New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1916-01-19
EXPLOSION CAUSES .
FRlGHTFUL BURNS
MRS. r. HOUNSHELL AT POINT
: OF DEATH AT UNION
HOSPITAL.
DEFECTIVE KEROSENE STOVE
WAS CAUSE OF EXPLOSION
AND FIRE.

Mrs. Robert Hounshell, aged 81, wife
OF farmer living 8 IL miles north of
New Ulm in Lafayette township, lies
at the point of death at the Union
hospital as the result of horrible burns
which she suffered last Friday evening
following the explosion of small kero-
sene heating stove.
The accident happened Friday evening
shortly after o'clock. Mrs. Hounshen
had accompanied her husband to the
barn to milk the cows and do the evening
chores. Returning to the house they
noticed the reflection of flames in one
OF the windows on the second floor.
Without making closer investigation,
Mr.. Hounshell ran back to the barn to
grab several horse blankets in order to
be prepared should he find fire. Mrs.
Hounshell rushed into the house and
upstairs to the room where the flames
were suspected. Upon opening the door
she saw nothing but smoke, but second
later an explosion occurred and the entire
room was a mass of flames. The
kerosene in the tank under the stove had
undoubtedly exploded and the liquid
was splashed in all directions.
Mrs. Hounshell had taken few steps
into the room when the explosion occurred
and seeing flames all around her, was no
doubt bewildered for the moment and
did not know which way to turn. Vainly
she tried to smother the flames and
brush off the burning liquid from her
clothes and frantically she rushed about
the room in search of an exit to safety.
Her husband had in the meantime
found the blankets and attracted by the
explosion and then by the cries of agony,
rushed up the stairs and Selling Mrs.
Hounshell in his arms enveloped her in
the blankets and carried her downstirs.
Her hands and arms and legs were
horribly burned and doctor was i'm
mediately telephoned for, who arrived
promptly and took the suffering woman
to the Union hospital within less than
an hour after the accident happened.
In the meantime one of the children,
aged IL, had given the alarm to the
neighbors over the telephone and dozens
OF them were on the scene before the
fire gained any Roadway. The room in
which the fire had started was the only
part OF the house harmed by the fire and
the damage is not expected to exceed SIS
on both building and contents.
The room in which the fire started was
the bedroom of the children and the oil
heater had been in use for several years
for the purpose of taking the chill from
the cold room just before bed time. No
leak had ever been noticed and Mrs.
Hounshell lit the stove Friday evening as
had been her wont during the cold
winter months. Had the fire occurred
at later hour it is doubtful whether the
sleeping children could have been saved.
Hospital attendants and the attending
physician say that the patient is suffer-
ing untold agonies. The skin on the
arms and legs virtually baked to crisp
and cracked open and great spots on the
woman's body show where the kerosene
had splashed. The fingers. of her left
hand are burned to the bone, the nails
and flesh falling off almost as soon as she
had been rescued by the husband. 7.'
While hope is entertained that the life
OF the suffering woman may be saved,
she is in very critical condition and un-
less nature aids in warding off compli-
cations, the worst is feared.
The Hounshell family moved to
Lafayette last March, coming from
Iowa. The farm is owned at present by
Emil G. Hage of this city, but is more
generally known as the old Dalig farm.