Hi. Shirley Smith sent this to me and I thought I'd share. Interesting history as well as interesting to folks who have Perkins and Lyons connections. John A Lyons was s/o Ivan PERKINS and Ernestine LYONS. Hope you enjoy. Jan >From October 30, 1906 Lake Charles Daily American: FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT AT SULPHUR CAUSES MATTHEW PERKINS' DEATH Derrick Toppled Over, Breaking the Steam and Hot Water Pipes - Boy Lived Several Hours Matthew Ivan Perkins, the sixteen year old son of ex Sheriff John A. Perkins, met with a horrible death as a result of an accident at the sulphur mines yesterday afternoon about four o'clock, being thrown from the top of a derrick by the force of an exploded steam pipe to the platform about eighteen feet below and scalded by escaping steam and hot water from the bursted pipes. Young Perkins had only been at the sulphur mines a short time, and one of his duties was to shut off the steam at the derricks. He climbed up to the valve for this purpose, and just then a cave in occurred beneath another derrick a short distance away, causing that derrick to fall against the one on which Perkins was working. The force of the shock caused the steam pipe he was working on to burst, the shock of a piece of the pipe knocking him off the derrick to the platform below, a distance of some eighteen feet. Almost immediately afterward the derrick on which Perkins lay also toppled over. As soon as it was discovered that an accident had happened the plant was stopped as quickly as possible, and every effort made to aid the unfortunate youth. Owing to the cloud of steam surrounding the place nothing could be done until the plant was stopped. Perkins was found on the platform where he had fallen, still conscious. He was removed and taken to the hospital where his wounds were attended to. He was found to be injured on the forehead as if from a blow there, and his face, arms and upper portion of his body badly scalded. He died ___ about three hours after the accident. W(ilfred??), Wilbert (?) Perkins, a brother, went to Sulphur shortly after the accident, having been sent a telegram informing him of the occurrence, and this morning brought the body to Lake Charles, where it was taken to the Perkins home on Division Street. The funeral services will be held at the residence this afternoon at 4 o'clock, and interment made at Orange Grove Cemetery. The services will be conducted by Rev. H. H. Sheff. END OF ARTICLE My grandmother always told me that "Matthew Perkins was a very religious young man and knew he was going to die, and said "I'm going to glory." I grew up knowing what Matthew's last words were! This is an agonizing account...can you imagine a 16 yr. old having that kind of job today? Shirley