The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-08-12
BADLY BURNED BY
BLAZING CAN OF
GASOLINE
W. L. GOkay and H. B. Daven-
port Painfully ScOrched
HEROIC ACTION OF 2 WOMAN
Tore OFF Their Skirts and Used Cloth
to Smother Davenport's Burning
Clothes.


Gokay's Drug store was carrying
five gallon can of gasoline through
the rear Of the store to waiting au-
tomobile in front, shortly before o.
clock Thursday evening, a match
carelessly thrown ignlted small
amount of the liquid on the floor,
which exploded severely burning Mr..
Davenport and William L. Gokay who
was standing nearby.
The gasoline in the can quickly
caught fire and Mr.. Davenport sought
TO carry the burning liquid outside.
Mr.. Gokay in seeking to aid him
passed through the flames arising
from the floor, being severely burned
on the face, hands and neck. Mr..
Dayenports' clothes caught fire in the
back and the young man at once ran
for the open air. which famed the
| danes.
What the young mans fate might
have been but for the quick wit and
GOODNESS of Mrs. George Miller pro-
prietor OF the adjacent Whitney
boarding house and her daughter.
Miss Grace Miller, cannot be told. AS
the young man was running through
the yard not knowing what he was
| Hntntr tho tuad fhaff. olnfhAg
and enyeloped the young man in
them and so smothered the flames.
Under Mrs. Miller's direction he laid
down on the ground thus keeping the
flames from his head and enabling her
to smother the blaze. Some of the
gasoline must have been spilled on
his clothes judging from the way they
burned
AS 1t was. Mr.. Davenport was very
severely burned on the back, hips,
legs and hands. His right hand with
which he carried the can of burning
gasoline was more severely burned
than any other part. Shortly after
the fire while seeking a physician the
skin was hanging from his right hand
in shreds
A fire alarm had been sent in, to
which Stark Hose company, the Put
mans and the Hook and Ladder com,
pany and a great crowd responded
Nothing remained to be done, how,
ever. save TO take the still burning
can Of gasoline to the yard behind
the Banner Office where II continued
Ito burn for SOME hours.
The Starks laid line OF hose
which was not needed, but the oil re
Gently put on the highway made q
bad mess for the hose, which will
have to be cleaned. II was the sec
ond fire call OF the day, the compan
les having gone to the Jennings fire
at daybreak.
The floor and walls OF the bach
room OF the drug store caught fire
but were easily extinguished Will
chemicals. The smoke from the fir,
and explosion filed the store. but tn,
damage done to any goods is no
large.
Both Mr.. Gokay and Mr.. Daven
port passed as comfortable a night al
could be expected. But for tn,
courage and calmness OF all concern
ed the incident might have beer
much more serious.
Mr., Gokay was the victim OF
somewhat similar accident four year
ago when upon his entering the Gel
lar, where was stored n barrel OF alec
hol, to seek some trouble IN waite
pipe, he lighted a match which caus
. ed the alcohol fumes TO explode YER
severely burning him. His burns Il
! the present instance are not. how
! ever, so severe or painful as thos
; sustained In the former accident
Y when he was housed for many weeks
The fire alarm was rung In by Ear
! Marsden. He and George y. Dome
y ly both ran for the fire alarm box bu
Earl won by neck
a Both the patients are reported thi
afternoon to be doing we'll and In n
danger The burns while extensiv
are thought TO be not very deep.
n viii be some time though before the
!. viii be able to resume business.