, 1885-01-27
he BLEW IT OUT.
y Well Known Ranchman Has a
Marrow Escape.
He Fails to Properly Turn Off the
Gas.
A Matchful Clerk Arouses Him lust
In Time.

WAKE up Wake up The gas is
escaping in your room and you will be
smothered, and the night clerk at Dyer's
hotel pounded vigorously on the door Of
room No. 4.
The hour was IL o'clock last night.
About half-past IL O'Clock tEs clerk de-
tected the odor Of escaping gas in the hall
way between the Office and the bNr-room.
The odor steadily became morr se,se. and
an examination of all of the bgsners on
the lower floor was made, sat each and
every one was properly s5iasted. Pro
ceeding then to the stairs 10 cle7k soon
detected that the escaping gas esAne from
some room in the second story. He ex-
amined the halls thoroughly but failed to
locate the misplaced valve. After search
ing for nearly half an hour he
finally concluded that the occu-
pant of room No. 5 had
neglected to turn off the gas. The room
was occupied by a young lady who yester-
day came from ~Runningwater, but the
circumstances admitted of no false deli
cacy and so the clerk at once attempted
to arouse her. A vigorous pounding OF
the door finally awakened the young lady
and the clerk made an examination Of the
gas burner. The odor in the room was
noticeably strong but the gas was prop
erly turned off.
Proceeding then to the adjoining room,
No. A, the clerk began an onslaught on
the door. For some moments Il seemed
that the occupant Of the room was either
dead or insensible, but just as the clerk
was celebrating the wisdom of kicking in
the door, a man stumbled to the door,
unlocked it, and then wandered back to
the bed in a Supplied way, which showed
that he was barely conscious of what he
did.
The gas had been extinguised but a full
head was turned on. The odor was
sitting and the air was so impregnated
with gas that one could hardly breathe in
the room. The windows were flung open
and in a few moments the air in the
room was purified. The occupant of the
room was Mr. John S. Hughes, of Run
ningwater, who arrived in the city yester-
day afternoon. Mr.. Hughes was in a semi
~coInatose condition when aroused and it
was not learned whether he blew out the
gas or after turning it off again turned it
on. 1t was evident, however. that the
timely discovery made by the clerk saved
his life, for in another hour he would
have lapsed into an Inconsistencies from
which he could never have awakened.
1t is well known hat the deathly effect
of gas first produces a languor. This is
followed by a stupor and n sleeping person
passes unconsciously from the stupor into
the sleep of death. Through the lungs
the blood is effected until the heart ceases
to beat and death comes without a pain
or a struggle.
There are reasons for believing that
Mr.. Hughes visits the city for a very i'm
portant purpose. To be plain. it is sur
missed that he will visit the county clerks
office to-day and call on a minister before
he returns to Runningwater. His death
would have been deplolable under any
circumstances, but would have been par
ticular sad at this time. AT best his es-
cape was a narrow one.
1t is stated by the attaches of the hotel
that other guests in the house have also
retired without properly turning off the
gas although particularly cautioned. Aclose
and careful watch has been kept, how
ever, and no serious results have occurred.
Recently a gentleman who registered
from New York city, and who had the
appearance Of a business man, extin-
guished the gas in his room and left it
turned on.
In this case the night clerk also discoy-
cred the accident, and although the tran
som over the door was open, the man was
SO injured by the fumes that he was
hardly able to be about the next day.
Mr.. Hughes will doubtless be very care
full to properly e~xtinguish the gas in his
room whenever he visits the city, and it
might be wise for our friends from the in
terror to carry a stick Of sealing wax and
seal up the gas burner before they retire.
FACTS ABOUT FIsfs.