William Howard and Harvey Harper built a saw and shingle mill on the Little Creek about where the Stuart McKinnon home now stands. At this mill a tragedy occurred on July 2, 1878, when the boiler in the shingle mill exploded, killing instantly, Chris Hanney, the engineer and Willie Howard, the 7 year old son of William Howard. Parley Pead was severely scalded. He was packing shingles some distance from the boiler.
John and William Corless, who were unloading timer, narrowly escaped death from the flying debris.
Something had gone wrong and Mr. Howard and Hanney were making the repair when the explosion occurred. A part of the boiler weighing about 1,000 pounds landed in a field about 90 rods away and for years it lay in the field out toward the lily hill. (It was moved in the 1970s.) Mr. Howard and Hanney were not only scalded, but their skin was blown full of dirt and sawdust, and their clothing torn from their bodies. Mr. Hanney seemed to get full force of the explosion as nearly every bone in his body was broken. John Snowball and Enoch Shaffer acted as surgeons, washing and setting bones in place. William Howard was blown into the creek, but was rescued from drowning.
Bishop Lee of Woodruff happened to be in Randolph, and with the help of Jane Swartz and Mary Mead Rex, cared for Mr. Howard, who was near death's door. His eyes, ears and mouth were blown full of dirt and sawdust. With the good nursing of Mary Mead Rex, he recovered, but lost his hearing in one ear. Little Willie Howard who was playing with some other children at the back of the building was killed by a part of the smoke stack which came down. Chris Hanney left a wife and five children.
by Della S. McKinnon From Rich Memories published in 1962
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