Person Page 3,819

Horace Greeley Holcomb was born on 4 June 1863 in Twin Lakes, Freeborn, Minnesota.¹ He and Emma Arvilla Kinney were married in 1891.¹ He died on 2 November 1891, at age 28, in Kingsbury County, South Dakota.¹ He was buried in DeSmet.

From the Watertown News-Rustler November 6, 1891

FATAL Explosion

"On Monday, about 4 o'clock, while threshing at August Larson's place ten miles north of Arlington, the boiler exploded, killing two men and injuring two others. They were moving from one setting to another, and both ends of the boiler blew out with terrible force. Horace Holcomb, a brother of the owner, Walter Holcomb, of DeSmet, was struck by a section of the boiler, crushing his skull and terribly mangling him. A man beside him was slightly bruised. Capt. Ed. Garland, of DeSmet, the engineer, was blown into the air about 30 feet and carried several rods. Both legs were broken and his entire body frightfully scalded. There was plenty of water in the boiler, having been filled but a short time before the explosion, and it had been tested by an expert but a few days previous. The cause of the explosion is ascribed to the water taken from a hole in the ground, which probably was strongly alkaline and foamed excessively when boiling...

Horace Holcomb was a young married man who had just arrived from Iowa, it being his first day with the machine."

St. Paul Daily Globe, Wednesday Nov. 4, 1891

Fatal Explosions in North and South Dakota

Arlington, SD Nov. 3 Yesterday, while threshing at August Larsen’s place, about ten miles north of this place, the boiler exploded, killing two men and injuring two others. They were moving from one setting to another, and both ends of the boiler blew out with terrific force.

Horace Holcomb, a brother of the owner, walking beside the separator, was struck by a section of the boiler, crushing his skull and killing him instantly. A man beside him was slightly bruised. Capt. Garland, the engineer, was blown into the air about thirty feet and carried about ten rods. Both legs were broken and his entire body frightfully scalded. He lived about an hour. A man beside him was slightly bruised and scalded.

Holcomb’s wife is prostrated by the shock, and brain fever is feared. Lack of water in the boiled is supposed to be the cause. The water here is excessively alkaline, and foams excessively when boiling, and it is supposed that the engineer was deceived thereby, the gauge showing sufficient water.

Albert Lea Freeborn County Standard
Albert Lea, Minnesota - Nov 18 1891

From the De Smet. S. D. News and Leader we glean the particulars of the awful death of Horace, a son of Mr. and Mrs. C.B. Holcomb of Gordonsville which occurred near the former place Nov. 6th.* He was engaged with his brother, Walter Holcomb, Ed Garland and others of a steam threshing crew of which he was a member, when without the least warning the boiler exploded killing both Horace Holcomb and Ed. Garland. The former was only twenty-seven years old and had been married but a few months; his young wife, in order to be with him traveled with and cooked for the threshing crew, and was rendered almost distracted by the terrible fate of her husband. The relatives have the earnest sympathy of sill in their great affliction.

*Nov 2, 1891

Albert Lea Freeborn County Standard
Albert Lea, Minnesota - Dec 2 1891

Memorial services were held Sunday for Horace Holcomb killed in the boiler thresher accident near DeSmet, S.D. Rev. Mr. Lathrop delivered the sermon, and there was a large attendance. The remains were buried at DeSmet.