Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-08-02
AWFULLY BURNED
DRESS IGNITING
WOMAN IN TORTURE YELLS
WILDLY FOR HELP
Miss Ella n. Myers Meets with Fright
full Accident While Raking Up
Heap of smoIdering
Rubbish

Screaming frantically for help, her
agonized cries startling the quiet
neighborhood, Miss Ella H. Myers of
2640 La Sale street, with her cloth
ing a mass of flames rushed madly
about the back yard of her home, striv-
ing desperately to beat out the fire
that was torturing her. Unable to tear
off her gloves, which also had become
ignited, the pain-crazed woman
shouted desperately for assistance.
Mrs. j. H. Ramey of 2647 La Sale
street heard the frantic cries and, with
her little daughter, hurried to the aid
of the unfortunate woman. Tearing off
the heavy wooden skirt which, strange
ly enough, had not become ignited,
Mrs. Ramey and her daughter beat
out the flames that enveloped Miss
Myers.
They carried the woman into her
house and telephoned DR.. A. F. Ster-
cher of Vermont avenue, who quickly
responded and dressed the burns,
which covered more than one-third of
the body. One leg, from the heel to
the waist, was burned almost to a Gin
der while the other limb was blistered
from the knee to the waist, as was also
a large area on the back, above the
waist. Both arms were burned from
the tips of the fingers to the elbows,
and there were numerous other burns
of a less serious nature about the body.
Miss, Myers owns the house at 264C
La Sale street and has been living
there. She decided to rent the place
and was to have moved out yesterday
evening. She had tidied up the place
and decided to clean some clothing be-
fore she vacated the premises She
cleaned two skirts and a pair of gloves
with gasoline and hung them in the
tity of rubbish, threw the gasoline, in
which she had cleaned the clothing, on
the pile and set fire to it.
Later she secured the gloves, donned
them, took the rake and started to
poke up the smoldering heap. AS
soon as she stirred the heap some of
the gasoline. which had failed to ignite
when the fire was first started, ex-
ploded, and the flames flared up under
her skirt, igniting her cotton under
garments, flaming out through the
placket and setting fire to her shirt
waist. She attempted to beat out the
fire with her hands, but the gloves had
not thoroughly dried, and in an instant
they were On fire. She rushed about
in a frenzy of terror and pain until
neighbors came to her assistance.
UC SlON6S WCLC IOlllpltlCIy DuIhtu
from her hands and arms; her shirt
waist was burned almost off her back,
and her undergarments, from her waist
downward, were consumed by the
liquid fire.
The wooden overskirt which she was
wearing was untouched by the blaze.
Had this garment been of a lighter
material the woman probably would
have been burned to death before help
could have reached her.
Miss Myers suffered greatly from the
burns and her condition is extremely
serious.
How the gasoline failed to ignite
when the pileSof trash was first set
alight is mystery. 1t is thought that
a quantity of the liquid drained into a
tin can, of which there were several
in the rubbish. and that when she
stirred the embers a blazing coal ig-
nited the gas which had been formed
and caused the explosion.