The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-08-10
The Mosr TERRIBLE DEATH on RECORD.

1HE MOST lERRlBLE DEATH ON RECORD.
A young man named Edward Cloutier,
engaged in vanishing furniture on the
third floor of No. 81 Atwater street, met
with q horrible death. The young man
has had great passion for gymnastics,
expecting to attach himself to circus
as soon us he became proficient. While
working around the building he has
used oil his spare moments in swinging
from beams, turning hand-springs, and
performing other feats calling for sup.
pleness and activity. He was seen cling
ing to the main shaft Of the 200 horse
power engine few days ago, and was
warned by his employer never to at
tempt the feat again. This shaft runs
along within thirty inches Of the floor.
and makes about $50 revolutions per
minute. 1u the morning, yesterday.
after finishing up table, Clontier went
to the North end of the building and
prepared himself to perform some feat
which he had studied up. Taking the
tackle rope, which is used to hoist arti-
cles from the alley below. he passed the
free end over the shaft. Thin much was
ascertained after his death, but his fur
ther proceedings will never be known.
A boy was working forty feet away, and
was first alarmed by hearing Cloutier
call out, "Stop the engine -quickl"
Running around, the boy saw that he
was caught in the folds of the rope and
wound over the shaft. The boy ran, as
did others, but it WAS two or three mi
nutes before the engine could be stopped,
and then the victim was past help. AS
soon rs the rope lashed him to the shaft
the young man had to turn with it. One
of his arms was caught round the shaft,
so that it drew his face and shoulder
close down, but left his limbs free to
pound on the floor. The noise of his
feet striking the boards was heard half q
block away above the hum of the ma
chinery. His boot heels tore strip off
one of the boards, and were then flung
from his feet clear across the room. His
hat went the other way, and his pants
we're stripped off and thrown fifteen feet
away. Alter the boots few off, the
young mans bare feet whipped the floor
400 or 400 times. The feet were mashed
up to the ankles. so that they spread out
like brooms, and looked like pieces of
bloody beef. The bones of the ankles
struck the floor until dents half an inch
deep were made in the boards. After
the tackle rope had been wound up it's
full length, it had to snap; but this did
not let the victim loose. After the en-
gine stopped, Cloutier had to be cut
loose from the shaft. He gave gasp
as they released him. but died as they
laid him down. One of his arms was
broken half dozen times, and, indeed,
there was hardly whole bone in his
body; his legs were mere pipes, his
breast crushed in, his ribs broken, fin
gers broken, back and neck broken. and
q worse sight never was seen. The floor
was covered with blood and flesh, and
the strongest men shuddered as they
looked. A jury WIS empaneled. and a
verdict rendered on the spot. The yer.
dict was to the effect that the deceased
came to his death while trying an expe-
riment with rope around shaft max
ing 1876 revolutions per minute. The
verdict was thus worded to make palmer
the fact that the young mans reckless
ness brought about the accident.
Detroit Free Press, 26ih I'LL.