

Contact: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: North, Morse, Gates, Lacey

----Source: The Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.) 21 Nov 1873

North, Thomas (? – 19 NOV 1873)

A man killed and another wounded by the premature discharge of a blast

On Monday morning last, Thomas North and Sidney Morse were engaged in drilling on an old blast in a well on Daniel Gates's farm, seven miles north of this place (Neillsville, Clark Co., Wis.), when it exploded, mortally wounding the former and seriously injuring the latter.

The blast had been put in by them the Friday before, but failed to ignite, owing to the point of the drill having been broken off while tamping the charge. On Monday they set to work to drill it out, first taking the precaution of filling the hole with water. After working awhile, Morse, who was holding the drill, discovered that the piece of drill had become , and advised taking it off. Before proceeding further. North, who was a very impatient and reckless sort, refused to the little trouble necessary. Morse drew back from the blast as far as possible while holding the drill, while North struck it a powerful blow, and the explosion took place. North was still apparently lifeless with a terrible bruise on his right side, a gash near the temple and a large wound on the back of his head caused by being blown back against a rockslide at the well. Morse was stunned for a few minutes, but recovered with the comparatively small injury of a severe cut on his head and a badly powder burnt face. A nearby man hearing the explosion came to the well and lowered a…(unreadable)…. . Sidney succeeded in placing around North's body with his disable hand, and he was drawn from the well. He remained in a lifeless condition until Sidney had been drawn from the well, when he began to breathe. Dr. Lacey was immediately sent for, but could do nothing to relieve him. He remained unconscious until Tuesday morning, when death ensued. His body was brought to this place in the afternoon and buried the next day.