Project researcher John Sielaff discovered another accidental death connected to the Minnesota Capitol building construction.  William Platenberg was fatally injured while he was working in the Baxter quarry, just west of St. Cloud, on April 7, 1898.  This quarry was supplying the granite for the base of the statehouse at that time, so it is likely that the stone Platenberg was splitting was destined to be used in the construction in St. Paul.  As the article describes, it was a terrible accident and Platenberg suffered nearly four hours before dying in the hospitl as a result of being crushed by a block of stone.  He was 36 years old.

The project team earlier uncovered the names of the six men who were killed in accidents on the Capitol construction site between 1898 and 1903.  The stories of these accidents can be found under the Work category of this website in the Workplace Hazards section of by clicking here. Also see the article, State Capitol's stunning beauty came at a terrible cost on the accidents and the safety standards of the construction period compared to today.

Article describing how William Platenberg was fatally injured in an accident on April 7, 1898 at the Baxter Quarry near St. Cloud. At that time, the pit supplied the granite for the base of the Minnesota State Capitol building.

St. Cloud Daily Times, April 7, 1898