The Salt Lake Herald

Injured by Giant Powder.

A terrible accident occurred west of Ogden across the lake on Promontory range, last Friday evening, in which two miners, Albert Richter and Peter Madsen, were injured and crippled for life by the explosion of giant powder. During the winter the two men have been developing a mining claim and Friday morning before starting to work, Madsen placed a shell of the dangerous explosive in an oven to thaw the frost out of it. When the fact had been discovered by Richter he exclaimed, "My God, Madsen, what did you do that for? Take it out!" Madsen at once threw the oven door open and was in the act of taking the dangerous material out when it exploded and tore his left hand completely from its socket. Richter was standing near by and a huge piece of flesh was torn from his left leg, also burning him severely about the face and eyes.

Richter wrapped a stout cord around the arm of his colleague to check the flow of blood and a start was made to Ogden, where medical assistance could be secured. They reached Ogden Saturday evening, and Madsen nearly exhausted from the terrible shock, was taken to the city hospital, where he is now undergoing treatment.

Dr. Jones was called and it was found amputation would be necessary, but the arm was so feverish and badly swollen it was thought best to administer the proper medicines to him and defer the surgical operation until the next morning, when he would be more able to withstand it. At 11 o'clock Sunday morning Dr. Jones, assisted by Drs. Graves and Furnlund, placed the patient under the influence of ether and performed the operation.

Several friends of Madsen complained of the manner in which Dr. Jones had conducted the case and denounced him loudly for the treatment. The steward of the hospital, Mr. Phillips, came in for part of the condemnation.

A Herald representative made it a point to hear the story of the complaints. They claimed that Madsen was placed on a dissecting board, with only a small pillow beneath his head, shortly after being taken to the hospital, and without any clothing excepting what he had on at the time, placed under the influence of ether and compelled to lay in that condition, unattended by a physician, until nearly noon on Sunday.

Dr. Jones was hunted up and he stated of all the complaints he had heard of himself he believed this was the farthest from the truth of any. He claimed that when the man was brought in he was not in a condition to go through an operation, consequently the doctor did what he could for him by administering medicines and then gave the steward orders to care for him until the next morning when it would be necessary to perform the amputation. The steward claims it was for the man's good that he was left on the dissecting board, for had he been placed in a cot, being under the influence of ether, he would have smothered to death or at least it might have resulted disastrously to him. As to not receiving any attention from the doctor and himself he passionately denies that; a brother of Mr. Richter said he feared that the injury his brother had received to his eyes would result in his becoming totally blind.