The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1932-01-28
REDWOOD CLEANING
PLANT DESTROYED
BY FIRE TUESDAY
Employee Dies at Hospital
After Crawling From
Burning Building
SAVE OTHER BUILDINGS
Clothing Loss Covered by In
surance; S. A. Appleton
Owned Building

H. E. "Jack" Cannon, 31-years-old,
died at the Redwood Falls hospital
Tuesday night of burns received when
a gasoline tank at the Redwood
Cleaners, where he was employed,
exploded, saturating his clothes with
flaming gasoline.
The explosion occurred about $50
p. m. Tuesday while Cannon was
alone in the rear of the shop. The
plate glass window burst onto the
sidewalk with crash which attracted
the attention of the few persons on
the street and in adjoining buildings.
Glass was strewn clear across the
street.
Several persons rushed to the scene
in time to see Cannon crawl out of the
flaming building with his clothes all
afre. Overcoats were thrown over
him to extinguish the blaze and he
was rushed to the hospital where he
died few hours later from shock and
exposure. e.
Firemen Respond Quickly
Douglas Whyte and Clarence Keefe,
Gazette employees, were across the
street and heard the explosion. Whyte
called the fire department which re-
ported soon after the call and Keefe
and William Charlton, proprietor of
the Redwood Cleaners, Thomas
Arnett, Jr., and Wilbur Arnett threw
coats over Cannon and lifted him into
his car which was parked across the
street and took him to the hospital.
The building blazed high in few
seconds, endangering the entire block,
but the fire department smothered
the flames quickly with water. Hun
dreds of people saw the flames and
rushed to the scene in time to see
them extinguished.
Just how the explosion came about
was not learned as Cannon was alone
at the time. On the way to the
hospital he talked wildly, repeating
several times, 81 knew I shouldn't do
it," and ~ Knew that would get me-"
Had Little Chance
Cannon was carried into the hos
pital where he was made as comfort
able as possible. Little hope was en-
tertained for his recovery and only
his excellent physical condition al
lowed him to live as long as he did.
He realized his condition and several
times said, cts no use." no
Flames destroyed most of his
clothing except a wooden jacket, and
he was burned from head to foot.
Doctors estimated that SO per cent of
his skin was burned.
The building was Quilted by the
fire, only SCARED walls and ceiling
remaining. Equipment used in clean
ing clothes is practically total loss
although it is covered by insurance.
= Insurance COverage
Reports which circulated the city
Wednesday that there was no insur-
ance coverage on contents of the
building in case of explosion were
branded "false" by the insurance
company. The insurance did not COW
er damage from explosion unless
fire ensues" according to the policy
and it was believed to have been
failure to read the entire clause which
gave rise to the rumor. Many suits
and dresses in the building were des-
troyed.
Cannon was seen a few minutes
before the explosion, carrying clothes
into the building from clothesline
in back. A report that he lighted Gig
aret which ignited the gas fumes and
another that he poured gasoline onto
an open fire are only guesses. No one
knows for certain what set off the ex-
plosion.
Mr.. Charlton was in bed Wednes-
day, sick from the smoke and said he
had no plans concerning re-establish-
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