Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-02-11
An Appalling Accident.-AM Man
Slowly Roasted.

One of the most shocking accidents il
| has ever been our lot to record, occurred
two days ago at Mountain Ash, South
Wales, TO man named David Thomas
who earned his bread as lime burner al
some lime kilns belonging to the Naviga.
ton Coal Company. Having drawn the
lower part of the kiln and got out about a
carload of lime, he thought the burning
stones at the top of the perfected lime did
not descend as they ought, and he asked
his wife, who happened to be with him at
the time, if she would 60 to the top of the
kiln and inform him whether they had
sunk or not.
The wife went to the top as requested,
and seeing that the stones had not sunk,
but still preserved level surface she called
out ''they have not moved bit" He
joined her at the kun, and taking up long
iron bar which was kept there for the pur-
pose of thrusting among the stones when
any bitch occurred, be went towards the
kiln. His wife begged him to keep back
from so dangerous position, at the same
time reminding him that if the stones
should slip, he would be drawn with them
into the burning kiln. He said, "Oh, new
er fear, l will take care of that;' and dis
regarding his wife's repeated suppIications,
he stepped forward to the top of the kiln
and commenced thrusting at the stones
with his iron bar.
For few moments the mass remained
firm and resisted his attempts to disturb it !;
but on increasing the violence of his tbrusts,
they began to descend, and as his unhappy
wife had predicted, to draw him with them.
As he descended slowly the frery stones
closed around him, until at length the
lower part of his body was completely
EMBEDDED in the burning mass. His shrieks
were heart-piercing as his wife endeavored
to drag him out, she found to her horror
that the burnt flesh yielded to her touch
and came off in pieces, rendering it impos-
sible for her to obtain any hold!
The horrors of her situation can better
be imagined than described. At length
her cries attracted the attention of num-
Der of men who were standing near an
adjacent colliery, and who lost no time in
repairing to the spot, in the hope of being
able to render some assistance. 1t hap
pened that one of Mr.. Crowsby's boats
was passing at the time, and the boatman
having laid-to to gaze at the accident,
man named Hobbs ran to the boat, seized
the boat rope, returning with it to the top
of the kiln, and was preparing to throw it
around the body of the unhappy Thomas,
who was still slowly burning and writhlng
in the most intense agony, when the boat
man David jenkins, ran after him and took
away the rope, saying, it was useless TO
burn it, as he could let them have an old
one!
He deliberately walked back to the boat,
leaving the poor sufferer in the midst of
the fire: picked out an old piece of rope,
threw it to the men on shore, and then
went off with his boat, without attempt
ing to offer the slightest assistance. Hobbs
and one or two others, at length contrived
to throw the rope around the poor sufferers
body; but alas they found they could not
succeed in getting him out. At length
some one suggest that an iron bar should
be placed under him to lift hmout This
was done, and the frightfully charred body
of the still living man, some portions of
which had been burned to a cinder, was
got out. Of course, human strength could
not endure such suffering, and he died.
English paper.