<PAGE>
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 4
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
( ) Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or
Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
Magten Asset Management Corp.
35 E. 21st St.
New York, New York
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Thermadyne Holdings Corporation
TDHC
3. IRS Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
4. Statement for Month/Year
5/98
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s)to Issuer (Check all
applicable)
( ) Director ( ) 10% Owner+ ( ) Officer (give title below)
(X) Other (specify below)
Shareholder - Registered Investment Advisor
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (check Applicable Line)
X Form filed by One Reporting Person
Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
TABLE I -- NON-DERIVATIVE SECURITIES ACQUIRED,
DISPOSED OF, OR BENEFICIALLY OWNED
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
1. Title of Security| 2. Transaction| 3. Transaction| 4. Securities | 5. Amount of | 6. Ownership |7. Nature of |
(Instr. 3) | Date | Code | Acquired (A) | Securities | Form: | Indirect |
| | (Instr. 8) | or Disposed | Beneficially | Direct (D) | Beneficial|
| (Month/ | | of (D) | Owned at End | or Indirect| Ownership |
| Day/ | | (Instr. 3,4, | of Month | (I) | (Instr. 4)|
| Year) | | and 5) | (Instr. 3 and 4)| (Instr. 4) | |
| | | | |(A) or| | | | |
| | Code | V | Amount|(D) |Price| | | |
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Common Stock 5/27/98 S 3,250,434 D $34.50 267,339 I (1)
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
TABLE II -- DERIVATIVE SECURITIES ACQUIRED,
DISPOSED OF, OR BENEFICIALLY OWNED
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
1. Title of | 2. Conver- | 3. Trans- | 4. Trans- | 5. Number of | 6. Date Exer- | 7. Title and Amount |
Derivative | sion or | action | action | Derivative | cisable and | of Underlying |
Security | Exercise | Date | Code | Securities | Expiration | Securities |
(Instr. 3) | Price of | (Month/ | (Instr. | Acquired | Date | (Instr. 3 and 4) |
| Deri- | Date/ | 8) | (A) or | (Month/Day/ | |
| vative | Year) | | Disposed of | Year) | |
| Security | | | (D) (Instr. | | |
| | | | 3, 4 and 5) | | |
| | |____________|_________________|___________________|_____________________|
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Date | Expira- | | Amount or |
| | | | | | | Exer- | tion | | Number of |
| | | Code | V | (A) | (D) | cisable | Date | Title | Shares |
___________________|_____________|____________|______|_____|________|________|_________|_________|________|____________|
| | | | | | | | | | |
l l l l l l l l l l l
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<S> <C> <C> <C>
| 8. Price of | 9. Number of | 10. Ownership | 11. Nature of |
| Derivative | derivative | Form of | Indirect |
| Security | Securities | Derivative | Beneficial |
| (Instr. 5) | Benefi- | Security | Ownership |
| | cially | Direct (D) | (Instr. 4) |
<PAGE>
| | Owned at | or Indirect | |
| | End of | (I) (Instr. | |
| | Month | 4) | |
| | (Instr. 4) | | |
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
Explanation of Responses:
(1) The amount of securities shown in columns 4 and 5 of Table
I of this Form 4 is owned beneficially by discretionary
accounts managed by Magten Asset Management Corp.
("Magten"). Magten disclaims any beneficial ownership of
any such securities reported herein for purposes of Section
16 or for any other purpose. Nonetheless, the entire
amount of securities held by the accounts is reported
herein.
+ The Reporting Person may be deemed to be a member of a
group holding equity securities of the Issuer. The filing
of this report shall not be deemed to be an admission that
the Reporting Person is a member of such a group.
MAGTEN ASSET MANAGEMENT CORP.
By: /s/ Talton R. Embry June 10, 1998
__________________________ _________________
By: Talton R. Embry
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute
Federal Criminal Violations. See U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C.
78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be
manually signed. If space is sufficient, see Instruction 6 for
procedure.
01651001.AL1