Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1899-07-11
THE FUMES EXPLODED.
Wife Of a Navy Captain Killed in
Peculiar Manner at
Washington.

Washington, D. c., July Fire and
explosion in the residence Of Capt. Dick
ms Of the United States navy at 1915
this morning resulted in the death of
Mrs Dickins, who was fearfully burned.
The Dickins residence is a handsome
three-story brick building on Nineteeth
street, directly back of the British en-
bassy and within a few steps of Dupont
circle. The first intimation Of the fire
was low rumble, followed by several
violent shocks, which blew out the en-
tire third story front Of the residence.
The hremen made their way to the third
story and among the debris ittering the
front room found the blackened corpse
of woman.
From the details of the accident, as
learned from those who were in the
mouse at the time, it appears that Joseph
vaughan, plumber, and his assistant,
were putting on gutter to the rear Of
the thlrd-story roof. Having completed
the job they descended by means of
ladder to the third story. One of the
men carried in his hand a lighted melt
ing pot They entered a room where
MRS. Dlckins was cleaning some rugs
with gasoline, and an explosion followed
instantly.
Mrs: Dickins' death was undoubtedly
caused by the explosion and it is not
bel!eyed she suffered from the flames
which succeeded. The rescuers were led
to the spot by Plumber Vaughan, who
was himself badly burned about the face
and arms. He received these burns in
a heroic effort to rescue Mrs. Dickins
he and his assistant had entered the
room in which Mrs. Dickins sat cleaning
some rugs when the explosion happened.
Two men were thrown down by the ex-
plosion. Vaughan seized Mrs. Dickins
and attempted to drag her from the room
The flames were, however, so fierce that
his own life. He thinks that she was
then dead.
The explosion was Of such force that it
rent the stone steps IN front Of the house.
The plumbers say that considerable
quantities Of the gasoline had apparently
been spilled upon the floor.
The most sorrowful scene occurred In
connection with the recovery and identi-
fcation Of Mrs. Dickins' body. In the
midst of the excitement, the first report
that the blackened body in the upper
story was that of the wife of distin-
guished admiral of the navy. He was
summoned from his home nearby and
not only detected the mistake but also
gave the first definite Identification that
Mrs. Dickins was the one so horribly
burned. Word was sent to the navy de-
partment, where Capt. Dickins is next
to Admiral CrOwninshield at the head
of the bureau of navigation.
The exact character of the catastrophe
was not made known to him, but he was
brought hurriedly to the Dickins resi-
dence in a carriage. He almost tainted
as he was helped from the carriage up
the stone entrance steps. Going inside,
be identified the body as that of his
wife. The body Of Mrs. Dickins was
borne to the next house, where a surgeon
Of the navy resides.
The suddenness and fatal effects of the
fire are somewhat similar to those at
tending the fatality at the residence of
Secretary Tracy some years ago, which
was not far from the scene of the present
horror.
Capt. Dickins is one of the best-known
officers connected with the navy depart
ment, and he was brought into promi-
nence at the time the Maine was blown
up at Havana. He was then acting chief
of the navigation bureau and it fell to his
lot to receive the first dispatch from
Capt. Sigsbee giving information of that
disaster
Mrs. D1ckinS was an authOreSs of some
note, one of her best-known books being
Around the World in Man of War"
She was also frequent contributor to
M n on zipac