Long, Joseph (Died 1901)

LONG

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, volunteer (email)
Date: 1/14/2011 at 11:10:55

LeMars Sentinel
January 21, 1901

BLOWN TO PIECES
A Premature Explosion of Dynamite Kills Joseph Long
HE WAS WARMING THE STUFF
His Hands Were Blow Off, His Eye Torn From Its Socket and His Body Lacerated
with Jagged Wounds in a Dozen Different Pieces

Joseph Lang (sic-Long), a young man about twenty-one years of age, residing
in Lincoln township, was the victim of a shocking accident on Saturday
afternoon and forfeited his life two hours after its occurrence. The
unfortunate young man was literally cut to pieces by a premature explosion
of dynamite. His hands were blown off, his right eye torn from its socket,
his skull above crushed in near the right temple, and his chest, stomach and
abdomen punctured in a dozen different places with splinters of iron and
wood. He was alone in the kitchen of a house on the farm of P. Casper Sr.,
in Lincoln township, his brother Albert and another man being outside, at
the time the accident occurred.

Joseph Long has been employed in the well drilling business for the past two
years and has worked with Geo. P. Kounkel Jr. and his brother, Albert Long.
Mr. Kounkel went to South Dakota last week leaving the Long boys to finish a
well they were drilling on the Caspar farm. The day¹s work progressed all
right until about three o¹clock in the afternoon, when the appalling tragedy
occurred.

Joseph Long went into the kitchen of the house where there was a stove in
order to thaw out some sticks of dynamite, which they desired to use in
blasting. His brother, Albert, was outside attending to the team on the
horse power operating the well drilling machine and Horace Hay, a neighbor,
who had come over to see how well drilling was done and how dynamite
operated.

They heard a terrific explosion and rushing into the room saw a terrible
sight. Young Joseph Long was hobbling along the floor of the room on his
knees and the maimed stumps of his arms, his face and his body bleeding from
numerous cuts and wounds. The room looked as if a hurricane had struck it,
the stove had been blown into a million atoms and everything else to
smitherieens. Thirteen window lights in the room was knocked out and the
house jarred from foundation to roof.

The unfortunate young man was laid down on some quilts and later take to the
house of Will Rademacher and Dr. Berner and Dr. Nigg from Merrill were
summoned to attend him.

Dr. Berner arrived first but nothing could be done to save his life and only
slight alleviations of his pain was possible. He dying two hours after the
explosion. Albert Long, a brother of the deceased, was seen in LeMars on
Sunday morning by a Sentinel reporter. Albert was with his brother at the
time of the accident and in speaking of the affair said it was terrible. He
was naturally very much affected by the death of his brother and in relating
the circumstances which led to it said he could not account for it as his
brother was used to handling dynamite for the past few years and was always
very careful with it. He said at the time of the explosion he was out of
doors and had just measured the depth of the well and was going up to the
house to get the sticks of dynamite to attach to a wire to let down the hole
where they needed a blast. The force of the explosion threw him off his feet
and his first impression was that a windstorm had struck the place, as there
was such a rush and a roaring. He was staggered and half stunned but
recovering himself went with Hay, who was not hurt, into the house. Albert
said it was pitiable to see his brother, who, appearing perfectly rational
and conscious, did not seem to comprehend that he was mortally wounded. He
kept saying his hands were cold and his brother had to rub the mutilated
members about the elbow in order to give him relief until the doctor came.

Pieces of iron from the broken stove had penetrated his stomach and chest.

He attempted to walk and was on his knees when found. He lived long enough
to tell how he had just picked up the sticks of dynamite when an explosion
occurred. His arms below the elbows were blown to shreds and not a piece of
the maimed members could be found larger than a silver dime.

The explosion badly wrecked the house, which was a new one, bought last fall
by Mr. Caspar from Mr. Radamacher.

Mr. Caspar has had trouble in getting water and as Albert Long said on
Sunday they have been hoodood throughout the job, ending with the sad
culmination of the loss of his brother. The well was down about 100 feet and
boulders were encountered at various depths and the dynamite was used in
blasting those boulders out of the way.

Joseph Long was a hard working, industrious young man and was considered one
of the best boys in that section of the country. He was a hard worker and
greatly helped his mother since the death of his father some years ago. At a
dancing party only the other night he was one of the most jovial of the
guests and was always a great favorite socially.

His mother resides on a farm near Neptune and there are thirteen in the
family. Two of the sisters work at the Union hotel in this city, where they
have been for the past two years.

They were utterly prostrated at the news of the death of their brother and
have been under the care of Dr. Somers since.

The funeral will be held tomorrow at the Lincoln township cemetery.

NOTE: His exact place of burial has not been determined. There is a high possibility that Joseph was buried with his father, Marcus Long who died in 1895, in the rural Lincoln township Mathwig-Wetrosky cemetery.