From the Lawrence Daily World for Oct. 19, 1910:

“Two men were seriously and one perhaps fatally injured in a traction engine explosion three miles northeast of town today. Claude White, 23 years old, is unconscious from his burns, and his brother Rufus is only slightly less critically injured. The two men live north of town and were bringing a traction engine in for repairs. They had started from the John McGinnis farm and had gone about a mile along the public road when a terrific explosion occurred. Both men were deluged with a sheet of boiling water, and Rufus was blown through a barbed wire fence. Claude received the greater force of the explosion and fainted almost immediately from pain. A burn affecting so large an area of skin is often fatal and it is feared that Claude can not recover.

“Despite university influence, the liquor traffic flourishes apace in Lawrence. Out of eighteen criminal cases on the November docket, eight, or about 45 per cent, are liquor prosecutions. Violating the prohibition law seems to be a pastime in Lawrence.

“The balance on the ledger of the city of Lawrence is just about nil. It is facing a whole quarter with mighty little funds on hand to operate the various municipal departments. The city fathers, who strive without compensation to make both ends meet in the matter of civic revenue and civic expenditures, will be mighty glad to see tax paying time roll around again.”