Kimberly, Wisconsin

Kimberly-Clark Paper Mill Collapse

October 6, 1928

Six Dead, Six More Trapped as Walls Fall

Excavations Near Foundation Believed Responsible for Crash

Gangs Work All Night

(By United Press)

Kimberly, Wis., Oct. 8 – Three men, buried for nearly 24 hours in the wreckage of the collapsed beater plant of the Kimberly-Clark paper mill here, were rescued alive Saturday.

(By United Press.)

Kimberly, Wis., Oct. 8

Rescue workers continued their frantic efforts Saturday to reach six men still buried in the debris of Kimberly-Clark paper mill collapse here Friday. Three of the six are known to be alive despite injuries.

Six others were killed or subsequently died in hospital and 15 injured when the walls of the building, collapsed pinning the men beneath a mass of twisted concrete, steel and lumber.

Groans Speed Work

All night long the voluntary army of workers had toiled with the hope that those still buried might be reached alive. Moans heard occasionally throughout the night spurred rescue work.

The two story building of the paper mill collapsed apparently as a result of the weakening of one wall. It was believed the wall caved in because of burrowings under it. No definite reason has been assigned as yet. An investigation was under way to determine the cause.

Without warning, the walls crashed inward and the roof sank down.

Oiler Is Killed

There were 32 men employed in the plant. The paper mill was being repaired and a crew of a dozen men doing this work was also in or near the building when the collapse came.

John Fiers, killed in the crash, visited the part of the plant, which collapsed, only once a day. He made his daily visit to oil machinery just as the walls caved in.

Torches Cut Girders

Little progress was made through the night in digging into the heaped up mass. It was necessary to climb up ladders to reach the top of the heap and there was a great deal of trouble experienced in carrying away the debris. Acetylene torches were necessary to burn through the twisted iron girders.

The crash came without warning, he said.

“I don’t know what happened.” he said. “I suddenly found myself falling and then buried under the mass. Timbers had piled up around me and prevented any bricks striking me.”

Paper Mill Town

Kimberly has a population of about 1,200. The town was built up around the paper mill, one of the largest of its kind in the country. Nearly everyone in the town gathered at the scene last night, but they were not permitted to get near the building.

Workers, cutting their way through the mass, were in peril constantly from fragments of the walls still standing.

The injured were given emergency treatment at temporary stations set up near the building, then were rushed to hospitals in Appleton, a few miles from here.

Decatur Evening Herald, Decatur, IL 8 Oct 1927

6 Dead, 18 Hurt, 3 Missing in Mill

Three Men Buried Under Tons of Debris for 14 Hours Tell Story of Rescue

A tale of miraculous escape after spending nearly 14 hours buried beneath tons and tons of brick, steel, wood and pulp is told by three Kimberly men taken from the ruins of the collapsed beater room of the Kimberly mill, which collapsed Friday morning carying [sic] six men to their deaths and injuring 19 more. The men taken from the pit at 12 o’clock Friday night were Chester Mauthe, 20, married six weeks ago; George Pocan, 18, single; and Albert Jansen, 21.

The three men, with Arthur Brockman, 40, Kimberly, who died of injuries after being taken from the pit, were working together unloading pulp from trucks and storing it on the top floor. A truck had just been unloaded and Mauthe, Jansen and Pocan were sitting atop the pulp pile while Brockman had pulled the truck to the elevator to bring back another load.

Without warning there was a crash and the three men sitting on top of the pile were precipitated into a roaring inferno of flying bricks, steel, machinery, wires, pipes, masonry, pulp and lumber.

Thought of Earthquake

“I didn’t know what happened but thought of an earthquake,” said Mauthe. He talked in a low even tone, despite the hours of suspense in a small dark hole beneath tons of debris with the threat of death constantly staring him in the care.

“I looked above me and saw a huge black form coming down. I think it was a beater. There was a sudden flash, like lightning, as I passed a switch box which was caught in the collapse. I burned my arm against a hot pipe as I fell. The air was filled with steam, and dust and flying bricks and stones and I thought I was a goner, sure.

