Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-17
DAMAGING EXPLOSION
MRS. OWEN EDMoNsToN AND HER
SON INJURED.
Kitchen Range Blown to Pieces-Ter-
rife Noise Brings Neigh
bors to Scene.

An explosion in the water box in the
kitchen range at the house of Owen Edmon-
ston, 4O5 LIST street northwest, this after
noon caused some damage and considerable
excitement, and Mrs. Edmonston and her
thirteen-year-o son. Eric Edmonston, were
severely hurt and had to be removed to the
Casualty Hospital. There was scarcely a
piece of iron ten inches long left of the
range. A terrific noise was caused by the
explosion, and neighbors were afraid to
venture in the house at first. being fearful
of another blast. The. house is only a short
distance from the Golden Eagle Hotel, at
New Jersey avenue and d street, which was
wrecked by a dynamite explosion nearly
two years ago. Henson Waple of 40I 1st
street, who was the first to go to the as
ststance Of the occupants of the house.
thought the roof had been blown from the
house. He jumped the fence and met Mrs.
Edmonston trying to assist her boy. The
latter was the more seriously injured. and
both seemed to be daZed.
Mr.. Maple picked up the boy and carried
him to his tWaple's) home, to which place
the mother was able to follow. They were
cared for until the arrival of the patrol
wagon, when they were conveyed to the
hospital named. What caused the explo-
sion is not definitely known, but it is
thought that the severe weather had some
thing to do with it. Mrs Edmonston and
ner cn1lO were the only persons III the mouse
at the time
Il had just stopped to look into the range
to see If 1 could find the cause of a noise 1
had heard" she said, when the explosion
took place.
Force Of the Explosion.
SO great was the force of the explosion
that the woman was thrown across the
room against the back door. and the boy fell
upon the floor Mrs. Edmonston managed
to get up, and her only thought was for
the safety of her boy. She made no outcry.
but tugged at the door until she got it open,
when she grabbed Eric and started toward
the yard with him. She fell several times
from exhaustion, and each time the boy
went down with her. Both had reached the
yard by the time that Mr.. Maple got to
where they were. Neither seemed able to
do much in the way of getting from the
premises.
When Mr. NAPLES home was reached the
boy was suffering intense agony and
showed symptoms of internal injury, be-
sides having received external cuts and
bruises. The mother had been cut in sew
eral places by pieces of broken iron. When
the patrol wagon reached the house it was
necessary to remove the boy from the house
to the vehicle on a stretcher. His mother
was then assisted into the wagon, and she
Rugged her boy all the way to the hospital
Besides the cuts and bruises she received
her face had been covered with soot which
rendered her all the more uncomfortable
Mr. Edmonston, who is employed at the
Raleigh Hotel, was notified of the occur
renee. and he hurried to the hospital to
see his wife and child.
When an alarm was turned in from box
10 several companies of the fire depart
ment responded. and Lieut.. Moore also
went to the scene with the police reserves
from the sixth precinct They assisted in
the removal of the injured ones to the hos
pital There was no work for the fremen
n oil he .l11x,
there was water enough from the broken
pipe to extinguish the Goals that had been
scattered from the range.
At the hospital the doctors made an ex-
animation of Mrs. Edmonston and her son,
and concluded that neither was fatally in
jured.