Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-05-07
.oCAL MATTERS.

.. =, .4,zrertjsers--The daily issues of
= ,osr to both city and country far exceed
P','F .py other paper published in Wheeling
'' tern Virginia. If any of our compet-
wi disposed to contest the truth of this
''. .;,r we will be glad to afford them an
s,rt.nity of testing the matter.
fsf
- FRUITFUL 4eeident--A Han Carried
g H,adreI Feet u5ore the Earth!-The
.;,btfu!, and at the same time the most
W. ,..,b.e accident We have ever seen on re-
s-''' ,,,.,rred at the Catholic Church, yester-
,-,iu.. Some twenty persons were en-
-; in putting up the new bell which arri-
a,n Pittsblrg the evening before. There
.,i.dIass erected OIL the ground, to which
:. ,.uched a snatch, block and shieve. In
.,....y above the open space in the cupola,
hui, the bell was to be drawn up, there
lid . DeAm, to which was attached anoth-
..,,,h block and pn!ly, and the bell was to
=. been conveyed to the top by means Of
49, ropeS, working through these shelves by
h.. ,,S,r.r OF the windlass and cylinder upon the
...,,d The bell had been raised in this way
.,,ost nm to the open space in the cupalo, and
h. men were Just ready to pull it in. A man
n-,,.J Thomas Newton, was below, engaged in
.,oiipg the folds of the rope as it wound round
,-.eyIinLer. To do this, he had n firm grasp
mon the rope When the bell had reached a
mi, height from the ground one of the cogS in
.sr wheels of the windlass fixture gave way
Another revolution of the wheel. ripped off all
he cos; the bell fell to the ground, and New
Ton. who had hold of the lower end of the rope,
%, carried up, with frightful velocity, Il dis
,.a,y of one hundred feet from the ground
and loout four feet bove the aperture where
N. bill vas to have been taken in. For the in
ap.. every one was surprised beyond measure,
s. hetlre those engaged in the work could
ouYrebend what had happened, Newton, with
h. hands all laccrated and bleeding, worked
r.ssli down opposite the aperture, and called
IT help to those within. Bishop WheIen, who
49, Oh the platform in the cupao, reached out
!, the risk OF his life almost, and Selling New
an by the waist, pulled him from his awful po
..ian. The accident struck everybody with
an=zc,nent, and all but the eye witnesses were
10Th to believe in the incredu'O Gus feat. The bell
7visi.ed three thousand seven hundred pounds,
.ad as it fell without hindrance, some idea may
b. formed Of the rapitity with which Newton
,sccaici. lie says he thought of letting go the
roly, but before the thought was clearly defn
&. he was at tue beam, hundred feet above
lie had not time to let go his hold upon the rope.
some cogs and pieces Of machinery were hurl-
ei distance OF TIVE squares from the church:
saI Mr.. Smith, who was standing near, re-
eeivr,i an ugly wound in the face from flying
Article. MIR Newton was taken to the Office
.pr uupp, where !.ts wounded hands were
.-gssed. The flesh was all torn from the palms
OF ms hands, even to the bone, which is suppo-
>ed to have been done by the death grasp, and
his Sliding down the rope during the swift pas
sage into air. Altogether, we suppose there Is
not more startling or remarkable accident, or
: more miraculous escape on record.