St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-12-08
STOVE DOOR LEFT OPEN.
Coal Gas Escaped and Filled
the House From Cellar
to Garpet.
FIVE PERSONS AFFECTED.
Mr.. and Mrs. Joseph Egan
Very Low at the City
Hospital.


was asphyxiated by coal gas yesterday
at 55 Ann street, where she lived with
her grandparents, MIR. and Mrs. Joseph
Egan. The little girl died at the city
hospital at o'clock in the evening.
MIR. aud Mrs. Egan, who were also
taken to the city hospital, were in q
most critical condition at o'clock this
morning. the chances for the recovery
of Mrs. Egan being extremely doubtful.
Two other inmates of the house, John
Mills and his Sixteen-year-old son
Willie. were also rendered unconscious
by the coal gas. but as they
slept upstairs the effect was not so
serious in their case. and they revived
about O'Clock in the afternoon. Mr..
Mills was the first to discover the old
people and their grandchi!d. He at
once notified the neighbOrs, and the
police were summoned.
Mr.. Mills and' his son had been visit
ing with Mr.. and Mrs. Egan down
stairs the previous evening. About IL
O'clock Mr.. Mills and Willie
Retired to Their Room
up stairs, directly over the parlor, in
which there was a coal stove. Mrs.
Egan went to bed with her granddaugh-
ter, but Mr.. Egan remained by the coal
stove.
When Mr.. Mills came down stairs
yesterday afternoon he supposed
that it was about o'clock in the
morning, his customary time of rising.
When he entered the parlor he beheld
Mr.. Egan seated IN his rocking chair,
his pipe in his mouth. His position
was natural, but on approaching closer
Mr.. Mills was Mortified to discover that
the old man was unconscious. A blush
palior overspread his face, and his eyes
were diStended and rolled upward. The
sitting odor of coal gas in the room told
Mr.. Mills what had happened. He at
once hurried into the adjoining bed
chamber.
There sickening sight met his eyes.
Stretched upon their backs in bed lay
the inanimate forms of grandmOthe
and grandchild. Their frames were
rigid. their faces purple, from their
mouth ooZed greeniSh frOth. Their
eyes protruded from their sockets.
Mr.. Mills waited no longer. but hast
ened to alarm the neighbOrs. Some of
them, knowing Sergt. Zirkelbach lived
near by, proceeded at once to his house
and notified him of what had occurred.
The sergeant teleph0ned to the central
police station
For the Patrol Wagon
and for medical attendance. Capt.
SchweitZer sent for Assistant City Ply
sician Brimhall. and the two were imme-
diately driven to the home of Mr.. Egan.
When they arrived there DR.. Brim-
hall instructed the police to convey the
three stricken people to the city hos
pital.
None of them regained consciousness
even for an instant. Elsie sank lower
and lower as the hours went by, and
expired few moments before O'Clock.
Of the two old people. Mrs. Egan was
in the most precariouS condition. though
her husband was far from being out Of
danger. The hospital physicians were
inclined to despair of saving Mrs.
Egan's life, and were by no means
sanguine of the ultimate recovery of
Mr.. EsaD.
The cause of the casualty was clearly
apparent. The damper of the stove
pipe back of the stove was closed tight,
and the
stove Door Was Wide Open.
Tho 10
before retiring, had seated himself to
enjoy pipe. 1t was warm night,an
in all probability. he had checked the
fire and then fallen asleep before the
odor Of the escaping coal gas became
noticeable.
An interesting coincidence attending
this sad affair is that Willie Mills, the
sixteen yearOld boy, was expected to
appear in the municipal court yester-
day morning to answer to a charge of
vagrancy. The police arrested him
few nights ago for wander
Ing around the streets and sleep
ing in barns and Railways.
1t transpired that there bad been some
disagreement between Willie's father
and Mr.. Egan over the payment of the
boys board. His father has been alb
sent for some time. Willie told the po-
lice that the Egans sent him away, with
orders not to return. Thursday morns
ing Mr.. Mills arrived In town. having in
his possession a sum of money which he
had received from the sale of some
property. He settled matters with the
Egans and pleasant relations were re-
stored. Both families spent social
evening together, in the course of which
they drank some beer.
MIR. and Mrs. Egan are each sixty