Evening star., 1949-03-07
Two Babies Die,
Others Badly
burnedinEire
Firemen Find Five
HuddIed Under Beds
In Flaming Room

Two CHlluIcI OIlc dIlo GWO yCd1o
old, were fatally burned and two
others are given a slim chance Of
survival after flames swept a Sec
ond-story room at 313 o street
S.W., where eight children were
sleeping yesterday afternoon.
Three of the children, all Of
whom are colored, fled when the
fire started, apparently from an
oil stove explosion in the room.
The other five, one Of whom
escaped injury, cringed under
two beds and were carried from
the flaming room by two firemen.
The dead are Joseph Gather
and his brother Sylvester, 2, sons
of sMrs. Stanley Gather. They
were taken to Providence Hospital
with Donald and Dolores Middle
ton, 16-month-ol twins of Mrs.
Alma Middleton.
Twins in Critical Condition.
Joseph died last night and his
brother died this morning.
The twins are in critical con-
dition. with burns over their en-
tire bodies, hospital officials said.
They gave them a slim chance OF
surviving.
Paulette Middleton, 8, escaped
being burned. She was admitted
to Children's Hospital for obser-
vation. Her condition was de-
scribed as good.
Firemen said the blaze was
caused when an oil heater near
one of the two beds in the room
exploded, sending flaming liquid
onto the floor and walls.
Three older children, Douglas
Gather, 5; his sister, Gloria Jean,
g, and Ella Mae Middleton, 8, fed
from the room. All were taking
maps.
Firemen said members of the
families tried in vain to enter the
room as they heard the children's
screams.
Found Huddled Under Bed.
1t. George Flaherty Of engine
company No. Z entered the room
and found the twins and Joseph
Gather huddled under the bed
next to the heater.
II just scooped them all up in
nv arms and carried them out"
he said.
Pvt. Henry Lange of truck COM
pany No. 10 entered by a ladder
through a window. He carried
the other two children to safety.
They were under the other bed.
The interior of the room in the
two-story brick house was burned
out, firemen said.
| In another fire an elderly con-
valescent, trapped in her smoke
filled room yesterday was rescued
| by q Helnan who carried her down
a ladder raised to the window.
Three other occupants of =
large frame house at 7135 Chest
nut street NV. were routed by
flames which swept through the
second floor of the house shortly
before 10 pm.
Waited for Fireman.
Rescued was Miss Agnes Rus
sell, rs, who craWled from her
bed to the window and waited
there until Pvt. w. E. Johnston Of
No. II Truck Company carried
her down.
Her two sisters, Mrs. Russell
Roller and Miss Mary Russell, and
Mrs. Rollers daughter, Miss Jane
Roller. fled after they found the
dense smoke prevented them
from taking Miss Agnes Russell
from her room.
The convalescent, who recently
spent nine weeks in the hospital,
was taken to Suburban Hospital.
where her condition was said to
be good.
Lewis A. Jones, 7131 Chestnut
street NV, suffered slight heart
attack while watching the fire. He
was treated by Rescue Squad No. 2.
The squad also treated Pvt. c. w.
Reid for an injured hand, and
Pvt. George Larrick of the Rescue
Squad for an injury to his eyes.
The fire was brought under con-
troll in few minutes. Damage
was confined to the bathroom,
hall and a studio used by Mrs.
Roller an illustrator