100 years ago in the Inland Northwest: A mining company president died instantly in a Bonners Ferry explosion

The president of a local mining company died in a fiery explosion on the Kootenai River at Bonners Ferry.

J.M. Schnatterly, president of the Idaho Gold & Ruby Mining Co. and a Spokane resident, was filling the gas tank of his boat at the river pier in town.

Suddenly, the tank exploded in a ball of flame, killing Schnatterly instantly.

The boat’s cook and a passenger made a desperate attempt to drag Schnatterly’s body from the boat, but the fire was too intense. They had to leap through the windows of the cabin to escape. One of them broke his ankle when he landed. Both were being treated for serious burns.

The 50-foot-long boat burned to the water line. Schnatterly and his crew were planning to take visitors down the river to the mine.

From the booze beat: In a bout of wishful thinking, Washington’s federal Prohibition director announced that “the tide has turned” for rum-runners in the state. He said the “more severe sentences” imposed by judges and juries were helping to quash liquor smuggling.

He did admit, however, that the Washington-Canadian border remained “very troublesome.” He proposed a “big, vigorous practical boundary program” to curb the traffic. He also said British Columbia was cracking down on the “export houses” that supplied most of the illicit liquor.

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1912: The RMS Titanic leaves Queenstown, Ireland, for New York City, captained by Edward Smith.