Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1857-05-01
TIC rible Camphcnc Accident.


person who was present, the particulars of
terrible camphene accident which happen
ed on Saturday night, about 2 o'clock at
the house of ill-fame kept by the notorious
Harriet Sly in the 10th ward.
About this time a young man from down
town called and took seat in the parlor,
where were sitting five women belonging to
the house, including the mistress Two of
them named Rosa and Mary Sullivan,
young girls of Is, were seated at marble
top table, whereon was a glass lamp filled
with burning fluid and holding about pint
One of the girls asked the visitor who had
just arrived to buy bottle of wine, to which
he replied that he thought they had drank
enough already. The girl then caught
hold of the lamp apparently to take it to
some other part of the room, when it slip
ped from her hand and fell over striking the
edge Of the table and breaking, The con-
tents were intantly emptied into the laps of
the two girls and ignited from the flame of
the lamp. They were dressed in light mus
lin dresses and were of course, completely
saturated. In an instant they were ablaze
from head to foot. One sprang from her
chair with frightful screams and rushed to
her mistress, throwing her arms about her
neck and clinging to her with the tenacity
Of utter fright and desperation. The other
girl rushed to the window, and with an in
stinct towards self-presorvation, enveloped
herself as well as she could in the heavy
lace curtains which hung before it. Of
course, the only effect was to add to the
conhagration and her own sufferings, as
from their light texture they instantly took
fire.
The sight is described as a most horrible
one The first girl was enveloped in flames
which darted above her head in their fury.
The front window was sheet of flames
in moment and the poor girl there com
pletely enshrouded' with the fiery clement.
Miss Sly's clothing also took fire from the
unfortunate girl who still clung to her and
to add to the terrors of the scene tho car
pet also caught, and the room was quickly
filed with smoke to suffocaton. Add to
this the piercing screams of the girls in their
agony and terror, and some conception can
be formed Of the scene presented. Our in
formant says he wishes to be the witness OF
! Onil OHe SUCH Ill u llIe ulllc.
All this was the work of less than three
moments The person present Immediate
ly took off his overcoat and attempted to
smother the flames on the persons of the
girls, but finding this insufficient, he pro-
cured coverlet from the bed in an adioin-
ing room with which he succeeded in ex-
tinguishing the flames after some effort
] ItiSf hn bod i I, -
inmates and visitors at one of the neighbor-
ing houses, aroused by the screams, came to
their assistance, and the flames in the win
dow and carpet were readily put out, and a
physician was sent for.
The girl Rosa presented an awful sight.
With the exception of small space on her
bosom, her whole body, from head to foot
was burned so that the skin cracked open
and tho blood flowed down her limbs. Her
mistress TO whom she clung so desperately
was burned in the neck, hands and arms
quito severely. Mary's hands, arms and
legs were severely burned, but her body es-
capped. The other female occupants Of the
room at the time of the accident escaped
unhurt, but were so completely paralyzed
with terror as to be unable to render any
assistance whatever
The person who put out the flames had
his beard, eyebrow and hair pretty severe
ly singed and his hands slightly burned.-
Taken altogether it is ono of the most terri
bic accidents of the kind we have know
, for a long time.
| Rosa died this morning from the effect
of her terrible burns, having fingered I,
that time in state of perfect agony. TIL,
others will recover without serious injury
Detroit Tribune.