The front-page story featured in The Montclair Times on February 26, 1910, reported on the deadly explosion of a copper kitchen boiler at 175 South Mountain Avenue, that “partly wrecked the house and seriously injured three persons”.
Two of the victims, 12-year-old Janet Wishard, the owner’s daughter and Louise Green, colored (sic), a cook were in the kitchen. The Montclair Times reported that Janet was scalded and severely cut. Louise Green referred to as the “other woman” was “found to be seriously but not fatally injured”. Both Janet and Louise were found “lying on the floor in the midst of the wreckage”.
The story goes on to report that “much of the force of the explosion was downward, for the exploded boiler crashed through the floor and into the laundry, where the Dawson woman was at work”. Kate Dawson, colored (sic), laundress, is only referred to by name once, and is referred to as the “other victim” found in the laundry in the basement.
There were many follow-up articles reporting on the explosion, but only one that mentioned there were two deaths, that of the Wishard’s young daughter and a colored (sic) servant. Kate Dawson was not mentioned by name.
JANET WISHARD
A March 5th 1910 clip eulogizes the Wishard child with no mention of the accident or the other victims. A search of the 1910 Montclair Times obituaries for either Lousie Green’s or Kate Dawson’s name yielded only 16 results, with no mention of either of the women who were injured in the explosion.
SECOND EXPLOSION VICTIM TO SUCCUMB TO INJURIES
Only after searching all New Jersey newspapers from 1910 was a clipping found in The Star-Ledger reporting that Kate Dawson, the laundress was buried beneath flooring and beams, in the basement and that she died from her injuries on March 6 at Mountainside Hospital, 11 days after the accident. Her body was taken away for burial by friends.
The Asbury Park Press report on February 25th identified Louise Green and Kate Dawson as “two negro maids, Laura Green and Kate Dawson”.
COUNCIL FAVORS INVESTIGATION
In April 1910. the Montclair Town Council appointed a committee to inquire into the accident at the Wishard home. A series of follow-up articles from May to September reported that the progress of the investigation was ongoing, and there was a brief update that experts at the Stevens Institute in Hoboken were enlisted to assist in determining the cause of the explosion. In both reports, the deceased laundress, Kate Dawson, was only referred to as a “colored servant”.
The conclusive report, presented in December, determined the explosion was due to the super-heating of water in the copper boiler attached to the kitchen range. It was estimated that the boiler rated for water pressure of 120 pounds per square inch was heated to at least 360 degrees. Due to the heat the solder used to close the riveted joints melted resulting in the explosion. The investigation made recommendations to revise the building code to prevent future accidents from occurring.
The initial Montclair Times article made much of the fact that young Janet Wishard was in the kitchen in the first place, giving as a reason that the cook, Louise Green, was terrified of the range and Janet had turned it off for her.
At the time of the accident, Mr. Wishard was vice president of the Pacific Coast Coal Company and had large lumber interests in Vancouver. By 1917, the Wishards had left Montclair for Pasadena, but for years afterwards, Luther D. Wishard and his accomplishments around the country were reported upon in the Montclair Times.
The Montclair Times also featured this accident in its regularly featured column “Looking Backwards” at both the 75 year and 100 year anniversarys.
There never was another word about the family or loved ones of either Kate Dawson who died in the explosion or Louise Green other than as “colored servants”.
Montclair Progressive or Corrupt 