Morgan Displays Mask, 1916
On July 25, 1916 a devastating natural gas explosion in a water tunnel being constructed underneath Lake Erie left eleven workers dead. Ten more men attempting to rescue the survivors were overcome by gas fumes and also died. Morgan, his brother Frank, and two other men came to the rescue, descending into the gas-filled tunnel wearing Morgan's breathing device. The gas masks did their job, and the group managed to rescue two survivors from the tunnel.
Image courtesy of Cleveland State Library Special Collections