Middletown transcript., 1908-11-21
ONE IS DEAD. FOUR ARE MI
Serious Effect of Family Inhaliug IlIn-
minafing Gas

Serious Effect of Family Inhaliug MD
minating Gas
II As the result of escaping illumination
gas, George Sprague. of No. 4l3 IVES
Thirty,second street, is dead. and bis
wife as well as three children are lying in
the Delaware Hospital suffering frons the
effects produced by the same cause. The
dead man was Al years of age, while hia
Wife, who with the children, is now In
the hospital, is 81 years OF age. The
children are Elva, aged IA; Bessie, aged /,
Il, and Elwood, aged 10.
There is considerable mystery as to the
manner in which the fatality occurred,
as Monday about $50 o'clock when the
case was discovered, it was found that
sprague was in the cellar lying on the
noor' and beside him was the gas meter
which bad evidently been pulled IRON its
fastening. Sprague was UNCONSCIOUS and
there was steady stream of gas which
poured from the open pipe leading from
the street to the house connection. 1t is
believed that he was trying to repair the
meter, Upstairs the other members of
the family were found and all were in a
more or less eomatose conditiou.
The actual discovery of the aecfdens
was made by Mr.. and Mrs. William
Sparks, who live in the house adjoining.
During the course OF the night one OF the
Sparks children had become sick, and its
meanings aroused the parents. They dis
covered that there was strong odor Of
gas in the house, and after opening the
windows made an attempt to arouse tho
nelghbors by rapping On the wall between
the two buildings, No responfe was elicit
ed, with the result that the Sparkses all
lowed their windows to remain raised
and returned to bed. This was about $50
O'Clock. When the memoers OF the
Sparks family arose for the day about
$50 O'Clock the smell of gas throughout
their house was so strong that they lost
no time in making an investigation,
They found that there was no escape
from any of the gas connections in their
house.
Together with Mrs. a. W. Hukill, of
No. 406 West Thirty y-second street, Sparks
started an Investigation with the result
that entrance was secured to the Sprague
house.
Sparks and his companion at once fear
ed the worst and without any further ado
entered the largest of the bedrooms, with
the result that it was found that Mrs.
Ida sprague lay on the floor, apparently
dead. On 2 bed nearby there we're
three children. All presented swollen
countenances and showed every indication
the fumes of the gas which they had
inhaled.
Police Officer Grusseneyer was at once
notified and called 10 the Phoenix am
bulance and the children and Mrs. Spra-
que were hastened to the Delaware Hos
pital, where efforts at resusciJation were
Intellectual until late in the day. They
are now gradually getting over the the
effects OF gas poisoning.
After the woman and children had
been sent to the hospital a search was
made for Sprague, and it was then that
his body was found lying in the cellar
beside the gas meter The unfortun-
ate man was in his bare feet, and after
wards Sparks stated that he had rec
ollection of having heard some person
going down the cellar steps in the Spra-
que home about o'clock in the morning.
The stricken man showed very faint in
dications that there was spark of
life remaining, and he was hastily re-
moved to an upstairs room, but he died
before medical assistance could be secured.
1t was but few moments after the other
members of the family bad been convey
ed to the hospital when Deputy Coroner
Nichols arrived and took charge of the
body, having it removed to the morgue.
William Sparks, the man who discovered
the bodies of the unconscious nelghbors,
when seen Monday evening, stated that he
had been aroused early in the night,
about II, 80 o'cle ck, and smelled gas. At
the time he thought that there was
slight leak some place about the house,
and after opening the windows, be
thought nothing more OF the matter
until about 8 O'Clock in the morning
when he heard some one going down the
stairs next doo<- It was about o'clock
or little after when he smelled some
thing heavier The stencil was so great.
that he was barely able to get down the
steps to the door from where he was able
get little air. As soon as he recovered
be at once started the investigation.
Mr.. Sparks said.
sI was SO confused that did not
know what was doing, but at the same
time I had sense enough to get into the
next house together with friend whom
I called from the street and was able to
rescue the people
Monday evening Mrs. Sprague recoytref
and was able to make a
statement to the night superintendent
at the Delaware Hospital. To her she
said:
s'We. had been smelling gas all night,
and it was lsbout O'Clock in the morn
ing when aroused my husband and
called his attention to the strong smell of
the gas He at once went downstairs and
that is the last that know about him. l
went to sleep and awakened with a
sense of suffocation and managed to crawl
into the t'children's room and raise the
window
Il was at the window that the woman
was found and the children were in bed.
-~0~-