Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-08-16
GAUNTLET OF FLAMES
Charles Bean Dashed Through
But Paid Death Penalty.
His Body Covered with Burns, and
End Came in Few Hours-Thouaht
Gas House Would Explode.

His Body Covered with Burns, and
End Came in Few Hours-Thouaht
Gas House Would Explode.
In running a gauntlet of flame in the
hope of saving HIS life Charles Bean
was so horribly burned Wednesday
! afternoon that he died in a few hours.
The work of making gas had been
completed at the Brattleboro Gaslight
company's gas house north of the rail
road yard in the forenoon, and the
! fire had been banked. In the after
noon the iron pipes were connected
with tank on a car at the siding and
| 5000 gallons of naptha were pumped
into the tank in the gas house. Mr.
| Bean was alone when this work was
completed. He unfastened the coup.
lings, poured into a pail the naptha
remaining in the pipes, and then went
into the farther brick structure to put
the naptha into the tank and to close
the tank When he returned the en-
CINE room was all ablaze.
He said afterward that he thought
the big plant would explode, and when
he saw the flames in front of him he
dashed through them to the open air.
His clothes which were filled with the
fumes of naptha and with oil were
afire instantly. AS he ran and shout
ed warnings he tore the clothes from
his body, and people who reached him
in moment also aided in this work.
He was soon stripped, and 1t was seen
that larger part of his body was
burned. The worst burns were on his
back and hands, and his hair was sing
ed close to his head Beans family
live in the dwelling adjoining the gas
house. He entered the house at once.
told his wife and children to leave i'm
mediately, as he feared the gas house
would explode. and selling a spread
which he threw around his body he
hurried across the toll bridge to the
island.
Great credit Is due Lucius Adams.
foreman at the Crosby warehouse for
his GOODNESS and pluck at the critical
moment. 1t Is a trying ordeal to face
hre in gas house, but Mr.. Adams
, was the man for the emergency. and
rushing across the street with an I'm.
derwriters' eXtinguisher he PLAYED
upon the flames and soon had them
under control.
, There was no wood work in the
room, but the door. chair. and a
: basket of waste caught fire. After the
fire was supposed to be out the flames
sprang up again in the waste. but Mr.
Adams extinguished them.
An alarm was rung from box 36
near the Main street bridge. The
chemical engine was soon on the
! scene, and the hook and ladder com.
; pany and the Elliot hose company
came little later. Fire had broken
, out on the cupola of the building and
, the blaze there was extinguished with
the chemical engine.
MI. Bean was taken into the old foil
house on the island into the tenement
/, occupied by Mr.. Donahue. and every
thlng possible was done to alleviate his
sunerings. Three physicians and =
nurse were in attendance within .
short time. For some time after he
. was put to he'd Mr.. Bean was cleaI
= IN MS mind and talked about the fire
: ana his awful experiences. He could
. not account for the manner in which
. the fire started.
+ early in the evening ii became eyi
dent that Mr.. Bean could not live. and
i the last rites of the Roman Catholic
J, church were administered. During the
4 evening Mr.. Bean was moved to hj,
own home. where death took place
= about ! o'clock Thursday morning. af
: ter he had been unconscious severa
: hours.
There was no fire which could have
come in contact with the naptha. and
the only theory advanced by those
= connected with the Gaslight COMPANY
a is that spontaneous combustion tool
?. place in the room in which the fume:
Z of the naptha had collected. The fire
[ was eight or ten feet from the GOV
r cred receptacle holding the 5000 gal
o Ions of naptha and a greater distance
4 from the retort holding the supply O
d gas. An explosion of the naptha OF
e gas would have wrecked everything
/, in that neighborhood, but fortunately
# the fire was far enough away so tina
h the great danger was not imminent
t The damage to the Gaslight com
= panv is estimated at about S25.
2 The physicians state that Bean die
d not inhale the flames. He died from
s the shock, the nervous effect beinl
o very noticeable upon him.
} c. F. Thompson, manager of the
= company. talked with Bean soon afteI
the accident. Bean said he had no
h been smoking in the building, that hi
g knew better than to commit such al
J. act. Superintendent Smith says tina
n Mr.. Bean never smoked in the build
# ings.
a Mr.. Bean was born in Rockston, Can
r ada, in May. 1S47. He learned thu
0 trade of a stone mason and followed
? that business in several places, coming
e to Brattleboro from Buffalo, N. Y.
d about 10 years ago. He married Mar!
n Tebo of Burlington SO years ago. Mrs
(, Bean survives with five children, VIII
S Bean of Brattleboro, Mrs. Georg,
r Brockington of Brattleboro, Mrs. Ar
}. thur Deyo of Holyoke, Mass, and Ell;
d and Leda Bean, who live at home. Mr.
5. Bean began work in the Brattleborc
e Gaslight company IS years ago ant
\. had been employed by the compan!
5. nearly all of the time since. He hat
Il been the company's gas maker the pas
., five years and understood the business
d well. He was a thoroughly reliable
o faithful and industrious employee. Tit
funeral will be held at o'clock to
II morrow morning in the Roman Catho
a. lie church. and the burial will be in tn,
n Roman Catholic cemetery.
It John Calvin and T. A. Austin wen
a to Burlington Monday night to attent
t. the semi-annual meeting of the stat
e, court of Foresters. Mr.. Austin re
e turned Wednesday and Mr.. Calvin yes