DALLAS COOK KILLED BY CAP EXPLOSION
THE LEAD BELT NEWS, Flat River, Missouri, Friday, February 25, 1927.

Dallas Cook, of Esther, a driller employed by the St. Joseph Lead Company in their No. 16 shaft, Rivermines Division, was terribly mangled by an explosion of blasting caps about eight o'clock Wednesday morning and died in Bonne Terre Hospital, shortly after noon. Funeral services will be held from the family home in Esther today (Friday, but details had not been determined in time for publication in this issue). Cook was born May 29, 1879 and was 47 years, eight months and 24 days old when he met his tragic death.

Details of the accident will never be known as the victim was alone at the time the explosion occurred. Other workmen hearing the detonation and his frantic calls for help, rushed to him and found both hands shot off at the wrist, his abdomen terribly injured and apparently injured about the chest and face. They rushed him to the surface and procured medical and surgical aid for first aid treatment, after which he was hurried to the Bonne Terre Hospital. He was conscious to the last, but was unable to give any explanation of the explosion as the shock seemed to have impaired his memory. It is known that a full box of blasting caps, 100 in number, exploded in his hands but whether this explosion was caused by attempting to remove a cap from the box with a sharp instrument or from some other cause cannot be determined.

Cook was one of the most careful drillers in the employ of the company. He enjoyed an enviable reputation for the manner in which he handled and cared for his explosives, always exercising the greatest care in keeping his dynamite and caps at the proper distance apart and the surroundings carefully cleaned. Wednesday morning he entered the heading which he was drilling and found that the shots from the previous shift had left the rock in such a manner that it would be difficult for the shovelers to get to it without extra efforts because of uneven floor. He decided that it would be a help to them if he would drill several "nifters," or small holes in the floor, using them to shoot away the uneven portion in order that the shovelers could lay additional track and get close to their rock. He had drilled four shallow holes and talked to his companions for a few minutes before going back to prepare the light charges for these small shots. It was at this time that the explosion occurred. Evidence indicated that he had removed the box of caps from his storage box, closed the larger box and was standing a few feet in front of it when the accident happened. These caps, one of them of sufficient power to cause serious damage when it explodes, are packed in metal boxes of one hundred each and are packed snugly to prevent friction. They are loaded with fulminate of mercury, an exceptionally powerful and sensitive explosion, which responds instantly to either friction or heat, a slight prick with any sharp instrument or the touch of a flowing coal being sufficient to fire them. It is presumed that Cook either attempted to remove the first cap from the box with some instrument or that he was thinking of other things at the time and forgot to remove a cigarette from his mouth, thus allowing a portion of the hot ashes to drop into the box as he held it against his abdomen and pulled the lid off. Which theory is correct will probably never be known.

The eldest son of the unfortunate man, who was working on the underground transportation lines, was in the heading with his crew at the time and was one of the first to reach the victim. He assisted in getting him to the surface and accompanied him to the hospital. Mrs. Cook and other members of the family were notified and taken to the hospital also, all being with him as he passed away. He leaves his widow and five children, Elmer, Truly [Trudy?], Bernice, Geraldine and Glenwood, a number of more distant relatives and a large number of friends. He was one of the most congenial and best liked men in the district and was always ready to go out of his way to help someone else. 

Note: This miner's name is listed as "William Dallis Cook" on his death certificate - copy below. Date of death is listed as February 23, 1927.  Please note that date of birth on death certificate is different than date of birth indicated in the newspaper article above.