The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-11
BURNED BY 0IL-FED FLAMES.
LITTLE MAMIE HALPIN'S BODY
CHARED TO A CRISP.

Supposed to Have Placed n Two
Quart Can of Kerosene on "a Hot
StoVe-The Can Exploded and the
Little One Was EnveIOped in OH
ana Fire-Her Clothing Burned OF
and Her Flesh Left in Shreds-She
Lived Three Hours in Terrible
suffering.
Little Mamie Halpin, the s-year-old
daughter Of Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas ]. Hal
pin. was fatally burned at the home Of
her parents on President street, east of
East Broad street. yesterday morning.
The accident was due to the explosion of
a can of kerosene oil which the little girl
is supposed, in her childish ignorance. to
have set uDon a heated stove.
The accident was heartrending one.
The child was terribly burned, and in a
most unusual manner. Dr. f. H. Mich
OILS. who was summoned Immediately, said
that the burn was the worst he had ever
known, being what is known to medical
men as q burn of the first magnitude The
entire body, from head to feet both front
and rear, was scorched both the toen1ils
and the fngernans dropping off in the
Doctors hands when he attempted tcp~rim
away the shreds of charred and shriveled
flesh.
Mrs Halpin had gone down town to
make some purchases leaving her three
children, Of whom Mamie was the eldest.
in the house. Preparations had begun for
the midday meal and there was a fire In
the stove when Mrs. Halpin left. She had
used kerosene oil in starting the fire. and
had left the can sitting on the floor. The
little girl was too badly burned to ex-
plain how the accident occurred, but it
is supposed that she either undertook to
and the fire by pouring on more oil from
the can, or that she picked up the can
ana set il on the stove TO get 1t out of the
way, not being aware, in her childish in
noc@nce of the dangerous character of its
contents. The fatal accident followed i'm
mediately upon the contact of the oil with
the heated surface of the stove The can
exploded. both ends being blown our.
throwing the burning oil over the child's
clothing. She was thrown to the floor by
the explosion, but Immediately recovered
herself and rushed TO the door
with her clothing in flames.
Her screams attracted attention
and neighbors rushed to the scene. Blank
the flames were eXtingushed, but not I'M
iii the clothing had been almost entirely
burned from her body, only charred fras-
ment remaining.
The explosion set fire to the kitchen and
a message was sent to No ! engine house
for aid. The fremen extinguished the
flames with but little trouble, and then
proceeded to give first aid to the suffering
child with the Red Cross lotions with
which they are supplied. The case was
one however in which they could afford
but littie relief
DR.. Nichols arrived shortly afterward
and rendered such aid as was possible
cutting away the charred fragments of
clothing and swathing the body in ban
dages saturated with linseed oil and lime
water. He saw at once that the injuries
were fatal, the burns being deep. and
causing the flesh TO peel off in strips. The
family was notified that the little daughter
had only a few hours to live and at DR..
Nichols suggestion Father Hennessey was
sent for and administered the last rites
Of the church. The little sufferer was al
most unconscious. but was able to ask for
water and to speak the words mama
and papa" She seemed to recognize
the priest and answered in the affirmative
when asked if she wished TO make her
peace with God.
Mr Halpin was at his work at the Plant
System when notified of the terrible ac-
cident to his little daughter. He was
overcome with grief on his arrival but
reganed his COmposure, and carried his
child tenderly in his arms from the house
of the neghbor to which she had been
taken just after the accident, to his own
home next door, after the firemen had
finished their work there. Sedatives were
administered to lull the pain, and the lit
tie sufferer was lovingly tended until
o'clock, when the soul left the pain-riddeu
body. The bereaved ones were the recp-
tents of general sympathy not only from
friends and neighbors, but from all who
heard of the sorrow which had befallen
them. The funeral will probably take
place this afternoon.
When the fremen entered the kitchen
where the explosion occurred they found
the bursted oil can on the stove with both
ends Blown out 1t was an ordinary kero-
sene can, holding about two quarts ana
is said to have been nearly full at the time
of the accident. Ii is this that led Dr.
Nichols to believe that the child must
have taken the can from the floor and
placed it upon the stove. How the little
girl came to be so completely burned over
her entire body was more than DR. Mich
OILS could explain. The accident should be
in the nature of warning to others to be
scrupu,ously careful in keeping kerosene
and other infammable materials safely
out of the reach of children of tender
years.