Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-08-16
KEELEY'S RIVAL.
Mr.. Winters Cold Steam.---HoW u
Dreadful Accident Furnished Him
Leisure to Think Out His Inyention..-
A Heatless Motor Which Can be Made
III Half the Cost Of Steam Power.

Upon the battered door Of u frame
building within u stones throw 81 ful-
ton Ferry, Brooklyn. there - mailed
tin sign, upon which oilers, for none but
oilers would think ordinarily Of looking
ut the door of such u house--may read
that the place is occupied by Francis
Winters, mechanical engineer. But the
doors and shutters arc barred, and pco-
pie in the ncighborhood look upon the
house with distrust. When u reporter
entered the house yesterday, the lower
floor of the building appeared TO be I'M
occupied At the head Of the stairs
there is door which opens into large,
airy apartment. The walls are bare,
even Of plastcring, but there is u carpet
npon the floor, and full supply Of
chairs. In an adjoining room - thcdc-
vice by which the Winters Manufacture
inc company, with its capital stock val
ucd ut $1OOO0,00O expects 10 reap u
spcedy fortune. Mr.. Winters, who Il
assisted by m engineer named War
ring, sand TO the reporter, Before We
show you the machine ! want to tell
YOU about the accident mentioned ~
the DporM to-day, the leisure compelled
by which led me To think out the pro
icct Of generating the motor II occur
red in February, 1876. ! had then been
for several years in the employ Of the
81. Paul and Duluth railroad rs ongi-
neer on locomotive. My engine WAS
one of the best that the company owned,
and | was assigned to carry the fast
trains over the road with it. Whenever
n A
special excursions my engine was NJ
ways selected The result wds that !
came to think as much Of II rs sport
ing man would Of layorto horse. one
night round house st. PAUL caught
fire. My engine was inside. | had left
il early ii tie evening with about nlnc-
~ pounds Of steam IN il, which j
thought would last until 5 O'Clock the
ncxt morning, when ! intended To re-
plcnish it, The roof of the round
house hnd caught fire when got there.
The engine was about ninety feet from
the door | saw that could save itand
rushed in, prefcrring to run the chanccs
of having il smash into something out
side, If il wns necessary, rather than to
lose it by fire. ! jumped into the cab
and opened the throttle. There WINS no
steam. looked around and found that
the ianitor Of the building had applied
u patent arrangement Of his, which he
called IN injector, to the boilers ANA
had forgotten TO remove it. The
engine was Hooded with wa
ter. Then ! saw that my
only chance was to build n new fire,
.,,.,. H., tl,,,Ii Ia n,,I Lar Ibo o,,ninn ,Iti,
out when il would. Iii thirteen minutes
| had got up fifteen pounds Of steam.
Suddenly there WINS u dcalcning cxpIo-
sion. | thought TINT the roof was falling,
and with ii jump ! landed on the back
of the engine aud rnn around wood
PHO near the head OF il, hoping 10 W.
cnpo that way The passage WAS block
cd and had To make u detour around
by the engine again. by this time the
floor WAS in flames. ii had been sutur-
ated with oil Tor months, and presume
u shower Of sparks must have fallen
upon it. had enough presence Of
mind to realize that must either reach
the door or bo roasted whore ! stood |
Cnn never tell how managed to run
ninety feet through that body Of lame.
| wore soal-skn oyCrcoat and cap.
Otherwise should probably never have
come out alive. | remember that |
stumbled two or three times on the way
out. for could not sec and was protect
ing my eyes as we'll ns could with my
hands. must have regalned my feet
and pAshcd ahead by force Of mere in
stinct, Whom got ont III thc air ! fell
A ihn yr,tipU unconscious fnhn Hash
upon my hands hung iii shrcds; one Of
my ears was burned to n crisp, and my
han was entirely gone. For nine
months ny under medical treatment
in ST. Paul, then | eamc here. The
flesh under both eyes had been burned
away to my checks. | know that
never should 30 iii for work again I'M
less the flesh could be replaced, and al
though the physicians told mo that the
experiment would be- II hazardous one,
resolved to risk il rather than suffer rs
should otherwise be obliged 10. The
first operation was performed in DIR.
Knapp's office, on Twelfth street. There
were five or six ocullStS present and II
crowd uf students beside the operator
was in the chair for m hournn ahalf.
The second operation lasted All houran
thirty minutes, and tho third m hour.
After that | WAS kent in dark room for
six months. That gaze mo time for re-
lection Mr.. Winters pointed to II "
shaped mark on his forehead from
which the flesh was taken 10 make the
lower cyelids. These lids, which stand
out over his checks in lunches US large
rs " mans finger, were opened II year
after they were made and some Of tho
flesh was removed, Before that ho
could see only by looking sideways, the
lunches ohstructing his vision IN front.