Evening star., 1898-01-19
GASOLINE TANK EXPLODES
Accident Results in Painful Injuries to Al
exander Hennage and His Daughter.
The Father Almost SufOcated-BOth
Victims Rescued by Policeman
COEhill-Burns Not Fatal.

The explosion of a tank of gasoline con-
nected with a stove in a room on the top
floor of No. 224 I'd street northwest
about $50 o'clock this morning came near
resulting in double fatality. AS it was
Alexander Hennage and his daughter,
Mrs. Clarence Stager, were painfully burn
ed and the father was nearly suffocated.
Policeman CoghiIl of the sixth precinct
was the first to respond to a call for help,
and after battling with the flames for a
few seconds both father and daughter
were placed out of danger. The victims
were so painfully burned, however. that
the police thought it best to send them to
the Emergency Hospital.
Mr. Hennage is nearly eighty years old.
He has lived with his married daughter in
the rooms on the third floor of the house
on I'd street for several months. The rear
room in which, the fire occurred is used
as kitchen and dining room, and the laun-
dry work was being done at the time the
explosion occurred. Mr.. Hennage, who
is a veteran of the Mexican war, was
seated at the breakfast table with his
grandchild, who is five years old, while the
colored woman, Mary Page, was in one
corner of the room standing over the wash
tub.
Gives n Warning.
The oil in the tank needed replenishing
and Mrs. Stager went over to fill 1t.
father, land don't get burned
Hardly had he uttered the words of
warning when he saw the blaze shoot
from the stove and almost cover his
daughter. Mrs. Stager screamed and
started toward the open door to run down
the steps, but her father, whose old-time
strength seemed to return to him, jumped
from the table and grabbed her. By this
time her dress was ablaZe. and the father
sought to subdue the flames.
The young woman was almost frantic
and struggled to get away from her father
but the latter knew If she left the house
the wind would feed the flames and she
would probably be burned to death. Real
izing this. he held to her, while the color
ed woman screamed for help. Her cries
and the smoke pouring through the open
window attracted Policeman Coghill from
the Street, and when he reached the land
ing on the third floor he saw father and
daughter making frantic efforts to ex-
was still burning and the nervous excite
ment had all but taken the life out of her
aged father.
Policeman Acts Promptly.
Seeing 1t was almost impossible to put
out the flames without tearing the dress
from the woman, whose life was in danger.
the policeman proceeded to tear the gar
ment from her.
Don't pull my dress off, she pleaded,
but the officer had no time for explana-
tions until afterward, and when the burn
ing garment had been removed. she was
taken in a room occupied by another fam
lily and made as comfortable as possible.
She had been buried about the face. and
was in such a nervous condition that when
the ambulance called to remove her father
it was deemed best that She too, should be
taken to the hospital.
The father of the young woman had his
Eair and beard singed and the skin had
been burned from the back of one hand.
At the hospital the physicians found that
their burns We're not likely to result ia
tally. and they were permitted to return
home after they had received treatment.