The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-01-07
FLAMES TRAP
FAMILY; FIVE
DIE OF BURNS
Twins. 6 Months Old, Are
Only Survivors in
Fire Tragedy.
BLAZE FOLLOWS BLAST
Gasoline Tossed in Stove Is
Origin; NeighboT, III,
Tries Rescue.

A boy and a girl, 6-months-
old twins, this afternoon were
the only survivors of a gaso-
line explosion in a small
bungalow at Lyndhurst drive
and Raymond street early this
morning.
The parents and three children
died in city hospital from burns.
several hours after the fire.
The dead:
DONALD KLUESNER Sr., 81.
MRS. HATTIE KLUESNER, rs.
MARY ALICE KLUESNER, s.
FLORENCE LOTTIE KLUES-
NER, 5.
DONALD KLUESNER Jr., 3.
The injured:
EVELYN and EVERETT KLUES-
NER, months old Twins.
The little boy was the first to sue
cumb and Mary Alice died an hour
later. At noon Florence Lottie and
her mother died, and the father gave
up his battle for life at 1890 p. m.
Physicians held little hope for re-
covery of the twins.
Shortly before a. m, Kluesner
arose to kindle a fire In the living
room stove. Picking up gallon can,
which he thought contained kero-
sene, he tossed the liquid on live
Goals. 1t was gasoline, however, and a
terrific explosion blew the can from
his hands, shattered windows, and
put out the electric light. Flaming
gasoline was sprayed on his cloth
ing from head to foot, and scattered
to all parts of the room.
Children Are Drenched
The three eldest children. Mary
Alice, Florence Lottie and Donald
Jr., sleeping on a. davenport a few
feet from the stove, we're drenched
With Glazing gasoline.
Hearing the explosion, the mother,
clad in night clothing, ran into the
flame-fllled room. She found her
husband lying on trunk and
burning chair, unconscious, his shirt
torn open in efforts to free himself
from the flames.
Frantically she struggled to drag
him outside, but failed. Then she
smashed a window, picked up the
three children one by one and
hurled them to the rain-soaked
ground. Cropping her way through
the front doorway she pitched for
ward into the mud.
Carl Merck, "a, a neighbor, who
reached Mrs. Kluesner as she fell,
was first on the scene. Ill all night,
he was sitting by his window when
he heard a woman scream.
Heard Woman Scream
''I looked out and saw lights flick
ering in Kluesners house." he said
"She screamed again, so 1 pulled on
my boots and ran over.
Mrs. KlueSner was just falling
from the porch. 1 could see the
house was filled with flames
"'Get my babies Mrs. Kluesner
cried. ran into the house, found
my way to the bedroom, and fun
bled around until my hands touched
the twins, lying on the bed.
with them in my arms I ran
outdoors. I gave the twins to Mrs.
Kluesner, and then saw the other
children lying in a heap on the
ground.
"'Please find Don, she implored,
so went back.
"'Where is hep I yelled. Then
heard him answer, very family:
Here
Drags Out Man
"Kluesner was lying over trunk
and a chair. I grabbed one arm,
but the skin pulled off. took bold
Of his wrist and dragged him out
on his back.
Merck, lie Roy Wakefield and
Charles Vornehm, other neighbors,
picked up buckets and a large pan,
filed them with water from a rivu-
let running in the Kluesner drive
way and splashed out the flames.
Damage to the interior of the home
probably will be $780,
Two sheriffs emergency cars,
bearing Deputies Fred Fox, Dale
Brown, Foster Regan, Harvey Ship,
Charles Bell and Ollie Mays, an
Swered Merick's alarm. They called
three physicians and summoned
three ambulances from city hospital.
Merck, Wakefield and Vornehm
took the mother and children into
their homes, while the father was
taken TO the hospital.
Although the twins appeared not
oeriously burned, DR.. T. B. Johnson
of Ben Davis, one Of the first phySi-
clans on the scene, declared that in
halations Of flame and gas fumes
might prove fatal to the entire fam
lily.
DR.. A. w. Hadley. DR.. o. H. Bake
meier. Marion county deputy coron-
er, and an ambulance surgeon, adj
ministered first aid before the
family was taken to city hospital.
Kiuesner, an employe Of the Link
Belt Company. two months ago dis
located an arm while cranking his
automobile, and returned TO work
only two weeks ago. Coroner Bake
meier was unable TO learn addresses
of relatives.