J. Wilber Kendall attempted to save Helen M. Benoit and Howard K. Beach from burning, Gilmore City, Iowa, September 18, 1914. Helen, 2; Howard, 3, and other children were in a barn that caught fire, and the flames spread rapidly. The children ran from the barn, and Helen and Howard went into a closet four feet from the barn door. Stooping under flames at this door, Kendall, 42, plumber, entered the barn to rescue a child he thought was there. Then hearing a child call, he saw Howard in the closet. The entrance side of the closet, which faced the barn, was burning, and the heat close to the barn was intense. Kendall immediately left the barn and darted into the closet, where he found Helen also. The clothing of both children was burning. Taking a child under each arm, Kendall stepped out of the closet just as others turned it over on its side. While standing between the barn and the closet, Kendall handed Helen to someone and held Howard out for someone to take, but Howard’s clothing burned away, and he fell to the ground. Kendall then vaulted the closet. Both children died from their burns. Kendall received first- and second-degree burns on his face, neck, hands, and wrists, and he was totally disabled 40 days. 13735-1406
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