The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-03-14
EVENTS IN EAGLE lake /.
STORY or LATE GAS ATTACK
AT CUMMlNS HOME
Funeral of Mrs. Johnson; News
Notes Of Village; Personal
Gossipings

Eagle Lake, March $50 many
friends arc inquiring about the gas
trouble at the home of J. l.. Cum
Minis on Thursday night of aist week
so We will more fully explain how it
happened. On account of it turning
quite cold that evening and because
of Mrs. Ella Braden. who had recent
~ returned from the hospital being
there, spending few days with her
sister, Mrs. Cummins. Mr.. Cummins
built larger fire than usual with
fine coal. 1t created large quaint
ty of smoke and gas. This exploded
throwing open some furnace doors
as well as blowing the packing and
| cement ont Of the joints Of the furn-
ace. This latter damage was I'M
noticed at the time. The house was
Tiled with smoke for several hours.
They retired about midnight after
airing the house. Mr.. and Mrs. Cum
Minis slept up stairs while Mrs. Brad
en- and Danna Cummins, aged four
teen, slept down stairs, and a young
son, Clark Braden. some five years
of age, occupied q sofa nearby.
Mrs. Cummins was awakened with
heart trouble with whichishe has been
afflicted for some time. She woke
Mr.. Cummins and asked him to get
her some medicine. He did get up
only to find his head felt as big as a
barrel and he reeled down the stairs
hardly keeping on his feet At this
time young Clark was very sick also
and was vomiting. Danna was at the
couch assisting him but complained
of her head also feeling so large. Mrs
Braden was also complaining of her
head. 1t dawned on Mr. Cum
minis then that the gas might be the
cause He got the outside doors
open and went to the basement to
find the trouble. A door of the furn-
ace was open which had escaped his
notice the night before While down
there he heard something fall above
and hurried up stairs where he found
Miss Danna lying on the floor in a,
faint and unconscious condition.
The fresh air he had got at the door
had revived him. He applied cold
water which brought Miss Danna
back out of the faint. His hands
were busy for "a while attending the
others who were vomiting hard at
this time. But plenty of fresh air
bad a better effect or the sick ones.
D2nnil amer coming TO got 80 inc
fresh air but several times during the
day came near faintipg. Mrs. Queen
Cook. sister of Mrs. Rraden ana
Mrs. Cummins, came over and took
charge OF the house and rendered
excellent help both to the sick and
the ailing ones. Mrs. Braden and
Mrs. Cummins were -prostrate until
the next day. j. l.. Cummins plung- |
ed out in the fresh air during the
day but his step was unsteady and his
heart bothered him for a day or two.
They are all now recovered from the
effects, but it was close call for
the whole family and might have
swept the entire family and visitors
from the earth. A part of the gas
that came from the coal forced itself
through the seams OF the furnace and
into the heating drum and thus
through the flu to the rooms.
K. Clements celebrated his seven
ty7 fifth birthday Wednesday last.
Mr.. Clements invited in a number of
his friends to most splendid dinner
unbeknown to him. Mr.. Clements
is engaged in the local mill as a !
helper.
The funeral of the late Mrs John I
son, who died at a Mankato hospital
last Friday, was held at the home of /
Mrs. Johnson's father, John Ander-
son, in the village of Eagle Lake and
was laid TO rest in Eagle Lake GEM
etery. She leaves TO mourn her loss
her husband and an infant child of !
three weeks, also three brothers, two
in France, and four sisters. Mr.. I
Johnson certainly has the sympathy
of his many friends.
, Archie Ackerman, the old mail car.
rier on Route No. and who volun-
teered in the United States service
in 1913, is expected to return soon
If not already to take his old job at
the wheel. His many friends will re- /
joice to see him again, alive and well.