The Sentinel=record., 1913-03-11
|ONE FIRE VICTIM
 STILL IN DANGER
MISS WlLLOUGHBY HAS RECON BRED CONSCIOUSNESS ONLY
 AT BRIEF INTERVALS.
SaIeen Mattar Gives Description of His Experience When Ceilinu Decorations Fell on Top
 of Him.

Miss Leota Willoughby, the most seriously injured of the fire victims of last week, has suffered much in the past two days and her condition is yet very critRal, according to Dr. Tribble, who%attended her Mrs. AL bert Berg. who suffered severe frac- ture of the leg, was yesterday re- ported by Dr. Smith as resting well. NIT. Freedman. the assctleAeer. k Ssill suffering much pain from his inJffies. Mir. Snyder. who was passing the building. and seriously cut by the glass from the windows, is being treated by Dr. Well and is resting we'll
 Saleen Mattar. who was the only person to make his escape from the Mattar Bros, fire Friday, from the front entrance without being dragged out by rescuers, was more seriously injured than was at first supp6sedS and is in very serious condition as result of his injuries.
 His face and head is badly swollen burned and bIistered black, while his right hand was so badly cut and burn ed that fears are entertained that blood poisoning may result, as the arm is swelling The left hand which he used in protecting his eyes was also cut and burned, but not so ser iously as the other hand. Mr. Mattar is also injured in the spine and hips but how seriously it may take days to develop
 While he talked with great difh- culty, he gave the following account of his experience in emerging alive from the catastrophe that befell his beautiful store
 q had not been in the store over ten minutes and the first thing l did was to tell my cousin. MT. Haddad, to go lack and answer some business correspondence As ! came in some ono standing on the outside told me that they smelIed gas, but as l did not smell 1t after came in the house, paid no more attention to it.
 "The auction was late in starting because l was late getting down that morning on account of the dangerous sickness of my little boy. and was up all night with him. l took my sta ton near the big clock and was pre- pairing to start the auction, when all at once there was a binding flash and felt myself going up to the ceiling
 q threw up my left hand to pso- tect my eyes and felt tho sensation of my right arm heinz torn off at the elbow When l came down 1 could see flames of fire leaping up4 from the floor. l struck the floor on the side of my head and 1t seemed to me that all the articles hanging on the ceiling piled on top of me. extri- cated myself and heard the little girl cry out I tried to reach her but my right arm seemed paralyzed and I don't know how I did make my way out, for after hitting the floor 1 knew nothing until l found myself in the doctors office.
 T tell you 1t was a terrible exper- fence l did not know what happened and thought it was an earthquake. When I saw the tongues of fire com ing up from the basement. it flashed through my mind what the party told me aboIf smelling gas. I kept my presence of mind until I hit the floor after which all seems a blank to me now. l think I must have got tangled to some extent in electric wires con meeting some of the large lamps.
 T don't know what caused the ex- plosion The furnace in the base ment had not been used all winter and there was no one down in the cellar that morning. l think leaky gas pipe filled the cellar and base ment under the walk with gas. and some one threw lighted match or lighted cigar stub either through a ventilator or through hole in the
 pavement.