The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-07-07
A QUEER CASE.
Death of Mrs Dickens Due to Gasoline
Explosion

WASHINGTON, July Further details
of the death of Captain Dickens wire
by fire this morning show that II re-
suited from q train OF unusual cIrcutIA-
stances
The Dickens residence is q handsome
three story brick building on Nineteenth
street directly back of the British en-
bassy and within a few steps OF Du-
pOnt Circle
The first intimation Of the fire was
low rumble followed by several violent
shocks which blew out the entire third
story front of the residence The nre-
men made their way to the third story
and among debris httering the front
room found the blackened corpse of a
woman
From the details of the accident, as
learned from those who were IN the
house at the time it appears that Joseph
Vaughan. a plumber, and MS ASSISTANT
were putting on a gutter to the rear or
the third story roof Having completed
the job, they descended by means OF a
ladder to the third story. One Of the
men carried in his hand a. lighted melt
ing pot. As he descended Vaughan de-
tected the strong fumes of gasoline and
through the open door to the front room,
caught a glimpse Of a woman sprink-
ling some liquid on the floor with the
evident purpose OF preparing to cleanse
il. He gave warning to his partner that
gasoline was being used and that there
was danger from the fire pot, but at this
instant terrific explosion occurred,
literally envelOping the entire third
story in a mass of flames.
Those outside the building say there
were successive explosions and that the
last ones were so sharp and violent that
they must have come from souvenir
cartridges, or other explosives The
two men succeeded in making their way
TO the rear windows where they got to
a one story house below and thence to
the ground They were severely burned
about the hands and face.
The most sOrrOwfuI scene occurred in
connection with the recovery and iden-
tificatiOn OF Mrs. Dickens body. In
the midst of the greatest excitement the
first report was that the bIackened body
in the upper story was that Of the
wife of a distinguished admiral Of the
navy. He was summoned from his
home nearby and not only detected the
mistake, but also gave the first definite
information that Mrs Dickens was the
one so horribly burned Word was sent
to tee navy department where Captain
Dickens IS next TO Admiral CrOn1n-
shield at the head Of the bureau of
navigation The exact character of the
catastrophe was not made known to
him, but he was brought hurr1edIy to
the Dickens residence IN a carriage He
almost tainted as he was helped from
the carriage up the stone entrance
steps
Going inside he identified the body as
that of his wife. The body Of Mrs.
Dickens was borne 20 the next house
where a surgeon Of the navy resides
The suddenness and fatal effects Of
the fire are somewhat similar to those
attending the fatality at the residence
of Secretary Tracy some years ago
which was not far from the scene OF
the present horror.
Captain Dickens is one of the best
known officers connected with the navy
department and he was brought into
prominence 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 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 contributor to
ma "a zines