Early 1940's in Dallas TX
The information below is a compilation of two different newspaper
accounts of the death of Winnie Dell Sharp and her five children. The
newspapers are The Dallas Morning News, and the Daily Times Herald.
There are Meadows mentioned in the articles.
In February of 1942 L.V and Winnie Dell were living in a two story,
frame rooming house at 1408 South Harwood in Dallas, Dallas Co., TX.
On the morning of February 18, 1942, Winnie Dell and her five children
( Jack Roy age 10, Joyce Lafern age 7, Martha Mae age 5, Kenneth Wayne
(Kenny) age 3, and Robert Lynn (Leonard) age 1) were asleep in their
upstairs apartment.Her husband, L.V, was at work.He worked at a
filling station and was not due to get off from work before 8 a.m.The
Dallas Morning News stated that Lonzo Sharp, L.V.'s father, customarily
spent a great deal of time in the apartment.But, happened not to be
there at that time.But, the Daily Times Herald stated that Lonzo was
asleep in another part of the apartment.
Directly below the Sharp family, on the first floor,lived Mrs. Birdie
Sandifer and her three children (a husband was not mentioned in the
paper).There were no gas connections in the house.So, on that
morning, Mrs Sandifer was attempting to light a kerosene heater.She
was having problems with it, and called for the landlady, Mrs. Beatrice
Williams.When Mrs. Williams lifted a glass cover on the kerosene
heater, getting ready to attempt to light the heater herself, the heater
exploded, throwing flaming kerosene all about the room....setting the
house on fire rapidly.The two ladies, and Mrs. Sandifer's three
children escaped any burns, and managed to get out of the house
uninjured.
By the time the fire department arrived, the brisk wind had fanned the
fire out of controll.People were jumping from the second story
windows.Subfreezing (20 degree) weather hampered fire fighters
efforts.Water was congealed as soon as it hit the flames.The
firemen's coats were frozen stiff.And, ice was forming on the
sidewalks from the water used to put out the fire, causing more
hazardous conditions for the firemen to work against.
When the fire was extinguished, there were six dead,and three
injured.The six dead were Winnie Dell Sharp and all five of her
children.L.V. Sharp did not learn about the fire, nor the death of his
wife and children, until he had finished his work at the filling station
some hours later.
The three injured were Mrs. Eares Meadows who suffered smoke inhalation,
her daughter, Annette (7 years old) who broke an ankle, and a fireman by
the name of Jess Hoskins.He obtained fractured ribs while trying to
catch Annette Meadows, after she had jumped for safety.
Mass funeral services for the Sharp family was held at 4 p.m. on
Thursday, February 19, 1942 in the Church of the Assembly of God in
Kemp, Kaufman Co., TX.Burial was at Kemp.Arrangements were with
Oneal Funeral Home.
There was four pictures in two papers covering the fire.
The Daily Times Herald...February 18, 1942, Wednesday,had three
pictures in it:
Page 1
1.Fire Captain J. I. Roberts from Fire Station 12, sifting through the
remains of the fire in the apartment where the Sharp family died.
2.A picture of all five Sharp children together.
Page 2
A picture of Winnie Dell Sharp.
The Dallas Morning News...Thursday, February 19, 1942, had one picture.
This was a picture of L.V. Sharp crouched down, and going through the
ashes of the fire. Standing behind him, is his father, Lonzo.Grief
engulfing their faces.The paper stated that L.V. found among the
ashes, aburial insurance policy covering the entire family, a
certificate of excellence for penmanship received by one of the
children, and an old family album.
Father Redfern, priest of St. Patrick's Catholic Chruch, offered to
supply the burial garments for the six victoms.Although, the Sharp
family were not Catholic, Father Redfern had known them for some time.
The fire could have probably been prevented.The following is quoted
from the Daily Times Herald, February 18, 1942, Wednesday:
"A notice declaring the frame building a fire trap, and ordering repairs
needed to make it safe for human habitation, was sent to the owner (Mrs.
Mary J. Bristol) of the South Harwood Street house last June 16 (1941),
Fire Marshall Thompson declared.
The notice instructed the owner to build an outside stairway to the
second story, to eliminate the use of kerosene stoves, and to substitute
sheet rock, or some comparable material, for the inflammable wallpaper
in the halls of the house.
The owner had several conversations with city officials, stated
Thompson.But, all of the repairs were not made.
The city did not attempt to force the repairs because they stated they
had been swamped with inspections of these substandard buildings, and
because they preferred to effect the repairs by friendly negotiations
rather than by court actions.
It was also stated that the owner of the property (Mrs. Mary J. Bristol
of 3808 Euclid) stated she had sent a carpenter to confer with Fire
Marshall Jack Thompson on the matter, and was trying to decide whether
to install the requested improvements or wreck the house.Meanwhile,
officials said some remedial steps had been taken.