Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-09-27
While Mother Was Absent at
Neighbor's Gasoline Explodes
and House Burns
LITTLE ONES WERE UPSTAIRS
frightened BY the Blaze They Make
No Attempt TO Got Out and when
Help Arrived II Was Too Lats
charrsd Remains Latsr Taken From
the Blazing Structure.
Special to Times RepublIcan.

n
Fort Dodge, Sept. 27.-Five small
children were burned to death in the
house of Edward Adamson, at O. clock
this morning. The mother left the.
house to get something at neighbor's
and returned to find the house blax-S
ing mass. Four Of her children, and
one neighbortng child were playing up
stairs, her children not being dressed
yet. The neighbor's child had come
over to play with the Adamson child
rem and was caught in the death trap.l
Her calls for help attracted II. @. Pet-4
ers. who attempted to get the children
from up stairs by means Of 9 ladder.
The time wasted IN finding which room
they were In lost the children's lives.
One child got to window, but when
1t was reached fell back into the dames.s
Peters rushed into the room and got
this child, but til was dead before the
ground was reached. The general opin-
ion Is that all died Of suffocation. The
bodies were blackened and burned 90
that the flesh fell from the bodies when
taken from the flames. IL
When the fire company arrived the
house was destroyed. although It did
not fall. The crowds were sickened by
the horrible thoughts Of the deaths i
these babies, and the walls Of the par
ents rent the air, while the wQ6ole
crowd was paralyzed by the scene
The bodies were taken to the underts-l
king parlors. where they now 1ie. The
parents OF the four children are frantic
while the mother OF the one child III
grief stricken. There is no known
cause for the fire, but At IL thought to-
be due to a gasoline stove explosion,
Destruction OF thu house destroys all
evidence. The childrens room was di-
rectly above the kitchen. The house
was a cottage with two rooms above.
rible calamity. Little else Is heard of
on the streets Of the city. For long
time after the fire company arrived,
the grief Of the mothers prevented thel
fact becoming, known that children
were in the house. The dre-
men, when they heard Of
this. made valiant efforts
to save the lives, but the terrible heat
kept them back. Peters. the man who
attempted the rescue, is badly burned
about the neck and shoulders. The
bodies Of the little children were dis
torted, showing their suffering was In
tense. Their mouths were open, being
evidently dying while gasping for
breath. No one was allowed to see the
bodies except press representatives and
the coroner's Jury. The jury has not
given its verdict as yet, It met this
afternoon.
The fire loss is $1,000. The father Of
the four children IL an N. & st. ~,
switchman. David Pecord is tho fa-:
ther Of the one child. Two Of the
children, Inez and Earnest, were found;
in bed. Others, with the Pecord baby,
were playing in another room on tte.
second floor. The death struggle waS
over in a few seconds. The Pecord
family have several other children. All
Of Adamson's children were killed.
The names Of the four children Of the
Adamson family were Edna, agod Nj
4nex, aged 8; Clarence. aged s; Earnest,
aged 8. The other child. Raymond Pee
cord. aged 3.