The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-12-09
FATAL RESULT OF
FELTZ PATCH FIRE
Mrs. David J. Thomas Died from Effects
Of Burns She Sustained.
HER NEIcE WAS IN GREAT PERIL
When she Was Awakened by n stone
Crashing Through Her window the
Fire Had Cut on Escape by Means
of the stairway and She Was Com
PEELED to Leap from the second
Story Window--Fortunately She
Escaped Serious Injury.

Mrs. David J. Thomas, aged 81 years,
the woman who was so severely burn
ed while being rescued from "A burning
house in Feltz patch, Taylor last Mon
day. died at 2.30 o'clock yesterday af-
tcrnoon at the home of her sister Mrs.
David Walter Jones, where she was
carried after the accident.
She suffered intense pain from the
terrible burning she received and this
coupled with the fact that when the
fire broke out she was confined to her
bed with Illness, caused death
The fire, as reported in Tuesdays
Tribune, was discovered at 63O o'clock
in the morning, while the members Of
the Thomas household were in bed.
When Mr.. Thomas awOke he found the
smoke filing - apartments. Going
to the head of the stairs he saw that
the steps had become ignited and the
flames were creeping from the base
ment to the upper floors.
RESCUING MRS. THOMAS.
About the same time workmcn at the
Holden breaker discovered the fire and
a dozen men collected i'm front of the
little wooden structure. Mr.. Thomas
who is an aged man. made his way
down the burning stairs, leaving Mrs
Thomas behind. He had tried to coax
her to go with him but the aged wo-
man would not move from the upstairs
without her neice, Miss Gwen Thomas.
who occupied another room. Her cries
for her ueice to open the locked door
could he heard on the outside.
Finally some of the men from the
ccllery rushed up stairs and carried
her from the burning building.
III passing down the stairs Mrs.
Thomas night dress caught fire and
when she was laid upon the road the
garment had burned from her body.
She was carried to a neighborinS
house.
No response had been received from
the room where Miss Gwen Thomas,
aged 10 years, slept. The house was
half filled with smoke and it was seen
to be impossible to prevent the total
destruction Of the building. The men
outside shouted the young woman's S
name again and again, but still she
slept.
A PERILOUS POSITION.
Finally a stone was sent crashing
through one of the windows in the
room and a moment afterward Miss
Thomas lifted the window and looked
out 1t was impossible now to escape
by way of the stairs. and without hes
itation the young woman jumped from
the window in the second floor, a dis
tance of twenty feet, to the arms of
one of the men outside. The man was
hurled to the ground by the weight
of the body.
Miss Thomas escaped serious injury.
Her aged aunt, however, lay in hys-
terra from the shock in the house OF
Mrs. Jones. DR. Houser, of Taylor.
was called and attended the sufferer
almost constantly since the accident
She died yesterday afternoon from
what was Diagnosed as heart failure
the result of the shock.
The funeral will be held Saturday af-
ternOon from the Jones residence. The
remains will be taken to the Welsh
Baptist church, at Taylor. where Rev
Charles Jones and Rev. II. II. Harris
will conduct the Obsequies. Mrs. Thom.
as was Il highly respected woman
She has lived in Taylor twenty-eight
years, and was we'll known. She was
born in GlamOrganShirp