–9-12 The Tennessean, Nashville. “Like a Flash of Lightning.” 7-7-1897, p. 1, column 2.[1]

–9-11 Alton Democrat, IL. “Blown to Pieces. Nine People Instantly Killed…” 7-10-1897, p. 2.[2]

— 9 Coggins. Tennessee Tragedies: Natural, Technological and Societal… 2011, pp. 93-94.[3]

— 7 Hartsville Vidette. “Look Back: Steam thresher explosion once killed seven.” Not dated.

Narrative Information

July 6: “Hartsville, Tenn., July 6.–(Special.) A frightful boiler explosion occurred on the farm of Squire W. A. Allen, about five miles from this place, in the Tenth District, at 3 o’clock this afternoon, by which nine people lost their lives and five others were very badly injured. The dead are:

A. Allen, married.

James Allen, son of W. A. Allen, unmarried.

Lindsay Allen, son of W. A. Allen, unmarried.

Will Allen, son of W. A. Allen, unmarried.

Mack Tunstill, unmarried.

Asa Barr, aged 16.

Porter Averett, colored.

Len Barksdale, colored.

_____ Bolton, a boy.

“The injured are:

Calhoun Stone, leg broken in two places.

George Dice, engineer, badly scalded; will die.

John Foley, colored, badly mangled; will die.

Sam Wheeler, colored, leg broken; will die.

Albert Haley, seriously injured….”

(The Tennessean, Nashville. “Like a Flash of Lightning.” 7-7-1897, p. 1, column 2.)

July 7: “Hartsville, Tenn., July 7.–A frightful boiler explosion occurred on the farm of W. A. Allen in the Tenth district of this county by which 9 people were instantly killed and five badly injured. The dead are:

A. Allen.

James Allen.

Lindsey Allen.

Mock Tunstall.

Asa Barr. Porter Averitt.

—– Bolton.

Len Barksdale.

Will Allen.

“….The injured are:

Calhoun Stone, leg broken in two places.

George Dice [or Dies],[4] badly scalded and mangled; will die.

John Foley…badly mangled; will die.

Albert Haley…badly injured; may recover.

Sam Wheeler…leg broken.

“Mr. Allen and his men were just concluding the work of thrashing wheat and were preparing to leave the field when the explosion occurred, from what cause is not known. Some of the victims were mangled beyond recognition and pieces of the boiler were blown several hundred yards. Lindsey Allen’s head was blown away and has not been found. Wheeler, Dice and Foley are certainly fatally injured. W. A. Allen was a member of the Trousdale county court and a prominent man in his section.” (Alton Democrat, IL. “Blown to Pieces. Nine People Instantly Killed…Five Badly Injured.” 7-10-1897, p. 2.)

Hartsville Vidette: “….on July 6, 1897…an explosion happened. And it happened in the Providence Community of Trousdale County! We quote from the newspaper account:

Explosion on W.A. Allen’s Farm

Tuesday at about half past two o’clock, the most terrible explosion in the history of Trousdale County occurred on the farm of Squire W. A. Allen, five miles from Hartsville, near Cedar Bluff, in the 10th district.

The steam thresher of George Dies had been engaged in threshing Squire Allen’s wheat both Monday and Tuesday and at the time of the accident had just finished…

Some twenty men were either employed about the thresher or were visitors there. Mr. Tunstall had just arrived to show them into his field.

The men and the hands were at their respective places, some feeding, some about the engine, others on the wagon throwing off wheat, one on the straw stack, and others at different places and distances from the machine.

Nothing much is known of the cause of the explosion, though the water was low and they were taking water at the time….

Quick as lighting and as destructive…the explosion came and no one knew it until it had occurred. Hardly a man about the engine escaped unhurt.

Mr. Allen and his two sons, Mr. Tunstall, Henry Barr, John Foley, and Sam Wheeler were instantly killed, while a dozen others were mangled, scalded and burned…

(Hartsville Vidette. “Look Back: Steam thresher explosion once killed seven.” Not dated.)

Sources

Alton Democrat, IL. “Blown to Pieces. Nine People Instantly Killed…Five Badly Injured.” 7-10-1897, p. 2. Accessed 4-26-2019 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/alton-democrat-jul-10-1897-p-2/

Coggins, Allen R. Tennessee Tragedies: Natural, Technological and Societal Disasters in the Volunteer State. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press. 2011,

Hartsville Vidette. “Look Back: Steam thresher explosion once killed seven.” Not dated. Accessed 4-26-2019 at: https://www.hartsvillevidette.com/local-news/look-back-steam-thresher-explosion-once-killed-seven/

The Tennessean, Nashville. “Like a Flash of Lightning.” 7-7-1897, p. 1, column 2. Accessed 4-26-2019 at: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19222473/the_tennessean/

[1] Nine fatalities and three of the injured referred to as “will die.” We have not been able to find follow-up stories on the fate of the injured. Though we cite one account, based on a 1897 newspaper, noting seven immediate deaths, the two other sources we cite, and others found in newspapers at the time, write of nine deaths as well as expectations of two or three deaths amongst the injured.

[2] Writes that nine were instantly killed, and names the victims. Notes 5 injured, writing two “will die.”

[3] Cites as Sources: Knoxville Tribune, July 7, 1897, and Nashville Bannr, July 7 and 8, 1897.

[4] Hartsville Vidette. “Look Back: Steam thresher explosion once killed seven.” Not dated. Accessed 4-26-2019.

1897 — July 6, Wheat thrashing machine boiler explosion, Hartsville area, TN — 9-12