Domestic Accident Leaves Servant Critically Injured
A tragic mix-up at a kitchen stove leads to a severe explosion for a local woman.
While kindling a fire in the kitchen stove at 1808 South 11th Street, where she is employed as a servant, Mrs. Sarah Metcalf, 43, mistook a can of gasoline for kerosene and poured a quantity of the liquid into the flames. The resulting explosion burned her severely about the face and hands, and she was hurried to the county hospital for medical attendance.
“Mistook a can of gasoline for kerosene, and poured a quantity of the dangerous liquid into the flames.”
This incident serves as a grim reminder of the daily, often invisible, hazards faced by domestic workers in the early 20th century. It highlights the dangers of modern fuel handling before universal safety standards existed.
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