The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-05-18
WAS THE CAUSE
the Fire Thursday Mrs. Helen
Dodge Was Burned Severely
on Hands and Arms.

on Hands and Arms.
The fire i'm the tailor shop of Mrs.
Helen Dodge. on Main street, Thurs
day afternoon at a little after 4
O'Clock, vas caused 10y gasoline. Mrs.
Dodge stated that she and Gus
Speitz, the tailor, were i'm the back
part of the building rinsing some
clothing in a dishpan, which contain
ed about three gallons of gasoline.
Within five or six feet stood a gaso-
line stove winch they bad been using
to heat irons, but which was turned
down as they commenced the rinsing
operation, although the stove was
very warm. in twisting the cloth
ing. Mrs. Dodge said some OF the
gasoline %spattered over on the stove
and Immediately ignited. The at
mospllere of the room was charged
Wi tn the fumes of the gasoline ana
in an instant the articles in the
room caught fire and nearly the
whole interior was in a blaze. There
was no stopping the blaze after it
vas once started, and with the wind
blowing in at the back door the
flames we're carried through to the
front part of the building.
Mrs. Dodge bad her hands i'm the
fluid and her arms half way to
her elbows were wet with gasoline.
When the flames sprang UP her arms
were also ignited, and she was ter
li5ly frightened as to the result. She
waved her hands with the idea Of
throwing gasoline off, but ON second
thought she wrapped her hands in
her apron smooth erlng the flames.
Her right hand and arm are burned
severely. but the injury to the left
member was not so bad. Mr.. Speitz
was also burned to some extent on
the hanes and arms. although not to
any such extent as Mrs. Dodge. Or.
Bower was called and applied rene
dies for the relief of Mrs. Dodge, but
it will be some time before she uses
her hands.
There was a large quantity of
clothing i'm the establishment which
was being repaired or cleaned, and
a portion Of this was saved. Mrs.
Dodge thought her loss would reach
between 5000 and $500, with no in
surance. She said she had been do
ing this same kind Of work IN the
place for the past six years and had
always been as careful as possible,
feeling, however. that some time
such thing would happen as came to
pass Thursday.
The shell like building is beyond
all possible repair, as the interior is
practically burned away, and the
roof is more or less damaged, so that
it would hardly pay to repair it. 1t
is. owned 10y G. W. Wallath. The
meat market adjoining was not dam
aged to any great extent. but the
firm Of Reil1sen & Kl1nkhammer
managed to get about all their meats
out of the building and also their
fixtures.
There seems to be a necessity for
the city council 20 solve a problem of
pressure for the use of fires. This
is evident from the time Yesterday
that it took to get a strong stream
of water on the flames. Twelve or
more minutes elasped before the
pressure was great enough to make
any impression on the flames.
Under the present system the fires
under the boilers are banked, when
steam is not up for pumping in the
reservoir. and in case of fire steam
has to be gotten up. 1t may take
three or four minutes or five or six
times as long, according to the con-
dition of the fire under the boilers.
a matter of protection it would
seem that the council ought to per-
NIT tine steam to be kept up to a
pr,Ssure so that not over a
minute or two should elapse before
the usual amount of pressure isl
nvnilahlo