“I landed on top of Pocan in a hole not more than four feet long and a foot and a half wide and the tons of pulp above us stopped about a foot above our heads. After the noise had died down Pocan told me Jansen was beneath us and couldn’t breath. I had landed in a sitting position. My two legs were doubled up to my chin under the pile of pulp and more pulp was pressing on the back of my neck. I was doubled up and couldn’t move. Pocan managed to squeeze to one side enough to allow Jansen to turn his nose from the floor, so he could breath.

Afraid to Move

“I cautioned the fellows not to move because I was afraid any movement would bring that pile of pulp on us and crush us. It was pitch black and we could hear men hollering to the right and left of us. We called out too but no one seemed to hear.

“First we prayed, then we talked to keep up our courage and then we would cry for help. The pain in my legs was growing almost unbearable and at last I didn’t care whether I died or not. But I kept telling the fellows to be brave and that we would be rescued.

Attracts Rescuers

“We could hear the men working above us and shout for help but they seemed not to hear because the sounds would fade away. We prayed some more and waited. The suspense was awful. It didn’t seem possible that we would get out alive. Finally I heard another man walking above me and I hollered. He seemed to hear because immediately digging started above us. As the rescuers came closer, the pulp began pressing down from above and we were afraid that it might crush us before the digger could reach us. The pulp kept advancing inch by inch until when finally the picks broke through, it was but an inch or two above us. Believe me, we thanked God when we got out.” Mauthe finished. Mauthe suffered a broken leg but the other two men were uninjured.

Pocan’s story was similar to that of Mauthe, except he said he never doubted they would get out. He said they spent most of their time praying. Pocan said they thought it was about 2 o’clock in the afternoon when they were taken from the pit. Jansen was too busy consoling his mother and sister early Saturday morning to be able to talk. All three were crying and talking and laughing.

First to greet Pocan when he was taken out were his brothers, Clarence and Joseph, who started work with him at 7 o’clock Friday morning and another brother, Arnold, who arrived from Milwaukee at 6 o’clock Friday evening. The three brothers worked unceasingly and were rewarded by finding their “kid brother” alive.

One of the early arrivals at the accident was the Rev. F. X. Van Nistleroy, pastor of Holy Name church at Kimberly. He attempted to reach the rumors but was stopped by one of the deputized guards.

“You can’t help down there father,” said the guard.

Priest Wades in Water

“If I cannot save lives, perhaps I can save souls,” the priest answered and waded about waist deep in water at times consoling the injured.

Another example of heroism was displayed by Martin VerKuilen of Medina who held his unconscious companion, Nic Fox, out of the water into which they were hurled when the rear of their dump truck was caught by the falling walls. The two were rescued by a boat and taken to the hospital where it was reported VerKuilen, although badly cut was not seriously hurt. Fox’s skull is crushed and his condition is critical.

By a trick of fate, Henry Huber, employed as assistant beaterman on the first floor of the ruined section, had been sent outside the building a minute before the accident on the other hand John Fiers, an oiler, who visits that section of the mill only a few minutes each day, was caught in the crush and killed.

Arranges Funerals of 3 Killed at Mill

Final Rites for Brockman, Krueger and Goffard to be held on Monday

Funeral services have been arranged for three victims of the Kimberly mill disaster.

Services for Arthur F. Brockman, 29, will be held at 9 o’clock Monday morning from Holy Name church, Kimberly. The Rev. F. X. Van Nistleroy will have charge. Brockman was born in Appleton and was employed for the last five years with the Kimberly-Clark company. He is survived by his widow, four children, Melvin, 4, Gerald, 3, Elaine, 2, and Gordon, 10 months, his father, Henry Brockman, Seymour, one sister, Mrs. Ben Wendt Seymour, two brothers Walter, Seymour, and Ewald, Appleton. He was a member of the Holy Name society.

