The Union County journal. [volume] (Marysville, Ohio) 1875-1951, 1946-02-28
R. P. EVANS, 81,
DIES OF BURNS IN
GASOLINE BLAST
Fumes From Tank Truck
He Was Working On Ignite
Monday; Funeral Today

Funeral services were held at
| 2 p. m. today for r. Paul (Peck)
Evans, aged 81, plumbing and
heating contractor who died in
White Cross hospital at 1;30 a. m.
Tuesday from severe burns suf-
fered when gasoline fumes from
tank truck in which he was
working exploded at the Shell
bulk plant on Delaware ave-, about
! 4:30 p. m. Monday.
Mr.. Evans, who had moved on
| ly Sunday to a farm he had re-
Gently purchased on the Wolford
and MaSkill pix. in Taylor town
ship, was in a partnership with
Ralph Roush, of the Milford rd.
! in the plumbing and heating buSi-
ness. The two men were adjusting
some equipment on a Shell gaso-
line tank truck which had been
| installed only few days earlier.
Shortly before the explosion,
Mr.. Roush was called to the
Journal office to do some emerg-
enCy plumbing and the tragedy
occurred just as MIR. RouSh was
finishing up the job at The Jour
nal. Il had a hunch, when l heard
the fire siren, that the truck had
exploded" Mr.. Roush later de-
Clared.
Spark Believed Cause
1t is believed the blast was
caused when a wrench Mr.. Evans
was using slipped on one of the
pipes underneath the truck and
made a spark which ignited the
| gasoline fumes. The tank itself
had been drained of gasoline, but
the liquid was still in the pipes
underneath the truck, and Mr.
Evans clothes were pretty well
saturated with it,
Mr.. Evans clothing immediate
| ly caught fire in the puff of flames
which the spark set off, and Glenn
Baumgarner, operator of the bulk
plant, who was the only person in
i the plant at the time, attempted
to pull him from underneath the
truck In doing so, some addition
al gasoline in a pan underneath
the truck spilled on Mr.. Evans.
Once Mi. Evans was out from
Iunder the truck, Mr.. Baumgarner
was Unable to hold him, and the
Imam, in horrible pain and evident
| ly not realizing what he was do
ing, ran outside instead of rolling
on the ground to eXtinguiSh the
flames on him.
Motorists Give Aid
He was standing outside the
plant, attempting to beat out he
flames on his chest with his hands
when Fred ASman, Oakland hotel
clerk, drove past. He Immediately
stopped and used a throw rug
which he carries in his car, to wrap
around Mr.. Evans to smother the
flames.
A bit later, Nanny Rogers, Ma
rySville Rt 3, drove past and stop
ped to assist Mr.. Asman. The two
began pulling the clothing from
Mr.. Evans. A third motorists, un-
identified, also came to their aid,
and someone then poured a bucket
of oil over Mr.. Evans body to help
ease the pain.
Meanwhile, another mOtOriSt
drove to the Fire department to
report a fire at the Shell bulk
plant. Mr.. Baumgarner, in his eX-
citement, hung up too quickly
when he attempted to report the
fire by telephone and his call new
er got through. Upon receiving the
report, Chief George Singer and
Assistant Chief Harold Hyland
went Immediately to the bulk
. plant, and prevented the building
from being burned.
Rushed To Hospital
Mr.. Roush got back out to the
bulk plant about the time the fire
truck arrived. Faulkner's ambul-
ance was called and when no local
physician could be located for
emergency treatment, Mr.. Evans
was rushed to White Cross hoSpi-
tai rather than attempt to locate
doctor here.
Mr.. Evans was conscious on the
way to the hospital, and was able
to recognize his sisters when they
got there. BY the time Mrs. Evans
could be notified and get to the
! hospital, however, her husband had
lapsed into uncOnsciousness and he
died at 1:30 a. m.
! Mr.. Evans worked at the Cur
tiss- Wright plant in Columbus un-
i til Just recently. He and Mr..
Roush had been working together
since early winter, and had form
ed their partnership about Jan. l.
Until about the first of the year
J Mr.. and Mrs. Evans and their
three daughters had resided in
Raymond. They then moved to a
house on N. Main ST., and then,
last Sunday, to their new farm
home in Taylor township, former
ly the Thurman Coleman farm.
Born In Union Township
Mr.. Evans was born in Union