GILL, Esther Arlene (SCARFF), 1918-1941

GILL, SCARFF

Posted By: Betty Hootman (email)
Date: 2/16/2012 at 21:09:06

Mount Pleasant (IA) News
Front Page
13 February 1941

Young Woman dies in Farm Home Fire

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MRS. MARVIN GILL VICTIM AFTER STOVE EXPLOSION

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Husband In Hospital Suffering From Burns Over Most Of Body

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Mrs. Marvin Gill, 22, burned to death at the Gill farm home, nine miles northwest of Mt. Pleasant this morning in one of the most tragic farm fires in Henry county history. Her husband was critically burned and is a patient at the Memorial hospital where his condition is regarded as serious. However, his burns were not believed to be deep.

A kerosene explosion occurring as Gill tossed some kerosene on a slow fire resulted in Mrs. Gill's death and the injuries to her husband.

The story as pieced together from information given by Gill who is suffering greatly from shock as well as from the burns from the fire which enveloped nearly his entire body, and supplemented the information available from neighbors, is as follows:

Fire Was Slow

Gill arose this morning at 6 o'clock and started a fire in the cook stove with some kerosene. The fire failed to ignite and after a short interval, Gill picked up a three gallon can of kerosene and tossed on a liberal quantity. The explosion followed. Flames burst forth around Gill. He was blinded momentarily.

Mrs. Gill was in a bedroom nearby, rushed out and threw a blanket around him in an effort to put out the fire on his nightshirt.

Amid the smoke and flames, he was unable to give any assistance, but thought that Mrs. Gill would follow him. He grabbed a pillow, he told Dr. Laird later, put it on his head and plunged through a window. Mrs. Gill did not come out after him. Some three hours later the charred remains, badly dismembered, were found lying about two feet from the kitchen stove.

Probably Overcome By Fumes

What happened can only be conjecture, but it is probable she was overcome by the fumes and smoke and fell to the floor unconscious. She may have fainted, but because of the type of gases thrown off by an explosion of this kind, it appeared more likely that she was overcome by them.

In agony from burns and standing helpless outside, he saw the flames sweep through the house.

As a realization of what had happened and that his wife had perished, grasped him, he started running barefooted and with only the light blanket around him over the wet cold muck to the Elmer Graber home a half mile away to get assistance.

Had Heard Explosion

The Grabers could understand when he arrived what the explosion was that they had heard a few minutes before and also the meaning of the screams they had heard. Mr. Graber rode a horse back over the muddy highway past the burning home two and one-half miles to the Mark Brewster home to get a telephone to spread word of the tragedy and get medical assistance as well as an ambulance. It was about 7 O'clock when he reached the Brewster place. Mrs. Brewster said.

Mrs. Graber by her screams called George Swailes in the next house from the Grabers and soon a group was gathering eager to give assistance, but really none could be given.

Travel Difficult

As soon as the doctor could arrive on the gravel at the end of the muddy road and be taken through the mud to the Elmer Graber home, he gave first aid assistance and then directed that Gill be brought to the hospital. Two ambulances were taken out and an older high wheeled machine was used to navigate the muddy road, then the change was made to the other conveyance at the surfaced highway.

Workmen had to wait until the flames died down before they could remove the remains of Mrs. Gill.

Water was poured on the flames near the body as soon as the men could get close enough to do so, and the remains were taken out from among the ashes and brought to Mt. Pleasant.

Coroner D. L. Cooke said no inquest would be necessary as the cause of death was evident.

Former Teacher

Mrs. Gill, formerly Miss Esther Scarff, was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Scarff. Her parents, two brothers, Paul and Merritt and a sister Marilyn, all at home, survive. She was a former Henry county rural school teacher and was teaching last year at Webfoot school northeast of Rome when the school burned. She was graduated from Mt. Pleasant high school and attended summer school at Iowa Wesleyan.

The house which was destroyed was a six room structure belonging to George Swailes who had only recently bought the place from the Peterson heirs. Swailes was making plans to move to the place soon. All of the gill household furnishings were destroyed. The farm is located about two miles south and a little west of Trenton.
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Mount Pleasant (IA) News
Front Page
15 February 1941

MRS. GILL RITES AT TWO O'CLOCK SUNDAY

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Funeral services for Mrs. Marvin Gill, farm fire victim, will be held at the White Oak church Sunday afternoon at two o'clock. A previous announcement gave the services as 2:30.