Funeral services for Otto Krueger, 29, will be held at 2 o’clock Monday afternoon from the Kimberly Presbyterian church. Krueger is survived by his widow, three small children, four sisters, Mrs. Edward Manske, New London, Mrs. Emil Gutt, Bowler, Misses Alma and Ophelia, New London, three brothers, Fred, Tigerton, Arthur and Herman, New London. Krueger was employed for the last give years with the Meyer Construction company. He came to Kimberly about a year ago from Oshkosh. He was a member of the Fraternal Reserve association of Wisconsin Rapids. The body will be taken to New London for burial.

The funeral of Norbert Goffard, 24, Kimberly, will be held at 9 o’clock Monday morning from St. Mary church, Oneida. He was born in DePere and 13 years ago moved to the town of Oneida where he lived until two years ago when he moved to Kimberly. He was married to Miss Marie Mignon of Appleton two months ago. The survivors are his widow, his parents, Mr. And Mrs. Henry Goffard of Oneida; seven brothers, George and Chester of Green Bay; Leonard of Kimberly; Archie Benjamin, Gerhart and Patrick of Oneida and one sister, Virginia of Oneida.

The body was taken to the home of his parents Saturday afternoon. The Rev. Father Vissers will conduct the services. Interment will be in Mt. Olive cemetery at De Pere. He was a member of the Holy Name society of St. Mary church at Oneida.

Appleton Post Crescent, Appleton, WI 8 Oct 1928

The Dead And Injured

The Dead

OTTO KRUEGER, 116 John St, Kimberly, married, 3 children, employed by R. R. Meyer and Sons, Construction Co. Body recovered shortly after crash.

PETER VAN LANGVELDT, Little Chute, elevator operator for Kimberly-Clark Co. Body recovered at 6:30 Saturday morning.

NORBERT GOFFARD, 24, Kimberly, Kimberly-Clark Co., body recovered Friday noon.

JOHN FIERS, Kimberly, body not yet recovered but reported dead by Kimberly-Clark officials. Kimberly-Clark employe (sic).

HERMAN SPRANGERS, Darboy, Meyer employe (sic). Body not yet recovered but reported dead by officials.

ARTHUR BROCKMAN, 40, Kimberly, married, four children, died at hospital about 4 o’clock Friday afternoon. He was taken from ruins about noon Friday.

The Injured

Employed by Kimberly Clark

CHESTER MAUTHE, 20, broken leg and bruises, Kimberly, married.

ALBERT J. JANSEN, 21, bruises and shock, Kimberly, single.

GEORGE P. POCAN, 18, bruises and shock, Kimberly, single.

CONSTANT WAGNER, 46, leg badly crushed, widower.

MATT VALENTINE, 26, Kimberly, single. Injured face and possible fracture of right foot.

THEODORE LAMERS, 26, Little Chute, married, injured hand, chilled.

NICHOLAS FOX, 23, Kimberly, single, severe body contusions.

JOHN VANDER ZANDEN, 25 Little Chute, married.

HARRY WYNN, Flushing, N.Y., sklll (sic) injured. He is 18 and unmarried. Wynn lives at the Y.M.C.A. in Appleton.

Employed by C. R. Meyers Sons Co.

MYRON WHITE, Mattoon, 20, single, shocked.

AUGUST GAUTHEIR, 43, East DePere, bruised ankle and leg

JOSEPH VANDEN HEUVEL, Kimberly, 24, single, serious scalp wounds and lacerated arm.

MARTIN VERKUILEN, 23, married, bruised hip and jaw.

GEORGE STROKER, 21 Kaukauna, single, lacerated, severe chilling.

FRANK VAN AMSTEL, Kimberly, 43, serious face and scalp wounds.

PAUL SNIDER, Kaukauna, 22 single, serious scalp wounds.

GEORGE VANDEN HEUVEL, Kimberly, scalp and face wounds.

GUS POLZIN, 45, Kimberly, shock.

Appleton Post Crescent, Appleton, WI 8 Oct 1928

Articles transcribed by Kay.  Thank you, Kay!

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