Ref: Town and Country Newspaper Pennsburg, Montgomery County, PA Saturday - October 15, 1904 WORKMAN HAD SKIN BURNED FROM BODY With every particle of skin burnt from his body, except that on the soles of his feet, the hair on his head and eyebrows burnt away, and almost blind, Joseph KURTZ, a laborer at the Whitehall Cement Co., near Allentown, was taken to the Allentown hospital on Tuesday night in a dying condition. His injuries are the result of a most peculiar accident at the cement mill of which he was the only victim. KURTZ was employed about the inner house and attended to the fires which produce the heat to dry the finely powdered soft-coal used later in the great cement roasters. About a block and a half from the drying house is one of the company's quarries. Shortly before four o'clock a heavy blast was fired. The concussion was so terrific that the buildings all about were badly shaken. Within the drier building KURTZ was attending to his fires. The concussion loosened clouds of the fine coal dirt settled all about inside of the structure. Large quantities of occluded oxygen in the coal-dirt allowed instant combustion of the coal-dirt when ignited by the flames of the drier and in an instant the entire building was in a blaze. Workmen saw the fire and responding quickly ran two sections of hose to fight the fire. No thought was given to any one's being in the building as it was not believed anyone had been in or if there had been, had easily escaped. Scarcly had the water been turned on to the flames when with shrieks the man ran from the building in which he had evidently lost himself, and dashed for a small ditch nearby in which there was water. The man was ablaze as he emerged to the horror of his fellow-workmen. The fire in the building was put out and the man assisted to his feet by a large number of his friends. He seemed able to walk and did so as far as the office. KURTZ is an Austo-Hungarian and has a wife and family in the old country. He is 34 years old and is not expected that he will survive. DRUNKEN HOBO FELL FROM BOX CAR One day last week a number of hobos were seated on a box car as a freight train passed another at the Palm depot and while passing the other train one of them fell off. Conductor KUHNS of the other train saw the man fall, went to his assistance and reported the accident to station agent HEIST, who was to care for the injured man. At first it was thought the hobo was rendered unconscious by the fall but later developments showed that he was unconscious from drink. He was badly cut about his head and face, and as the injuries were not of a serious nature, he was allowed to sleep off the "jag." After recovering from his drunken stupor he got up and followed the railroad and that was the last seen or heard of him. PLUMBER HAD FACE BURNED BY AN EXPLOSION Horace WEIL, a plumber of East Greenville, was painfully injured last Friday by an explosion which took place in a stove at which he was working. He was reconnecting the water back in the cooking stove at the home of John D. GERHART, East Greenville. In order to get a better view of his work he struck a match which caused an explosion. A cloud of dust was blown in his face and eyes and the papering on the wall was shattered. Mr. WEIL was unable to see and Dr. HERSH was summoned who cleansed the eyes, but for four days he could not see. His eyesight is being gradually restored. He suffered excruciating pain for the first few days after the accident. RESIGNED POSITION AT CREAMERY Henry T. HOFFMAN, of Hillegass, who was an assistant in the Hillegass Dairymen's association creamery, resigned his position. He accepted a similar position in a Pottstown creamery. He expects to move there with his family in the near future. Reuben BAUER, of Hillegass, will be his successor and start upon his duties on Monday. HOBO SELLS A DROVERS CATTLE AT LOW PRICES Jacob K. HARTMAN, the well-known drover of Macungie, had a remarkable experience this week with a fellow named Charles BURGER, whom he hired to drive cattle and who sold nearly the whole lot for him at ridiculously low figures. Mr. HARTMAN had a sale near Kutztown, and after the sale there were a dozen head of oxen left. He started for Macungie and drove them as far as Breiingsville, when in order to rest the cattle left them at the Breinigsville hotel. He made an offer to BURGER to drive them to Macungie for 50 cents and BURGER accepted with the provision that he be given a glass of beer in addition to the 50 cents when he reached Macungie. On Tuesday evening BURGER took the cattle from the pasture and drove them to Lehigh church. At the latter place he sold two head of oxen at $5 each and a heifer at $10. He got $2 in cash and for the balance a note due in 90 days. He continued to Maple Grove, Long Swamp and Henningsville, and between the latter places he sold two head at $4 cash and a check of $25 payable in two months. He sold one to Proprietor WEISS, of the Henningsville hotel, at $6, and nearby he sold Mr. MOYER one for $6. He sold to GERY & FOCHT, the butchers, one for $7, which they slaughtered at once. A nice bull was sold to Cyrus WEBB, at Topton, for $14. He is worth about $35. The one that was killed was worth about $27. The other oxen sold were worth each from $20 to $25. BURGER had about $32 in cash. He is reported to have been arrested at Kutztown and taken to Reading jail. Constable J.R. SHIFFERT, of Macungie, traced through information gotten from a hobo, who said he got 50 cents to help to drive the cattle from Breinigsville to Lehigh Church. The cattle were sold within a radius of ten to fifteen miles. The cattle have all been located and it is likely that he will not be as heavy a loser as he had anticipated. The cattle were to be sold at the Shimersville Hotel on Thursday. BURGER hails originally from East Texas, but has deteriorated into the hobo type, yet he was not thought capable of such actions. He is about 30 years of age. WAS NO SUICIDE An inquest was held on the death of Miss Kate MCLAUGHLIN, of Norristown, who died under suspicious circumstances at the home of her sister near Oaks station, last week. The verdict of the jury was as follows: "That Miss Kate MCLAUGHLIN came to her death on Wednesday, October 5th, 1904, at the home of her sister, Mrs. Joseph LEVIS, of Pinetown, Montgomery county, Pa., at 2.30 in the afternoon from shock and convulsions caused by an acid douche. We, the jury, further find that Miss MCLAUGHLIN had absolutely no intent of suicide and that death was entirely accidental." The verdict was rendered upon the testimony of the coroner's physician why testified to the fact that the acid was not taken with purpose of ending life. LARGELY ATTENDED PUBLIC SALE D.K. GRABER, the well-known cattle dealer of Pennsburg, on Monday afternoon, broke the sale record at HARING's Hotel, near Hillegass. He disposed of one hundred and nine head of cattle, and shoats. The sale was one of the largest held at this well known hosteiry for many years. There were sixty-three teams tied around the hotel and twenty-one unhitched and stabled. The secret of this sale is, good market, excellent stock and the sale advertised in Town and Country. SOLD A VALUABLE MILL IN UPPER HANOVER Dr. James G. MENSCH, of Pennsburg, this week sold his flour mill and farm situate in Upper Hanover township, to a Mr. GAIL, of Wilmington, Del. The mill and farm is located on the Perkiomen creek. There is 48 acres of farming land included in the sale. The sale was made by a real estate agent in whose hands the property had been placed. The reported price is $6500. MADE ILL BY DRINKING CIDER Drinking cider with some poisonous substance in it, Mrs. Tobias E. MOYER and Kate HARBERGER (MARBERGER?), of Pottstown, were made very ill.