Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1916-07-06
NARROW ESCAPE
FROM DEATH
BY FIRE
DR.. H. ". RIGGS THROUGH RARE
PRESENCE OF MIND SAVES
HIS LIFE.
ON F|RE--JUMPS IN BATH TUB
Receives Severe Burns but Will
Recover-House and Contents
Complete Loss.

Through the rare presence of mind,
DIR. I'll. V. Riggs, miracously escaped
from burning to death last Saturday
afternoon while attempting to put out
blaze caused by an explosion of an
oil stove in his home and while he saved
his life he suffered burns that are prov
ing mighty painful and will result in
his being confined to his bed for several
weeks at least.
AT four-thirty Saturday afternoon the
Doctor closed his office and left for his
home where he lighted a two-burner oil
stove for the purpose of heating water
for bath. After lighting the stove
and placing the water thereon he decid-
ed to NOW the lawn and tidy up the
place while the water was heating and
was kept busily engaged for half an
hours or such a length of time when he
stepped in the kitchen and found the
Oil stove mass of flames
Realizing it was necessary to close
the supply he reached down to turn off
the burners when the stove exploded
and cast burning oil and gas over the
left side of his person, in his face and
on both feet. Due to the fact that he
shielded his face with his left hand at
the time of the explosion his eyes and
face did not suffer much from burns
but his left hand was badly burned as
well as the inside of the left leg and the
right foot.
Realizing his precarous condition and
every second becoming more and more
enveloped in flame, he dashed to the
bath room with the idea of souelching
the fire by turning the water in the tub
and IN hnt
to travel the length of the room to turn
on the cutoff. BY this time he was a
complete mass of flame and suffered
untold agony. However, his mind
did not fail him and with the water
running in the tub he rolled on over
and over subduing the flame but not
until he had been severely burned.
In dazed condition he found his way
through the smoke to an outside door of
the bathroom and fell headlong out of
the door to the open air where he gave
the alarm and later assisted in running
MS car out garage, under the
excitement not realizing his serious
condition until advised by an early
arrival at the fire who with the assis-
lance of William Brockman and his cal
took him to the office of DR.. Slusser
was later removed to the Joe Snyder
home.
The burns were of a very serious
character and for while it was feared
grave results might be expected as it
was uncertain as to whether he had in
hailed flame but he responded quickly
to the treatment and when seen at the
Snyder home where he is stayinp.
ynOfnp Iaxy h
as much as earlier in the week and
thought he was doing as well as could
be expected.
The left hand is terribly burned as
well as the inside of the left leg and the
lnstep OF the right foot shows six bis
tiers as result of the burning of the
shoe laces of the shoe which he had OH
at the time of the fire. The escape
from death was narrow one and the
doctor is to be congratulated for being
alive today, thanks to his rare presence
of mind.
While the fire company responded
promptly the house and contents are a
complete ruin, the only article being
saved was a pair of shoes the Doctor
had on at the time. The loss will run
In the neighborhood of four thousand
uohois Win seVefdi Thousand or 1nSur-
ance.
Mrs. Riggs, who has been visiting on
the Coast, was apprised of the fire by
wire but did not know of the precarious
condition of her husband, the Doctor
maintaining it was not necessary to
speak of his condition and cause her
worry as he was getting along all right
until arriving at Lewiston when she
learned meager details through news
paper dispatches. To DIR. and Mrs.
Riggs goes the deep sympathy of this
community in their time of misfortune
as well as the congratulations over his
escape. We understand a modern bun
gallo will be erected shortly upon the
old site