FOUR THRESHERMEN DIE OTHERS INJURED IN TRAGIC STEAM ENGINE EXPLOSION SOUTH OF BYRON, ILLINOIS IN 1894

break of day to commence stack threshing of grain on the farm of
Mr. Hiram Bergschmidt, located south of Byron, Illinois on the
German Church Road in Marion Township, County of Ogle. The farm at
this time is known as the Fred Seabold farm. The steam threshing
outfit comprised of a small Northwest return flue steam engine and
a Northwest hand feed separator, was owned and operated by Mr.
Andrew Roos. The young engineer was Mr. Edwin Knauss. The tenant
farmer was Mr. Harm Luepkes, who was in the barn at the time of the
explosion and was not injured.

Mr. Heiji S. Oltmanns, who was born July 12, 1877 at Oregon,
Illinois was 17 years of age when the steam engine blew up. He was
at the top of one of the bundle stacks preparing to start pitching
bundles to the platform of the hand feed separator when the
explosion occurred. His uncle was on another bundle stack across
from him also preparing to pitch bundles to the platform of the
hand feed separator when the steam engine explosion shook the
ground. Neither one of the two were injured in the tragic accident.
Mr. Simon (Siebrandt) Oltmanns, father of Heiji S. Oltmanns, and
Mr. Amos Ehmen, and Mr. Richard Luepkes were waiting to cut the
bundle bands and to start stacking the straw. Mr. Charles
Bergschmidt and Mr. Luepkes were also helping with work.

This is a steam powered threshing scene in a farmer’s
barnyard during the late 1800’s in Ogle County, Illinois. The
threshing outfit is believed to have been a Minnesota, built during
the latter part of 1800’s by the Seymour Sabin & Company,
Stillwater, Minnesota. The Company later was bought out by the
Northwest Threshing Company around 1900 when the New Giant steam
traction engine came into the picture. The engine pictured here is
claimed to be the victim of a steam explosion, south of Byron,
Illinois, the morning of August 21, 1894, which took the lives of
four threshermen and injuring several other workers at the scene. A
story of the tragic explosion given in vivid detail by a 90 year
old man in 1967, is printed herewith.

It was approximately 7:00 A.M. that morning when the crew
readied themselves to start the threshing operation. The whistle
was sounded and suddenly the steam engine blew up. Mr. Hiram
Bergschmidt, owner of the farm, was apparently killed instantly by
the right rear wheel of the steam engine, when he with the wheel
were blown about 15 rods and his body was found against a fence
post. His head was badly crushed and his legs broken with one leg
in an upward position along the side of his body when found. Mr.
Andrew Roos, owner of the steam engine threshing outfit, also had
both legs broken badly, one of which had to be amputated that day.
He died 8 days later. Mr. Richard Luepkes, who was waiting to help
stack straw, was badly scalded by steam and hot water. He died
about 24 hours after the explosion. Mr. John Van Briesen, who was a
hired man to Hiram Bergschmidt, and an uncle to Armour Van Briesen
of Stillman Valley, Illinois, was standing with some neighbor boys
at the left side of the steam engine when it exploded. He was
scalded critically by the steam and hot water. He died that night.
A nurse sang hymns to the boy at his bedside before he died. Doctor
Woodcock and Doctor Masten came from Byron, Illinois with a horse
and buggy, to give medical care to all of the injured. Nurses came
from wherever possible. Rose (Schemerhorn) Hathaway, helped bandage
the injured, and she hastly tore bedsheets and tablecloths into
strips for bandages. The injured were being cared for in the farm
homes of neighbors.

There also were other injuries at the time of this tragic
accident, and more detail about the steam engine explosion. The
right rear wheel of the Northwest return flue engine was blown
beyond the 15 rods where Mr. Hiram Bergschmidts body was found. The
wheel traveled approximately 50 rods from the setting and went
through 2 board fences before it hit a stump in the pasture and
toppled over into a ditch or a pasture hole. The wheel is believed
to still be in its pasture grave. The left rear wheel of the steam
engine hit the water tank wagon on that side and it didn’t go
very far in the tragic explosion. The smoke box and the front part
of the engine boiler was blown forward into the side of the bundle
stack on which Mr. Heiji S. Oltmanns was standing at the top. He
was not injured. His father, Simon (Siebrandt) Oltmanns, who was at
the rear of the separator waiting to start stacking the straw was
seriously injured by being trampled by run-away horses. He received
a head injury which required a steel plate, and other injuries
which took a long time to heal. He died in 1916. Edwin Knauss, the
young engineer, was blown with the platform of the engine against
the opposite bundle stack on which the uncle of Heiji S. Oltmanns
was on at the top. The uncle was not injured. Mr. Knauss received
burns and injuries in the steam blast, but recovered satisfactorily
in time. He lived to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary. He
died in 1961. Mr. Amos Ehmen, who was to cut the bundle bands the
day of the steam engine explosion, was scalded quite badly by steam
and hot water, but he recovered satisfactorily in due time. He died
in 1961. Mr. Hiram Brass, who was helping at the Bergschmidt farm
the morning of the explosion was scaled by the steam and hot water
about the chest and legs. After much time he recovered
satisfactorily. Mr. Charles Bergschmidt, who was at the farm
threshing site that morning was not injured. Charles Luepkes
received some injury but recovered in a short time.

Following the tragic steam engine explosion, which occurred on
the morning of August 21, 1894, a man by the name of Mr. John
Canfield, came with a horsepower threshing outfit that fall and
completed the threshing run in the area of the Ebenezer Reformed
Church.

This sad, but true historic happening, was told and described in
vivid detail by Mr. Heiji S. Oltmanns, at the age of 90, in his
families home with his wife, Minnie, and daughter Anna, to George
W. Hedtke, and Emil F. Svanda of Davis Junction, Illinois and to
Armour Van Briesen of Stillman Valley, Illinois. Hedtke, Svanda and
Van Briesen, are working together to compose history stories of
happenings in Ogle County, to learn from and for the purpose of
future generations to read and learn by.

It is with great regret that this historical article didn’t
get to the press before the passing away of Mr. Oltmanns, following
a brief illness. He died, October 19, 1967, thirty-four days after
he related this historical story on September 15, 1967. Other
members of his family include: Mrs. Henry (Minnie) Ehmen and Mrs.
George (Hazel) Wiltfang, both of Oregon, Illinois.