OBIT: Flora (MEREDITH) RICHEY, 1877, Blair County, PA

Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by JRB

Copyright 2018.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/
_________________________________________

SERIOUSLY BURNED.
Four Persons Burned by the Explosion of a Kerosene Lamp.

Last evening, a little before six o'clock, Mrs. William Richey, who
resides on Eighth avenue, between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets,
met with a very painful accident.  She had been engaged in reading a
paper, and the same time nursing a little four year old niece,
daughter of Mr. Winfield Elder, who resides on the opposite side of
the street, and in attempting to rise from the chair, the little girl,
having unnoticed a hold on the table cloth, pulled it off and upset a
kerosene lamp, which exploded, enwrapping the little girl and lady in
flames, when Mrs. Meredith, the mother of Mrs. Richey, who was in
another part of the room, seized the child and pressed it between her
limbs, covering it with her clothing, thus extinguishing the flames
and saving its life.  The child is badly burned on the right wrist and
her eyes and hair is singed, while both of Mrs. Meredith's hands are
burned. Mrs. Richey in the meantime attempted to run up stairs, when
her husband, having heard the cries and smelt the smoke, ran down
stairs meeting his wife wrapt in flames at the landing.  His presence
of mind did not forsake him as he immediately ran up stairs and seized
some bed clothing, and returning, wrapped them around her, but had
great difficulty in extinguishing the flames, as they leaped forth
with vigor no less than four times.  Mrs. Richey is seriously injured,
having both limbs from feet to body and her right wrist shockingly
burned.  Mr. Richey had his left hand burned very badly.  The bed
clothes, yet in flames, had been left where thrown in the kitchen,
when constable Houck, of Hollidaysburg, who was passing at the time,
saw the flames and smelling smoke ran into the house in time to save a
conflagration, as the occupants were at the time up stairs engaged in
ministering to Mrs. Richey.  He threw the burning bed clothes into the
back yard where they burned for nearly an hour afterward.  Dr. Wm. M.
Findly was called to attend the injured persons.  Mrs. Richey has not
improved any at this writing since last night.

Evening Mirror, Altoona, Pa., Saturday, January 20, 1877

Resulted Fatally. - Mrs. Flora Richey, wife of Mr. Wm. Richey, who was
so severely burned on Friday evening by the explosion of a kerosene
lamp, died this morning at seven o'clock.  She was but young in years,
and was married only a few months ago.  No funeral arrangements have
yet been made.  The other persons injured by the explosion are doing
as well as could be expected.

Evening Mirror, Altoona, Pa., Monday, January 22, 1877