The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1904-08-03
INSTANTLY KILLED.
In Gasoline Explosion B. ]. Kelly.
formerly a Corvallis Minister.


ed in a gasoline explosion in Port
land Saturday. He was for several
years. pastor of the United Evan
gelica1 church in this city, for
the promotion of which he was a
faithful and indefatigab1e worker.
During his pastorate, his wife came
to her death in an accident scarcely
less tragic than is that by which
Mr.. Kelly has Just lost his life.
During the night, she fell down
the stairway of the unfinished
parsonage, and was instantly kill
ed. He subsequently married again.
The story Of his death is thus told
by the Oregonian:
"While cleaning and repairing
a locomobile runabout at o'clock
last evening, in Keliy's automo-
bile livery, at the corner of Second
& Salmon streets, B. j. Kelly,
brother of the proprietor of the es-
tablishment pulled the plug from
the gasoline tank and caused an ex-.
plosion that resulted in his death
at 10 O clock last night. The force
Of the explosion was so great that
the mans body was almost entirely
stripped of clothes, and he was lit
orally skinned alive from his chin
to his knees.
A patron of the establishment re-
turned from a trip a few minutes
before six O. clock and ordered his
machine cleaned and put in good
order for run today. B. J. Kelly
the brother of the proprietor, who
is an expert mechanic, at once
started to carry out the patrons
instructions. He had been working
but short time on the machine,
when he found it necessary to
empty the gasoline tank. No one
who was in the livery at the time
is able to tell exactly how it hap
pened. but it is supposed that as
Kelly went to pull the plug from
the tank he lit match and held it
too close to the tank Suddenly
there was an explosion that seemed
to raise the building from the foun-
dations. The windows in front of
the livery were shattered, and the
noise of the explosion was heard
two blocks away A crowd soon
gathered to learn the cause.
When the smoke cleared away
the Mortified men in the barn saw
a wrecked auto and the form of
Kelly lying 40 feet from the spot
from where the automobile was
standing when he started to clean
it His clothing had been torn
away, and blood flowed from every
part of his body from the head to
his knees. The skin had been torn
into shreds and in many places was
entirely removed from the body.
He did not even groan, and it was
first thought that he had been in
stantly killed.
AS soon as those in the barn had
rushed to the injured man and
found that he was still alive, a hur-
ry call was sent to DR.. Ti1zer and
DR.. Richmond Kelly, who admin
istered first aid. Kelly's wounds
were dressed as we'll as possible and
an ambulance call was sent to St
Vincent's hospital, where the in
jured man was taken. -"
Mr.. Kelly's brother was almost
p.ostrateed last night asthe result
of the accident. .
"I do not know the cause" he
said, "as I was not watching him
at the time. I knew that he had
started to clean the machine, and I
was busy doing other work. Sud-
denly there came an explosion that
almost deafened me. I glanced
around and saw. a cloud Of smoke
where my btother and the automo-
bile had been minute before. I
ran quickly up the room, and when
the smoke cleared away 1 saw my
brother lying about 40 feet away.
I thought at first that he had been
killed outright"
DR.. Tilzer, who was the first
physician to reach Kelly's side af-
ter the accident said last night that
the injuries Kelly sustained were
horrible.
| "The skin was completely torn
from the body from the chin to the
knees,' said DR.. Tilzer. "The
clothing had been torn away. ]
found part of Mr.. Kelly's cap,
whic b he was wearing at the time
of the accident, about so feet from
where the body was lying, and the
rest of the cap I could not find
though I searched. 1t must have
been blown further away. The
clothing was torn into shreds. and
was lying all about the room. The
greatest force of the explosion
seemed to have bee about the man:
! chest"