The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-08-26
FRIGHTFULLY BURNED.
The Deadly Gasoline Stove Caus Sad Acct
DEM in Another Home.

Mrs. Elmer Miles of 13l South Pattie
avenue was fr;ghttully burned yesterday
by ignited gasoline, and all hopes of her
| recovery are given up. The circumstances,
as nearly as can be ascertained, are as fol-
lows: Mrs. Miles proceeded to prepare the
noon meal on the gasoline stove, the tank
: of which she found upon examination to
be empty. She took the gasoline can and
filed the tank, aud when she applied a
match to the burner an explosion took
place, setting her clothes on
fire. No one but a grandchild
was in the house but the lady's screams
brought boarder named Andrew Heis
from the stable to her assistance. In try
ing 70 put out the flames he burned his
hands fearfully and seeing it was impos-
sible to extinguish the flames it was sug-
gested that she should leave the house to
prevent it from catching fire also. She did
so and when she gained the front yard the
wind famed the flames till she was YER
liable pillar of fire Her screams at
tracted the neighbors to her but in
vain for when they got there
every stitch of clothing she had on her body
was completely annihilated. Even the
stockings which she wore were burned to
the shoes. They immeditely took her to
her room and applied -four all over her
body and sent for DR.. Fordice and Jones.
The physicians attended as promptly as
possible and did everything in their power
for her. The fact that she was enveloped
in -four rendered it i'm possible for them to
ascertain the full measure of her injuries
but they were told by the ladies in attend
ance that she was literally roasted from
her feet to her chin, the face escaping
for some unknown reason. The agony and
suffering the poor woman underwent from
the time the accident occurred was simply
terrible. As she moved in her bed the skin
would slip from the flesh and the pain
that it would cause was intensely excrusi-
ating. TIE body was badly burned over
the vital parts and there is not one chance
In thousand that she can live; in fact no
hopes were entertained last night that she
would live till this morning OF course
her distress and suffering was too great TO
ascertain from her any intelligable account
of how the deplorable accident occurred.
There are half ii dozen different theories.
The most probable one, however, is that
she had forgotten to turn off the burners
and that as the gasoline was put into the
tank it leaked out into a boiler or oven IN
derneath. The theory is then that when
she applied the light to the burners the
ignited drops fell into the oven and caused
what gasoline that had accumulated there
from the leak TO explode. Mrs. Miles is a
lady of about 80 or 90 years of age aud
has not been living in the
city very long. The family moved
from Newton here and are reputed to be
excellent people. The stove was one of
those small two-barner ones that can be
easily moved around from place to place.
Mr.. Hes, the man VINO burned his hands
while trying to extinguish the fire, was
taken to the Wichita hospital where his
injuries were dressed.
At 10 o'clock last night Mrs Miles OBJ
tanned temporary relief from her pains by
going into a sound sleep which many
thought would be succeeded soon
after by the eternal sleep of death. No
one who has not seen her can form any
idea of the intensity of her sufferings.