The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-04
DEATH IN KEROSENE.
Three Young Women Horribly and Fatally
Burned While Attempting to Light Fires with
This Dangerous OIL.

Three Young Women Horribly and Fatally
Burned While Attempting to Light Fires with
This Dangerous OIL
The Milwaukee Sentinel of q recent date says:
Notwithstanding all that has been said and
written upon the careless and dangerous prac-
tice of lighting fires with kerosene, the practice
is indulged in TO great extent and within the
past two days has been the source OF two terri
Bile accidents, through which three young
women were horribly and fatally burned. The
first accident toak place at the residence of Mr.
Wheelock.
On Saturday morning, trine after o'clock,
the residence of Mr.. Peter WheelOck, on the
corner of Jackson and Division streets, re-
sounded with shrieks from the basement Mr.
Wheelock Immediately ran down stairs, and
was Mortified to find the servant girl, Maggie
Doyle, writhing in pain upon the floor, her
clothes and hair ablaZe Beside her. near the
stove, lay quart kerosene can with the bottom
blown out, which told at glance the cause of
the poor girls misfortune. Quick rs thought
Mr.. Wheelock seized his overcoat, and envelope
ing the shrieking girl, smothered the flames.
The physicians have abandoned all hopes of her
recovery. Miss Doyle is about twenty years of
age, and was the only stay and support of an
aged and widowed mother.
The next accident, similar in cause and result,
took place at 80 o'clock yesterday morning.
Verheim's National Hotel, corner of West Water
and Fowler streets was the scene of another
accident, by which two girls, cocks in the esta-
blshment, were so badly burned that the physi-
clans pronounced them beyond hope of reco-
very Mr.. George Langley, runner for the hotel,
had Just returned from the Union Depot, and
was pumping two pals of water in the base
ment, some fifteen feet from the kitchen door,
when he heard the sound of an explosion,
followed by screams. He hurried to the kitchen
door, which opened inward from the hail.
but found it blocked by some one upon the
inside. Divining the trouble he Immediately
knocked a panel out of the door and found
the girls enveloped in flames. Recognizing
the porter, they opened the door, and,
placing their burning arms about HIM, cried
amid shrieks and groans, "Oh, George, save us,
save u.s." Mr.. Langley, finding that he could
not release himself in the hall, rushed ont into
the yard with the girls, where he disengaged
himself, and, taking off his overcoat, after
one of them, and caught her just as she reached
the street. He quickly threw the garment over
her and managed to smother the fire. While
Mr.. Langley was busy with the unfortunate girl
upon the walk, the clerk of the hotel, aroused
by their shrieks and groans reached the yard
and tore the burning clothing from the other
girl who was chasing about the yard iii great
agony. With permission of DIR. Spearman, the
physician in charge, the eldest of the girls was
the accident. She gave her name as Matilda
she and her companion, Caroline Kostar, got up
late, and, in their hurry to get breakfast on
time, could not get the fire to burn, when she
ran up stairs and got gallon can of kerosene,
and commenced to pour some of the oil upon
the fire, while her companion stopped and blew
the kindling at the hearth draught Quicker
than thought fire communicated to the can, and
blowing the bottom out, scattered its burninl
contents over them.