The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-02-24
AN I'LL Wind BLOWS
NEARLY SUFFOCATES GEO.
kEHRWALD AND FAMILY
THURSDAY MORNING.

Operations are distasteful. but
they are sometimes a blessing in dis
guise-when gas is loose in the
house. George Kehrwald is now re-
~jolcing over one which his wife re-
Gently underwent in Chicago. sue
c~essfully
Mrs. Kehrwald was restless We'd
nesday night. She has recently re-
turned from Chicago and was still
feeling the effects of the operation.
1t was hard for her to sleep soundly.
Then company came in Wednesday
night and the family did not retire
as early as usual.
Before going to bed, shortly after
IL o'clock. Mr.. Kehrwald filled the
coal stove, shut ii up and inserted a
1T" pipe TO bank the fire. At the
time, the wind was blowing from the
northwest. Then the wind shifted
to the south shortly after midnight,
blew hard. blew the gas through the
cracks of the stove and filled the
house with IL. The rest of the fam
liss ali Dht Nios hehl diut vas
sleeping soundly. Besides Mr.. and
Mrs. Kehrwald, the latter's father,
T.. j. FouIks, with Fred Holt and
Miss Ethel Ryness. employees. COM
prised the household.
About 1880 a. m. Mrs. Kehrwald
was aroused to consciousness-she
had been sleeping but lightly-by
the heaviness of her head and the
pounding caused by imperfect
breathing. She sensed something
wrong. IL was gas or fire! She
awakened her husband, he in turn
rousing the rest. and downstairs they
hurried.
But the gas fumes, which were
filling the entire lower floor, were
binding, choking, suffocating. and
they literally had TO fight their way
along to open the doors and win
dows. One by one the family was
overcome by the fumes and each
staggered or crawled upstairs for a
breath of fresh air.
The women had taken turns faint
ing, Miss Ryness three times, and
Mr.. Kehrwald sent them both up
stairs. Then Fred Holt, unable TO
stand made the distance on his hands
and knees. Mr.. Foulks had already
succeeded in getting himself out of
danger. MIR. Kehrwald. himself. was
then the next to fall out. More
over the house was not cleared of the
gas fumes until $40.
All of the group were i'll for a day
and Mr.. Kehrwald required the serv-
ices of a physician. But none of the
family, however, could go about his
or her duties with any degree of
comfort until yesterday.
That Mrs. Kehrwald's wakefulness
saved them all is Mr.. Kehrwald's be-
lief. They were all so sound asleep
they might have been suffoeated as
they lay and they undoubtedly would
have been, had the gas been allowed
to rule the house for another hour
before the discovery.
The house, too. might have caught
fire from Goals being blown onto the
floor, as the wind had a full sweep
into the stove from down the chin
ney. 1t is a wonder TO Mr.. Kehrwald
that this same thing did not happen
as the opportunity for such was
never better.
But, as Mr.. Kehrwald says. he IL
thankful il was no worse" and thai
J the incident taught him a good les
SON." He will never leave a fire
that way again" He said this after
noon that he felt the effects of th'
gas for an entire day.
He also added, however, that al
were now as good as ever. and he /
able to sit up and eat a good mea
as though nothing had happened.
Mr.. Kehrwald and family reside oil
their farm three and a half miles
! northwest of Madison.