The San Francisco call., 1899-07-08
TRAGIC DEATH
OF MRS. DICKENS
Naval Captains Wife Is
Killed by Explosion.
HANDSOME HOME WRECKED
PLUMBER's POT AND GASOLINE
CAUSE THE DISASTER.
Entire Third Story Front of the
Beautiful Washington Residence
Blown Out by the Violent
Shocks.
HANDSOME HOME WRECKED
POT AND GASOLINE
CAUSE THE DISASTER.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WASHINGTON. July Fire and
explosion in the residence of Captain
Dickens of the United States navy at
10:45 this morning resulted in the death
Of Mrs. Dickens, who died before medl
cal assistance could reach her Other
persons about the house were severely
but not dangerously wounded.
The Dickens residence is a handsome
three-story brick building on Nine
teenth street, directly back of the Brit
ish embassy, and within a few steps of
Dupont Circle. The first intimation Of
the disaster was d low rumble, followed
| by several violent shocks, which blew
out the entire third story front of the
residence. The firemen made their
way to the third story, and among the
debris littering the front room they
found the blackened corpse of the un-
fortunate woman.
Mrs Dickens death was undoubt-
edly caused by the explosion, and it is
| not believed she suffered any from the
flames which succeeded. The rescuers
were led to the spot by Plumber
| Vaughan. who was himself burned
about the face and arms. He received
these burns in heroic effort to rescue
| Mrs. Dickens.
He and his assistant had entered the
room in which Mrs. Dickens sat clean
ing some rugs when the explosion hap
pened The two men were thrown
down by the explosion. Vaughan seized
Mrs Dickens and attempted to drag
her from the room. The flames We're,
however. so fierce that he was COM
PEELED to drop her and flee for his own
life. He thinks that she was then dead.
The plumber and his assistant were
putting on a gutter at the rear of the
roof Having completed the job, they
descended the ladder to the third story.
The plumbers assistant carried light
ed melting pot. Vaughan detected the
strong fumes of gasoline, and through
the open door to the front room caught
a glimpse of Mrs. Dickens sprinkling
LIQUID on the floor with the evident pur-
pose Of preparing to cleanse 1t. He gave
warning to his partner that gasoline
was being used and that there was
danger from the fire pot, but at this
instant the terrific explosion occurred,
literally enveloping the entire third
story in mass of flames.
The explosion was of such force thai
it rent the stone steps in front of the
house. The plumbers say that consid-
erable quantities of the gasoline had
apparently been spilled upon the floor
Word was sent to the Navy Depart
ment. where CAPTAIN Dickens is next
to Admiral Crewninshield at the head
of the Bureau of Navigation. The ex-
act character of the catastrophe was
not made known to him, but he was
brought hurriedIy to the Dickens resi-
dence in a carriage. He almost tainted
as he was helped from the carriage up
the street entrance steps. He identi-
fed the body as that Of his wife. The
body of Mrs. Dickens was borne to the
next house. where a surgeon of the
navv resides.
Captain Dickens is one of the best
known officers connected with the Navy
I~..y ,,~r1,%
prominence at the time the Maine was
blown uD at Havana. He was then
acting chief of the Navigation Bureau
and it fell to his lot to receive the first
dispatch from Captain Sigsbee, giving
information of that disaster.
Mrs Dickens was an authoress Of
some note, one of her best known books
being Around the World in a Man
of-War" She was also a frequent con>
tributor to magazines.