The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1861-01-10 00:00:00

FATAL ACCIDENT TO A LADY.-THE
DANGER OF CRINOLINE.

A painful investigation took place on Tuesday evening
at the mansion, 26, Hyde Park-square, Paddington,
before Mr. G. S. Brent, the deputy coroner for the
western division of Middlesex, as to the distressing
deathr
aolf
riMoilsyse Mariar
,whhE
occurred
iczca u
rr
ed Power,at tahgee d 3
residence
, daughter o f of
h er
father as above, on the 4th instant, in consequence of
the accidental ignition of her dress, thereby resulting
not only in the infliction of fatal injuries to the hapless
lady, and injuries of a less character to one of her
brothers, but also seriously endangering the premises by
fire. It appeared from the evidence of Mr. George
Power, a major in her Majesty's service, and the brother
alluded to, who appeared before the deputy coroner
with his right arm bandaged and supported in a
sling, that about nine o'clock on Thursday evening
last, while quietly sitting alone after dinner, he was
alarmed by screams from one of his sisters, and rushed
up-stairs to the drawing-room, and there discovered
the deceased enveloped in flames in a corner of the
room behind the curtains of one of the windows, which
were all in a blaze, and had extended to the ceiling,
endangering the house in an alarming manner. No ode
at the time was in the room or near at hand. He
hurriedly laid her on the sofa, and in his unsuccessful
attempts to extinguish the flames of her clothes he burnt
his arm and hands. He raised an alarm, and having
obtained assistance the flames from the curtains and the
deceased were at length with some difficulty subdued
and extinguished. The deceased was sensible at, the
time, and described the cause of the accident, which was
in effect as follows :—One of two wax candles, burning
on the mantelpiece of the drawing-room, leaned on one:
side, and in reaching over the fire to put it straight, the
amplitude of her skirts from crinoline caused the ignition
of the lower part of her dress, and in kneeling for the
purpose of extinguishing it set fire to the upper por-
tion. She rang the bell, and ran to wrap herself in
one of the curtains, which, being of silk damask,
also became instantly in flames. It was further
shown by Dr. Alfred Keyser, of 21, Northwick-cres-
cent, who medically attended the deceased lady, and
by other witnesses, that death was caused from the
frightful injuries she sustained in the head, face,
shoulders, and upper part of her body generally, and
took place about twenty hours afterwards. Strange to
say, the lowerparatccoofunthteed bfoordyfrosuffm suffered
crinolinednot the least
and
injury, which was
black silk petticoat she was attired in, and over which
was a dress of the fatally light fabric of tulle. The
curtains of the drawing-room were consumed. The
deputy coroner, in referring to the peculiarly melan-
choly nature of the case, said it appeared that the
crinoline was both the bane and the antidote, so far as
the lower part of the unfortunate lady's person was
concerned, and that, notwithstanding the occurrence
proved fatal, she appeared to have exercised great
presence of mind. The jury acquiesced, and recorded a
verdict of Accidental Death.

GREAT MALVERN.—Dr. Stummes having just left Dr. Wilson's
Hydropathic Establishment, where he has been resident phy-
sician. since 1848, is continuing the hydropathic practice at
his private residence, Abbey Villa, Malvern, until his new
establishment is completed. His patients have the privilege
of using the public douches and other baths newly anew
by Bt. Gully.