The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1867-02-22

a horrible, sickening blow upon my
arm-a blow from something neither
dull nor sharp. seemed TO feel the
cutting of the flesh, and to hear the
breaking of the bone. The arm, bat
tered and broken, lost its grasp, and l
fell back into the horror and darkness
of the bin. Hardly had 1 touched the
yielding wheat when my shovel was
thrown from above, and struck within
few inches of my head. Though my
arm hurt me terribly, didn't faint, l
was helpless; the dust was sitting.
the grain was whiring, and tumbling
and Kissing, as it slid towards the vor-
tex few feet distant. | heard the
inurmur Of machinery in motion, and
the rushing sound of the wheat as it
poured into the spout. Where | lay
the grain had not yet begun to move
into the little whirlpool; but l knew it
would only be a minute or two before |
should be tossing and struggling in that
treacherous quicksand, and then stified,
mutilated, and dead, at the spout. The
dust seemed to circle above me, and
leave me little air to gasp.
Lying thus, hopeless and helpless, n
carelessness of death came upon me.
My life came to me in all its details, Its
| joys and sorrows. had visions of green
fields, and heard the soft gurgle of brooks
and the songs of birds, and the rustling
of leaves. Then Bessie's sweet face, as
it was when we were married, smiling
and pretty with dimples, seemed to be
above, and close to mine, as if waiting
for a kiss, as in the olden time, before
she was taken from me. l forgot all
else but her face. l had only O con-
sciousness that l was going to her-that
she was waiting for my release that she
might go with me on the last great jour
ney. 1t seemed as if the great relief
would never come and give me to my
darling.
81 must have been growing uncon-
scious, | think, for sudden throb of
pain in my arm robbed me of my wife's
face, and brought back the old feeling
of resistance against death. l felt that
was going downward, gently, but ir-
rcsistabiy-that every grain beneath
me was moving and shifting and slowly
descending. The circle of the whirl-
pool had reached me, and was dragging
me down to torture and to death.
Couldn't wouldn't submit to such
death! 1t was horrible agony of soul
and body, sir. l screamed for help;
but the dust, entering my mouth, nose,
and eyes, strangled and blinded me. l
looked for the shovel; it had disappear
ed. l was going. too. Manned and
gasping for breath, fought against the
power that was slowly, but surely, drag
ging me down. Iplunged my arm deep
into the wheat, and tried to pull myself
up. In the dismal, murky light of this
hideous den, | struggled as but few men
have ever struggled. | was giant in
my battle for life. / thought no more
of my broken arm. | was burning with
heat, parched with thirst, blinded and
choked with the fine dust but / fought
my tierceness l tore my clothes from my
body and flung them away, and the
grains of wheat scraped my wounds
and pierced my naked flesh Us l tried
to spring forward; but nothing hurt
me, not even my arm.
"Hard as | struggled could not get
clean away from the whirlpool. If
leaped forward, or crawled little way
over the treacherous surface, l found,
when / stopped, that was swiftly slid
ing back again to my old place. 1t
seemed rs if | struggled in this way for
hours, yet | accomplished nothing.
Tired and breathless, looked around,
and felt sure that in less than three
minutes should be in the spout, and
dead man. My efforts were in vain
there was Il certain circle beyond which
I could not go. Once the thought came
into my mind that, to save myself from
the horrors of the death before me, |
had better open vein and bleed to
death but could not find my knife,
and had found it, might not have
been able to use it. Well, saw every
thing plainly. There was no hope for
me; | must die, and must look and
wait for my death. When hope desert
ed me, II kind of resignation to my fate
succeeded, and closed my eyes wcari-
ly, never thinking TO open them again,
"Gradually my body slid downward.
The noise of the grain rushing through
the valve or gate became louder and
louder the sitting dust WAS thicker
and heavier. 4 thousand unseen, ire
sistible forces were drawing me to de-
struction. Suddenly my body fell sew
eral feet. | felt the tremendous suction
of the whirlpool. The grain crept up
legs; it reached and pressed heavily up
on my breast and back rs If to squeeze
the life out of me; it assembled higher
and claspcd my throat. Then ! closed
my eyes and waited for death. ! no
longer feared its terrCrs.
AT this moment felt that there was
a strange silencei even in my half-cos-
scious condition | realized change in
my surroundings. The dust began to
settle. realized what had happened.
"Thc rdt,'e TGS cioSed.
"At the very gate of death opened to
receive Ee, there was an obstacle, and |
tainted away with joy. When became
conscious again, ! heard voice crying
out.
( "'Is anybody down there - said this
voice. That question was twice repeat
| ad hpfi,rt. | poIIll nn.wpr and 81 taiutlV