The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-19
Horrible Danger Of Of 4 Mrs, r.;
Henry Pollard.
NARROWLY ES CAPPED
n. DEATH BY FIRE
s
Lamp Exploded in Her, Hand,
Her Clothes Burned Of and
Is Flesh Terribly Charred.
SISTER ALSO INJURED,
BUT ONLY i. SLIGHTLY. ! {. . I.
The Suffering Woman Threw
Herself Upon a Pile Of Snow,
and in This Manner Saved
sa Hcr LifcI!ss Badly
Il Hurt, But May.
Recover.

4. Recover. #
S \ Enyeloped In terrible. sitting sheet
OF flame that for a. time baf fled every
frantic effort to subduc It, Mrs Henry
Pollard, e well known lady OF Fair
mount was charred and scorched almost,
beyond recognition yesterday mornir g..
narrowly escaping in her hclplessness
and solitude a sudden and horrible death
by fire.
with remarkable courage: and fore
thought the suffering woman. with the
flaming Oh from an exploded lamp sear-
Slrgt her flesh and eating away her CLOTH
Ing. tore the burning brands from her
body. and cast herself into a snoWdrift,
where. with franzied struggles she sue
ceeded at last In saving herself Then,
half-clothed and faint with agony. the
flesh dropping from her body. she
dragged her steps across the street to
the home OF a friend, where she was at
orce taken in a tender caro- For a time
1she tossed upon a bed OF pain. lowering
life and death j. but, as evening
drow on, she grew ruieter. Last night
her physician was able to say that the
odds werciin favor OF her recovery.
"a. youngs g,rl. sas he only
person IN y tho home beside the injured
woman. In her brave. but truthess, eff
forts to be OF assistance. she, too. was
blinded BY the blaze. but not SO seriously.
For a time she battled with the flame,
and then. scorched and bleeding. ran
screaming for help to the rear Of the
house, where she tainted. A few super
ficial burns will be the extent OF her
hurt. as III
How It Happened.
The terrible accident sent thrill of
horror over the little town where Mrs.
Pollard is we'll known and much es-
teemed. Her husband has for years been
employed in the Chesapeake and Ohio
shops as painter. The family live at
No. a13l6 North Twenty-first Street in, "a
small, Sut neat and comfortable. house
Besides the husband and wife there Is
girl OF sixteen. and a young mar. the
cousin OF Mrs. Pollard.
" The family of four ate breakfast about
7So'clock yesterday morning and then
tho two men, husband and cousin, left
for the days work. Miss Parish volun-
.teered, the task OF cleaning away the
breakfast dishes and Mrs. Pollard went
to perform certain duties In the adjoln-
ing room, which Is used ordinarily for
dining purposes. This room Is peculiarly
located, and is so dark that UP to a late
hour In tho morning q lamp IS required
to light It. This lamp was burning upon
the mantel. Mrs. b Pollard opened the
blinds and lifted tho lump down to put
1t out itt'l sf5#
d a sudden, binding flash sent$the shiv-
eting fragments OF glass into every qpar'.'!
ter of the room. The explosion was
without warning. unexplained and awful
A. sheet OF flame struck Mrs. Pollard In
tho face and was soon licking her hands
and communicating itself to all parts OF
,her clothing. The burning oil flew over
her. and over tho room. which was Inn
mcdiately in a blaze. Mrs, Pollard gave
ono ugonized cry for help that attracted
the attentionsof her sister, Miss Parish
struggled braycly to relieve her. but the
flames paralyzed her devoted hands and
scorched her face and her hair. Desst-
Ing, sho ran to. the hack yard, where she
screamed for assistance, and then. 1t Is
said. fell In a faint.
Went Across Street.
Wrapped in flames, as she was. ana
utterly helpless in the room. Mrs, Pollard
rushed frantically out. ana threw Aerse!r
into a heap of snow In the backyard.
with remarkable foresight. she tarrted
10 close tho door behind her to keep
5the draught from sending tho blaze
over the house She rolled ack and forth
In? the snow, and eventually succeeded ~
'nue|llng the fiery garment All her clot q
ign, from her waist up, was complete
lyg burned off with the execution OF her
corset, which prevented the tire tronf
reaching her body,
Weak with suffering, Mrs. Pollard
arose,E and painfully made her way
across the street to the residence OF
Mrs. Ola Albertso1, She was still half
clothed and tho charred flesh fairly
dropped from, her hands and neck She
was at once taken IN charge, and tWo
Drs. Beazley and COSBY,
were hastily summoned 70 her pedslde' m
Message was also sen TO the Shops, ctill-
Ing her husband home.
For a time the condition OF the lnjured
woman was very grave. Her burns We're
ut first considered serious and pra ha bly
fatal. The sufferer bore intense gony
and for some time hoyered between life
and death. II Last night, however nr.
lBcazley said she was improved ana would
recover. Her injuries were very pad ous
not necessarily serious. a portion Of
,l,ers @ hair was burned off, and her hands,
,ace and neck were charred and almost
The burns about the
body are superficial, Her tongue and lips
weye burned. but It Is not thought she
swallowed any OF The fla mes,
\ Miss Parish escaped with slight hurt
sHar hair was singed and her face and and