Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-10-02
Suicides by Kerosene.

ONE of the questions upon when there
is a wide difference of opinion, is whether
every person committing suicide is not
necessarily more or less insane. It's DOS
sible that some light may be thrown upon
this subject by the great number OF sui
cides which are now committed III the IN
sane attempt to axindle fires in stoves ana
furnaces by pouring kerosene OIL upon the
lighted wood or coal. Within the last
thirty days over thirty deaths have been
recorded as having taken place from this
cause In the light of long experience,
and of common knowledge Of the lnf1am-
mabe character of the oil, and the GER
tain consequences if the fire communicate
with the contents of the can, men and
women continue, day after day, to pour
oil upon lighted fires, and are thereby
themselves burned to death. If any per-
son were to undertake to hasten the igni-
ton of fire by pouring gunpowder on
it, he could hardly be called sane, and yet
the danger of an explosion and loss OF life
from the use Of kerosene for the same pur-
pose is hardly less than from the use Of
powder The use of kerosene by persons
in the kitchen, to hasten the combustion
of fuel, is more general than is supposed.
1t is used in hundreds of houses without
the knowledge and against the orders of
the housekeeper. In countless cases the
fatal accident is the first knowledge that
the head of the family has of the use Of
the hazardous oil. 1t is said by those who
habitually use it, 81 have used it for
months, and never had an accldent;" but
the accident nevertheless, comes, and the
victim dies in horrible pain and suffering.
That it may be used carefully without an
explosion is possible, but that the careful
use of it will soon fall into the careless
use, ending in the literal burning alive OF
the unfortunate operator, is reduced to an
eventual certainty. SO certain is the ultl-
mate fatality from the use Of kerosene to
hasten combustion Of fuel in stove that
the person who adopts it for that purpose,
and is burned to DEATH may be said to
commit suicide. AS well expert
ment with loaded revolver
against the body, or with
powder poured from a flask, or with
nitro glycerine, as to pour kerosene from
a can upon lighted fire and not expect
fatal consequences. With a full knowl-
edge of all this, and with a moral Ger
tainty that death will follow, it is persist
emily used in thousands of houses every
day Is this not seeking death deliber-
ately, and with a knowled &c of the means
employed9 Is it not such a reckless dis
regard of probabilities as amounts either
to Indifference as to the consequences, or
an expectation of fatal result? 1t is
difficult to suggest remedy, or the means
of preventing such tragedies. Every
body knows the dangerous character of
kerosene when thus used, and it is no use
telling such persons what they know
already. But its use may be abridged,
and the number Of deaths reduced, if heads
of families would not only prohibit the
use of kerosene, but take effectual 1leans
to prevent it being used. 1t was related
some time ago, that the head of family
having some slight cause to distrust the
long and solemn denials that kerosene
was used to hasten the kitchen fire, tried
the experiment of removing the kerosene
at night and filling the can with water.
The next morning there was no breakfast,
the wood being reported as too wet to
burn, and the stove as half filled with
water. SO with thousands of other cases,
where its use is kept secret. The only
safety is, when kerosene is permitted in
the house, to see that it is kept under lock
and key, where it cannot be reached.
Such precaution would have saved hun
dreds of lives, and will continue to save
them, so long as it is necessary TO prevent
people committing suicide by burning
themselves to death while pouring kero-
senc upon a fire in the kitchen stove
ChicdOo Tribune