The Ohio Democrat. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1840-1900, 1863-04-03
A Chanter Of Accidents.

Itais related OF the late eminent engl'
neer, Mr.. Brunei, thathe had more per
ilous escapes from violent death than fall
to the lot of most men. At the outset
of his career, when acting as assistant
engineer to his father in the Thames
Tunnel, he had two narrow escapes from
drowning by the river suddenly bursting
in upon the works. Some time after,
when inspecting the shafts of the rail.
way tunnel under Box Hill, he was one
day riding a shaggy pony at rapid
pace down the hill, when the animal
stumbled and fell, pitching the engineer
on his head with great violence; he was
takensu p for dead, but eventually re-
covered When the Great Western line
was finished and at work, he used fire.
queDtly TO ride upon the engine with the
driver, and occasionally be drove it him
self One day, when passing through
the Box Tunnel upon the engine at con-
siderable speed, Brunel thought he dis
cerned between him and the light some
object standing On the same line of road
along which the engine was trGyeling.
He Istantly turned on the full steam and
dashed at the object, which was driven
into Il thousand pieces. 1t afterwards
turned out to be contractors trunk
which had broken loose from ballast
train on its way through the tunnel. ~
Another escape which he had was on
board the Great Western steamship,
where he fell down hatchway into the
hold, and was nearly killed, But the
most extraordinary accident which befell
him was that which occurred while one
day playing with his children.
Like his fathek Sir Marc, he was fond
of astonishing u Hm with slight of-hand
tricks, in which he displayed consider.
able dexterity; and the feat which he
proposed to them OH this occasion was
the passing of half sovereign through
his mouth. out Of his ear, Unfortunate.
| ly he swallowed the coin, which dropped
into his wiudpipe The accident occur:
red on the Sd of April, lS43, and it was
followed by frequent dts-of coughing
and occasional uueasiness in the righ
side Of the chest; but so slight was thu
disturbance of breathing that it was fo
some time doubted whether the coin .hat
really fallen INTO the 'windpipe. as
After the lapse of fifteen days, Sir B
Brode met Mr.. Key in consultation, ant
they concurred in the opinion that mos
probably the half sovereign was lodge'
|, at the bottomiofthe right bronchus. =
The day after, Mr.. Brunei placed him
self in a, prone position on his faceupc
sonleschairs, and bending his head All
neck downward, he distinctly felt tn
! coin drop toward the CLOTHS A violer
} cough ensued, and, on.assuming the'eret
5 posture, he felt as if the object agai
/, moved downward into the chest. 'Her
9 was an engineering difficulty, the like {
: which Mr.! Brunelhad never before Ell
s courtered. The mischief was 5purel
: mechanical; q foreign body had gor
g into his breathing apparatus,u and mu
5 be removed, if at all, by some mechaI
!. ical expedient. Mr.. Brunei was, boV
|. ever, equal to the occasion. He had q
. apparatus constructed, consisting of
platform, whieh. moved upon a hinge
the center, Upon this he had himse
!. strapped, ani his body was than inverte'
{. in order that the coin might drop dow
= ward by its own weight, and so be ei
d PEELED. es
9 AT tfe 6rst experiment the coin aga
d slipped toward the glottis, but it cause
e such an alarming ftof colvulsive cougI
9 ing and appearance Of choking, th'
s danger was apprehended, and the exper
r ment was discontinued. Two days afte
q on the 25th, the operation oftracheoton
d was performed BY Sir Benjamin Brodi
r assisted by Mr.. Key, with he iptentic
# Of extracting the coin by the forceps
= possible. Two attempts to do SO we
Q made without success. The ,introdu
Q tioh Of the forceps into the windpipe7C (
4 the second occasion was offended VII
o so excessive q degree Of irritation, thl
b it was felt the experiment could not |
J. continued without evident danger \,
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