The native American., 1837-12-23
HENRY J. BRENT.
THE VOLUNTARY ExPERIMENTALIsT.

The following wonderful story is not vouched
for, but it bears all the signs of truth about it.
The only story we remember to have read that
could approach it in unmitigated and maddening
horror, was that of an Italian Prince, who through
revenge, crushed his foe in prison, whose iron
sides gradually grew smaller and smaller, until the
victim was pressed into jelly. The reader will
thank for this story, though it has forced us to
leave out other matter Of interest. We take the
narrative from Blackwood:
The destruction by fire of the distillery of Mr..
b in Dublin, some time since, will be in
the recollection Of many Of your Irish readers. A
circumstance happened to me on the night Of that
event, which, as believe it to be altogether un-
precedented, will now relate. am medical
man, residing in Dublin, and, on the night in
question, was returning about half past eleven
O'Clock from the neighborhood Of Harod's Cross,
where had been to superintend the administering
of hot bath to patient, when the reflection of
the fire on the sky to the northwest attracted my
attention, and drew me to the spot. Mr.. b Is
distillery consisted principally Of one long and
lofty building, the western end Of which was con-
nected with considerable pile Of stores and Off
ces that abuted on it at right angles with large
addition, nearly similarly situated at the eastern
end, which was just then in progress of erection.
When arrived on the spot. the courtyard pre-
scented very animating spectacle. Three engines
poured their streams OH the centre pile of build
ing, while two others played on the cross and
window lattices Of the adjoining stores, which
were momentarily catching fire, and as fast ex-
tinguished. The court yard was in a swim with
water, which flashed back the light with an un-
steady but dazzling reflection, as the firemen
splashed through it ankle deep. The captains Of
the several gangs, mounted on their respective en-
gines, stood over the heads Of the laboring crowd
cheering on the exertions Of the bumpers below,
Tor shouting their directions to the iremen aloft
where they appeared plying their hatchets at an
immense height among the smoke and enbers.
Excited by the animation of the scene, i took an
active part in the exertions of those around me,
and soon became thoroughly heated, as well as
wetted in the service. Among other duties I'M
dertaken by the volunteers with whom had as
sociated myself, was the removal of a number of
casks, to get at which it was necessary to cross
La platform Of masonry built round large copper
boiler in the unfinished end Of the building Over
this platform there scaffolding resting at one
side on the party wall which separated the new
portion of the works from that which was already
on fire; and through the holes in this party wall
in which the ends of the beams were inserted, the
twice in safety, and was about to venture third
time, when one of the bystanders, who had wit
messed my exertions, directed my attention to the
dangerous condition of these timbers, several of
their points ofsupport being already burned away,
SO that the scaffolding hung smouldering and half
suspended from the new brick work, and threat
ened to pull down a great part of the walls on
each side in its descent, which could not now be
far distant. i thanked my friendly warner for his
advice, and had taken it SO far to retire few
steps from the announcement neighborhood Of the
flames, when one Of the firemen of the NJ
Insurance Company got up on the opposite side
of the platform, and signed for some one to come
to his assistance. gave look at the nodding
timbers above; they seemed still too deeply bed
ded in the masonry of the one building to give me
any apprehension Of immediate danger. / ran up
the ladder that led to the platform on that side;
but, Just as gained the top, heavy fall of ma
sorry took place from the angle Of the pile near
lly overhead. escaped by the merest chance,
but the ladder was dashed in fragments, and the
rush of smoke and flame that followed through
| the breach thus opened, completely hid the pros
pect on the side from which / had assembled !
became confused, and rushed forward, hardly
knowing where ran; but had scarcely taken
three steps in advance, when ! heard the prolong-
ed tearing crash of the timbers overhead, and
next moment saw the beams topple, and the bricks
and dust rise about their ends--in another instant
! | must have been crushed to pieces pushed per-
haps with the red end of BEAM, for they were
already descending before me--when the mouth
Of the open vessel, which, as | have mentioned,
was bedded in the masonry at my feet, caught
my eve. II was not more than three feet across;
the chances were that the long timbersswould fall
athwart, not into it. There was an ample con-
cave below, as appeared by the broad reflection o.
light on the new copper of its sides. Withou,
bestowing thought on how was to get QUIT
dropped at once to the bottom of the hollow cham
Der. The metal reverberated, and the echoine
sphere rung round me for moment with bra
zen clang-then crash, crash, with the din Q
thunder, down came the blazing UNDERSTANDING
rolling rebounding smashing all before them
| thought the copper would be crushed flat, bu
the masonry in which 1t was bedded protected it
One beam pitched end-foremost on the exposed
neck of the vessel; the metal yielded, and drew
out as before the first strike Of huge punch
the whole concave groaned, and | thought it was