BURNED TO DEATH.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2707, 16 November 1889, Page 6 (Supplement)

BURNED TO DEATH.

the dangers of kerosene. A kirk at, 607, Willow Avenue, near 3uchanan-sti - eefc (says a San Francisco paper of a recent date), shortly before 8 o'clock on Monday, caused the death of two persous, and will also probably cause the death of two others. Not withstand- ] ing the terrible result of the lire, all that was reported by the authorities at the time was that 75d01s worth of damage had been caused by an exploding lamp. Not a word was said about the terrible consequences of the explosion until late yesterday morning, when a neighbor reported the deaths at the morgue. At the hour mentioned Mrs Marx Gaba, with three of her children, was seated at a tabic in their residence, on Willow Avenue. An infant of two months lay in a cradle in the samo room, while two other children, boys, had just been sent on an errand. The youDgest of the three children at the table was Moses, aged two years. He was in high glee, and very playful. Suddenly he grasped the tablecloth, and drew it towards him. The lamp was drawn along with the cloth, and fell into the child's lap, where it exploded in an instant, covering the poor little fellow with the burning oil. The mother grasped the burning child in her arms, and at once the flames were communicated to her clothes. She ran shrieking about the room for a few minutes, and finally made her way to the back yard, where she fell to the ground writhing in agony, but still claspiug the child in her arms. There she was found by the neighbours, who had been attracted by the noise and the flames were extinguished, but not before nearly every shred of clothes had been burned from her body. Physicians were at once called and attended the sufferers, but it wa3 evident at the outset that they were injured beyond recovery. Little Moses died at midnight, and Mrs Gaba passed away a few hours later. While the unhappy mother was trying to save her child, the flames communicated to the furniture in the room, and the other children, Minnie and Rosa, aged six and four, were severely burned. The infant was also nearly suffocated in its cradle. The front door of the house was fastened, and those who came to the rescue of the unfortunate family had the greatest difficulty in gaining an entrance. They succeeded, however in extinguishing the flames before the arrival of the engine, and before much damage had been done. Marx Gaba, the father of the family, had left home only a short time previously on an errand, and was almost prostrated with grief when he heard of the dreadful occurence. He is a poor man, and is employed asaelockmaker at 530 M'Allister-stroet. He was unable to provide attendance for his injured children, and they will be taken to the Children's Hospital for treatment.