Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1912 — Explosion of Coal Oil Stove Causes Lively Blaze. [ARTICLE]

Explosion of Coal Oil Stove Causes Lively Blaze.

The explosion of a coal oil cook stove at the farmhouse of Henry Eiglesbach southwest of town about 11:20 a. m. Monday, was the cause c>f a blaze that might easily nave destroyed the entire house had it not been for the presence of mind of Mrs. Eiglesbach, whom it seems, had sarted the fire preparatory to getting dinner and then gone, but to the garden so get some lettuce. While mere she heard the explosion, and before she .could reach the Abuse the flames were from the kitchen window. She rushed into the house and closed the door leading from the kitchen to the adjoining rooms and then taking water from a nearby tank, succeeded in smoothering the flames. The kitchen was damaged considerably. the woodwork, paper and some furniture badly charred and smoked, and three of the other rooms will have to be repaper'd. The damage will total about SIOO. The stove set in one corner of the kitchen, a good sized room, and on the opposite side was the table, with a table cloth and partly set for dinner, and when the explosion pccurred the oil was thrown clear across the room p and the table cloth burned up. Had Mrs. Eiglesbaih been in the kitchen at ’the time her clothing would.. likely have been covered with the. burning oil. and the Are probably have ended in a tragedy. As it was she. had both her hands burned considerably in her efforts to put out the lire, in which sbo succeeded before the arrival of Fire Chief Montgomery and several automobiles from town loaded with fir© fighting chemicals.