The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-11-21
CORONER INQUIRlNG
INTO MAYfIELD FIRE

Conflicting Stories as to It's Origin.
An Investigation Pending Until
Miller Family Recovers--Miller
and His Wife and Two Children,
Who Were Fearfully Burned in the
Holocaust, at Emergency Hospital.
Mrs. Miller in Dangerous Condi-
tion--Body of the Dead Child Re
covered.
The dreadful fire at NIayiicld in
which. as related In yesterdays Tri-
bune eleven -year-old Mabel Miller per-
ished. is being investigated by Coroner
Saltry. with a view of making clearer
the peculiar circumstances of its origin.
Four of the Miller family are patients
at Emergency hospital, whittier they
were taken yesterday forenoon. The
husband. Thomas Miller, his wife, their
6-year-old daughter Ncrna and an in
FAINT boy about / year old are the SUI
fcrers. Mrs. Miller Is in a dangerous
condition, but the Others Will recover.
Mr.. Miller is severely blistered about
the face and head and his right hand
is so terribly burned that it is feared
1t will be disabled, after the raw sur
face has healed The girl is burned
about the face ANA the infant is SUI
fcring from head contusiuns produced
by her striking the ground on being
hurled out of the second STORY window.
Mrs Miller is f"arfully burned about
the body. the surface being blIstered to
a raw condition circlng the trunk. 1t
will be Il number of days before the
hospital surgeons will be able to pro-
nounce upon her recovery.
Coroner Saltry was in Carbonate
yesterday and visited the Aiillers at the
hospital The stories they tell rorle-
spond. but differ from the Mcdonald
fanilNs version of the fire. The latter
lived in the other half of the destroyed
Gwe!!!nA.
Niller's story to The Tribune man
Immediately after the fire yesterday
morning. and what he told Coroner
Saltry yesterday. We're substantially
the same. About 115 he perceived the
Odor of coal gas. and taking Il lamp
walked down stairs to the Kitchen to
shut the door hat shut off the tol, floor.
The lamp began to splulter. the oil
scattering about. 1t did not explode.
however. He placed the lamp on the
table and returned to the upper floor.
Immediately after he heard an eXplo-
sion, which he supposed was the lamp.
The blaze spread. he said. and the
house was soon filled with smoke. He
hustled his wife and the children out
of the second story window. except
Mabel. the grl who WAS cremated
alive. She must have got confused, he
thought, and running into one of the
other rooms was suffOcated before she
could make an outcry.
Miller said that his clothing was not
set on fire with the spluttering of the
lamp. "'rhe oil seemed to fly all around
and over my head was his eXpiana-
tion.
The story told by the Mcdonald fam
lily, who lived in the other part of the
house, was that Mrs. Miller Knocked
on the partition, attracting the atten-
ton of Mrs. Mcdonald, who arose by
mistake several hours earlier than usu-
al to look after the "sponge' which she
"Set'' in the night for the family bal-
ing. Mrs. Miller. she said. said tina.
the house was afire. Mr.. Mcdonald. on
being aroused rushed to Edmunds'
hotel to call the hose company by
phone. On his return. he thought Mil
Ter was not awakened and was not
aware of his house being abla2e. Ac-
cordin2ly he ran around to Miller'S
side to give the alarm and found Miller
standing at II window of the second
floor
The circumstances that impress Cor
oner Saltry as strongly peculiar are
t',Dt li,,,r NJ
ment, the exploding lamp did not set
his clothing atire, and that there was
no fire upstairs; that the blaze was in
the kitchen, which was separated by
fight of stairs and Il door from the
second floor. where all the family was
How Miller became aiirc, how his Wife's