Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-10-19

l
tact with cold iron. was mad No,
no, not mad, but l felt that lunacy in
the shape of terrible specter was
approaching me--for the question was
answered:
was imprisoned within the steam
boiler!
began to shout:
"Help! George, for Gods sake,
helpw
But my voice sounded like that of
a muffled bell. Then | commenced to
pound with my fists upon the iron.
Surely, George must hear that" |
thought.
But no, he was whistling the tune
of Yankee Doodle.
Once he stopped, and thrill of
joy ran through me. Then he began
again.
| felt my way to the head of the
boiler, for now | heard that he was
opening the furnace doors. I knew
well what he was going to do. Soon
heard the scratching sound--he was
lighting a match. Then I heard the
rustling of shavings which he was
throwing into the furnace. This was
shortly followed by a cracking sound.
"Hes lit the fire, and will be boil
ed aliver thought I, again pounding
and scratching against the sides of the
boiler, in the vain hope of making my.
self heard. | felt not the pain, but |
felt that the warm blood was dropping
from my lacerated knuckles and torn
nails. | listened. The sharp, crack
ling sound of the fire became lower
and lower Again | had hopes-the
fire had gone out, and | knew that the
watchman had gone to bed, for the
lighting of the fire was his last duty
at five o'clock in the morning. also
knew that the fireman would not rise
until half past five. Twenty, perhaps
twenty-five minutes, and then he would
come and relight the fire.
Thirty minutes, and then l must
diew
l folded my hands, I prayed to God
as | never prayed before. Irecalled
to my mind prayer my mother taught
me when l was a child, and a holy
calm came over me. for surely, thought
|, He who sees the sparrow fall will
not desert me in my present need.
Slowly my hands parted and fell to
my side, and slowly crawled back
towards the end of the boiler, where |
knew was the man-hole through which
| had been showed by the wicked en-
gineer, while | was under the influence
Of the drug which he had administered.
/ | passed my hands over the cast
iron plate which shut up the only
egress to the boiler l pushed against
it with all my strength; still l knew
that one hundred pounds of steam pres
sure could not remove that plate. |
felt exhausted at my efforts, and |
threw myself at full length upon the
fiues. The water covered me above
my neck, which kept above its level.
A desperate thought came to my
mind. Why should | not drown my
self by lowering my head? 1t would
end my misery at once. Some one
seemed to whisper in my ear, Do it. :"
Then another voice said, " It is sui
eide, and God will punish your
| laughed; yes, l laughed. at is
only dream,' said /, and | soon
will wake, and once more see the bles-
sed light of day."
But it was not dream; it was a
terrible reality. The love of life came
back to me. Again | pressed my hands
over the cold surface of the boiler
They came in contact with something
which moved.
, God, in his infinite mercy, nad CIV
en- to me the means of escape from
that living tomb. My hand was grasp
ing the short iron bar which the boys
had dropped into the boiler! 1t was
lying across some sof the stray rods
which trayersed the boiler in all di-
rections.
| used it as hammer against the
cast-iron plate which covered the man
hole. One sharp blow, crack, and a
. stream Of light fell upon my eyes.
: 1t was the rising sun, for the back
| part Of the boiler looked toward the
east. Two more blows, and the bro
ken plate fell with a splash into the
water and left the aperature open and
clear for my escape.
| 1t is yet wonder to me that the
: intense JOY that | experienced did not
kill me. With difficulty | crawled
through the opening. staggered to-
} ward the engineers room and opened
t the door. The apartment was tenant.
| less; James had gone to his break
: fast. looked at the clock; it still
lacked fifteen minutes of six.
r A strange thought flashed across
5 my mind. What if | should take the
] spare man-hole plate from the store
:. room close by, and fix it into the ap
, erature. | have yet ten minutes time
| Would not James think that | was
:. still within the boiler ?"
e ran to the storeroom, and took tht
e plate from the shelf. 1t seemed very
heavy to me as carried it to the back
n part of the boiler; there laid it dowr
d and closely examined the lead gaske
which was around its rim. Everything
y was complete with the exception oil
:. putting on some red lead. | wen
p back to the storeroom, got the littl
O cask of lead and put some of it upol
e the tow that James had wound arouu,
it the lead gasket. Then | fastened tn
t. plate to the lead aperture by mean
r, of clamp and nut. While at work
heard the voice Of the fireman. Ell
was swearing at the neglect of th
| watchman in not lighting the fire
Il There was no danger of my being dc
e. tected. He thought, as he afterward
s told me, that it was James maxim
o some repairs, for he had heard th
d. clanking of iron while he was employ
| ed about the furnace.
k. 1t was near six, and in a minut
a more James would return from tn
ly clearinghouse, that stood some di
~ tance apart from the saw mill. Ilool
ct ed about me. Near the boiler an
I'd close to the steam guage was a big
"A shelf half concealed hy a LARGO hoo