Madison County Democrat. (London, Ohio) 19??-1958, 1950-04-07
Auto Hits
Tree, Bursts
Into Flames

/ A Newport man met sudden
death in a roaring gasoline fire
Friday morning when the Ford
coupe he was driving, with a gas
oline drum in the rear outside
seat, struck a large Cotton wood
tree on the Old xenia Road near
the Lawrence Miller farm west of
Route 38.
Victim of the accident was
Charles II. Walls, age SO oper-
ator of road grader for the
Madison County highway depart
ment.
His body was burned beyond ce-
cognition.
Three London men, Bob Turvy.
Tom Slattery and Lewis Delaw-
der, enroute to South Charleston
to work on a construction project.
F! were the first to arrive at the ac-
/ cident scene.
I'VE were travelling west and
just coming over the raise in the
| road when we saw it," said Mr..
! Slattery, who operates the Stat
terry Sheet Metal & Roofing Co,
in London.
Smoke was coming up. We
couldn't tell what it was. 1t must
have happened just moment be-
fore we arrived, for a man down
the road there, said he (Walls1
was following a car driven by a
woman. And we had just passed
! her." he explained.
We couldn't see anyone inside
the car. 1t was burning and Sc
much smoke coming up"
! When we opened the door that
tank let go and the flames really
went up" Mr.. Turvy stated.
1 Meanwhile Mr.. Slattery drove
to the nearest farm house tc
summon fireman, but found the
telephone there was out of order
and raced to the Lawrence Miller
farm house to call the Londor
fire department.
L don't believe they could have
saved him, if they had been right
here" one of the men declared
pointing to the burned and black.
ened tree trunk against which tile
car had been destroyed.
/ Flames were intensified by the
gasoline both from the auto tank
and from the standard sized gaso
line drum in the rear seat of the
car. which had crashed forward
and pinned the driver.
All three of the London men in
dicated that the roaring fire hae
burned high up into the tree.
London firemen Dilwyn An
drews and Charles Mercer arriv,
ing at the scene a few minute.
after Mr. Slattery had sounded
the alarm, .extinguished The
flames.
The gasoline in the meantime
had been consumed and the auto
reduced to wreckage
The London men, who first ar
rived at the scene, were of tht
opinion that Mr.. Walls had pro
badly been fatally injured wher
the auto crashed into the tree ant
pointed out that the gasoline drum
had been driven forward with tn,
impact and pinned the driver, pro
badly against the steering wheel
Condition of the front end 0
the auto indicated that it ha;
struck the big tree with consider
able force. No other autos wer,
nearby at the time of the acciden
and opinion was expressed tha
possibly Mr.. Walls had been TAX
, en- i'll causing him to lose contro
of the car.
Deputy Sheriff H. c. Markley
enroute to Mt Sterling, receives
a radio report on the accident ant
also went to the scene to aid in re
moval of the body and wrecked
, car.
Surviving are the wife, Maria
,, one son, Russell; the mother, Mrs
Jane Walls, all of Newport; AM
a sister, Mrs. Levengood of Co
lumbus.
Friends may call at the Luken
Funeral Home. Funeral service
at the Church of Christ in Christi
, an Union, Newport Sunday at
p. m. Interment in Sedalia Gene
: terry.