Evening star., 1903-10-20
His Sister in Hospital in
Dying Condition.
RESULT OF EXPLOSION
ATTEMPT TO START FIRE WITH
COAL OIL.
The Mother of the Two Children In
jured While Trying to
Save Them.

A fatal fire. resulting from the use or
coal oil in starting fire in a latrobe. oc-
Cured about noon today in house NO 4l4
H street northwest. Clinton Muiilcah'
eight years old died in few minutes
while his sister Florence, five years OLD, Is
in the Casualty Hospital in a critical con-
dtion and can hardly live many hours
Mrs. Gertrude Mullican. mother of the
children, is under treatment at the Emer-
gency Hospital. She was painfully but
not seriously burned about the head and
hands while striving to save her children.
The force of the explosion was great enough
to do a little damage to the house.
Two families of laboring men occupy the
house. The Mullicans live on the second
floor. while Benjamin Hatton and family
occupy the rooms on the ground floor. In
the front room of the apartments of the
Hattons is the latrobe in which the fire
occurred. Mrs. Hatton gave blrth TO
child about week ago, and she was IN
this room caring for her little one when
the attempt was made to start fre IN
latrobe. Esther and Frederick Hatton, nihe
and two years old, respectively, were in the
room with their sick mother, and Mrs
MulIican and her two children were In the
room with them.
The need of a fire to warm the room of the
sick woman as we'll as to send the heat up
stairs was recognized. and Mrs. Mullican
sent Florence to the yard to get some wood.
When this had been put into the latrobe
Florence was sent to the upper floor for the
Oil can. When she returned her mother
was about to use the oil, when Clinton asked
that he be permitted to give the finishing
touches to the fire. The chips in the la
trobe had caught fire. but Mrs Mullican
was in a hurry and it was for that reason
that she concluded to use the OIL
Explosion Results.
Her boys request was granted, and
Florence went with him to the latrobe to see
that he made a good job of his work. A
few seconds after the Oil was poured on the
wood came the explosion. and the people in
the room thought the blaze reached the wall
on the side of the room opposite the latrobe.
Little Clinton screamed and started toward
the rear door his clothing seemingly solid
mass of flames. He fell against his sister
Florence on his way to the door and set
fire to her clothing. Their mother went to
their rescue and was burned about the
hands and face as stated. Esther Hatton
became alarmed at the distressing sgnt
and made an effort to jump from the back
window. AS she did so her mother Jumped
from her sick bed and grabbed her.
While the sick woman was undergoing
the terrible ordeal in her room the mother
of the burned children was in the yard
engaged In a life-and-death struggle. MIS-.
Mulican screamed for help, and the Hat
ton child went to the front door and called
for the police and firemen. Neighbors re-
sponded to the pitiful appeals. and Police
man Bean was soon upon the scene. NO
6 engine company was summoned, but
there was not much fire for it to deal with.
A Pitiful Scene. 49,
The scene that was enacted in the back
yard was heartrending in the extreme. The
mother divided her time between her two
children in her struggle to save their lives
and did not succeed in saving either. 1he
boy was horribly burned almost from head
to foot, and life was extinct when his
mother was still battling with the flames
The Emergency Hospital ambulance and the
patrol wagon from the sixth precinct arrlV-
ed at the house in short time in response
to message from a policeman. The sur
geons saw at a glance that the boy was
dead, and his body was ordered removed
to the morgue. Some time after the acct
dent occurred the father of the young y'c-
Tins was informed of the sad affair. This
afternoon at the hospital 1t was stated that
the burned girl cannot possibly recover
although she was still conscious.
Coroner hewitt was informed OF the fatal
ity. He viewed the body and will probably
give a certificate of accidental death with
ont the formality of an inquest.