Martin - Val - coffin factory - gas blowup
Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal 8-6-1897
Last Tuesday Val Martin, engineer at the coffin factory, met with a very painful accident while preparing to begin his work. One of the natural gas valves under the boiler had evidently leaked considerably during the night and when Martin struck a match to start the fire a sharp explosion occurred. He was knocked several feet back and his hair and eyebrows burned off, the skin on his face fairly curling up. He continues to suffer great pain but no serious results are anticipated from the injuries he sustained.