A Ballard Tragedy

Burk Britton, the 3-year-old son of James Britton, a millworker living at Ballard, near the steel works, died about 12 o'clock from the effects of burns on his face and body received accidentally Wednesday afternoon. The Britton family consisted of the parents and two children, Burk and an elder brother, who is sick abed with fever. They live in a neat little cottage near the Ballard Steel Works. The father is employed in one of the mills, and was at his work Wednesday afternoon when Mrs. Britton took occasion to look through an old trunk. Her little son, Burk, and a neighbor's child about the same age watched her intently. Among the relics Mrs. Britton found photographs of relatives, and collecting them together went to her neighbor's across the way to show them. While she was gone the little ones got hold of some matches, presumably from the trunk, and while burning one Burk set fire to his dress. The little fellow commenced to cry and attracted the attention of his elder brother, who jumped out of bed and grabbing a pail half-filled with water threw it on his brother. This extinguished the flames partly, but when Mrs. Britton and the neighbor arrived, having been called by the cries of the elder brother for help, the little boy lay on the floor fast burning to death. Dr. Johnson was called and on examining the child found that his face, chest, feet and hands had suffered severely. At 10 o'clock yesterday morning a change for the worse took place, and from that time on spasm followed spasm until the little being was relieved by death about 12 o'clock.