The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-14
THREE BURNED BY GASOLINE
MRS. MARTHA WEDEBRAND
AND TWO CHILDREN
Mother Died at the City Hospital
Last Evening After Hours OF Ter
ribie AgOny-Injuries to the
Young Folks Are Severe, Al
though Not Necessarily Fatal
burner Was Not Shut Clear OF.

burner was Not Shut Clear OF.
With her body burned almost to a
crisp, Mrs. Martha Wedebrand died
early last evening at the city
hospital as the result of, a gasoline
stove explosion at her home, 22O State
street. yesterday morning. Adolph
Wedebrand, her eight-year- old son. is
still at the hospital, suffering from
burns received in the explosion, and
Catherine Wedebrand, a ten-year-old
daughter, was badly burned about the
left side
The hospital authorities saw last
evening that there was little hope fer
Mrs. Netherlands recovery The boy
is in serious condition, but not so
terribly burned as his mother, and I'M
less it develops that he inhaled some
of the flame he will probably recover.
Inc girls burns are painful, but mol
dangerous. Her chief injury is severe
burn on the left arm
The accident occurred yesterday
morning while Mrs. Wedebrand was
filing the stove. The stove had been
burning, and she turned out the burner
preparatory to putting more oil in the
reservoir. A tiny blaze, however con-
tinued shooting from the burner This
Mrs. Wedebrand did not notice. AS the
Oil ran into the reservoir from the can
In the Woman's hands, the blaze COM
municated to the explosive. A sudden
burst of flame from the oil in the can
becoming ignited completely enveloped
the unfortunate woman. A moment
later the reservoir exploded, throwing
the burning oil over the room. In an
instant Mrs. Wedebrand was wrapped
in flames. The children had been play
ing near the stove, and the flying oil
fell upon them, setting their clothing
-afire.
Agonized by her own suffering and
the sight of her children with burn
ing clothing, Mrs. Wedebrand scream
ed for help and made heroic efforts to
beat out the flames about her body.
She StroVe to get possession of a table
cloth to throw over the children, but
surrounded by fire could not move
without causing the flames to increase
III fierceneSS. The cries of the mother
and the endangered children, together
with the shouts for help of other chill
dren in another part of the house,
aroused the neigh borhood and as quick
ly as possible those first On the scene
succored Mrs. Wedebrand, smothering
the flames about her with a wet sheet.
Others threw bed spreads about the
children, rescuing them from more
severe burning. Aid had come to the
mother, however, too late. There
was scarcely a thread of clothing left
on her body and the flesh was badly
cEarred No part Of her body es-
capped the flames. Her face was ter
ribly burned while her back, chest,
arms and legs We're blackened, with the
skin peeling off.
Dr.. Martel was summoned to attend
the suffering members of the family
and temporarily relieved their intense
pain until the arrival Of Assistant City
Physician ArtZ. Recognizing the seri-
GUS condition Of the mother and the
boy, DR.. Artz had them at once re-
moved to the city hospital in the am
bulance.
Mrs. Wedebrand is the wife of Chas.
G.. Wedebrand, fag1nan in the en-
ploy of the Great Western Railroad
company. Mr.. Wedebrand was at work
when the accident happened. The
house was not greatly damaged by the
fire