The Chariton Leader, Chariton, Iowa Thursday, June 28, 1906 John M. Reed, of Santa Ana, California, sends a marked copy of the Daily Register with the following report of death of CLARENCE H. MILLER. The MILLERS were former residents of English Township, this county: "CLARENCE H. MILLER was instantly killed near Garden Grove at an early hour this morning, presumably by coming in contact with a live wire connected with the power plant on his father's ranch. The body was found by the boy's mother. MILLER was about 19 years old and lived with his parents, MR. and MRS. HARVEY MILLER, on a ranch about two and one-half miles northwest of Garden Grove. MR. MILLER says that his son got up about 6 o'clock this morning and went out to start up the pumping plant. The engine is operated by electricity brought in by an overhead wire, carrying about 10,000 volts. While the family was preparing for breakfast MRS. MILLER noticed her son come out of the pumping plant, stand at the entrance a few minutes and then go back into the building. Shortly after this she called him to come and get his breakfast, and receiving no response, went to the building. There she found the body of the boy beside the engine. A piece of gas pipe about 12 feet long lay across the body. Although life was extinct when found, every effort was made to resuscitate him, and Dr. Johnson of Anaheim was notified at once. He worked over the body about an hour, but failed to bring it to life again. Coroner Smith was then notified and went out and made a thorough investigation. The coroner's jury decided that deceased met his death by coming in contact with a live wire and placed the blame on the electric company." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Chariton Leader, Chariton, Iowa Thursday, July 5, 1906 A Record of Events: Last week the Leader printed a short account of the fatal accident of CLARENCE HARRY MILLER, son of HARVEY MILLER, formerly of English Township. HARRY MILLER, uncle of the deceased is in receipt of a letter from the family, from which we take the following extract: CLARENCE HARRY MILLER met his death in HARVEY's motor house last Tuesday morning at about 6 o'clock. The motor house is about 80 rods from the house. The motor is a twenty horse power and has a belt from the motor to the pump about 15 feet long. The electricity to run the motor is furnished by an electrical station some miles distant and is conducted to the motor house on three wires which enter at the top. For a short distance at the top of the house they are unprotected by insulation but the balance of the wires are protected that nothing can come in contact with them. The house is about ten feet high where the wires enter. In order to start the motor there are three couplers to be put in. They have wooden handles and can be placed in position with perfect safety, then a switch is pushed in, a lever turned and the motor starts. On last Monday I was irrigating and the motor stopped about 5 o'clock and on going to the house found no electricity. We found out later t! hat one of the stations, some miles distant, had burned down, destroying the connections. HARVEY went back about 8 and it started alright but during the night new connections had been put in and in the morning the motor started backward. There are about fifty motors on the same line and they all started the wrong way. When this motor began to turn backwards the belt commenced to slip and from appearances HARRY had picked up a piece of gas pipe with which to hold it on, but as the belt went in an opposite way from what he expected it was carried to a live wire and he received the full force of 10,000 volts, killing him instantly. HARVEY usually started the motor but the son HARRY said he would rather go this morning than to help with the milking, and when he failed to return to his breakfast his mother went to see what was the matter and found him on the ground beside the motor, dead, with a large piece of gas pipe across his breast. The coroner's jury held the electric! company responsible for his death on account of carelessness in permi tting the currents to run counter. CLARENCE HARRY MILLER was a promising young man of 19 years, son of MR. and MRS. HARVEY MILLER, formerly of English Township. Both MR. and MRS. MILLER have many relatives residing in Lucas County and his untimely death is a blow to his parents and friends. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert October 21, 2004 [email protected]