The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-09-16
Boosted Alive.

Rarely has more sickening spectacle
been presented than that which was witnessed
by alarge Ramber Of people at the lime-klln OF
Z. E. johnson, on Water street. last evening.
Shortly after tive O'Clock a representative OF
the Courier was notified that man had fallen
into the mouth of Johnson's lime kiln and q :
roasting to death. The newsmRn fastened 20
the scene of the accident, and found large
crowd collecting, while a number had climbed
up TO the mouth of the kiln and were gazing
horrorstricken into the yawning furnace
Climbing up, the scribe looked into the crater
and saw a human being in the last agonies OF
dissolution and 50 firmly wedgcd in by the
limestone as 10 render efforts TO rescue MIN
futile. The clothing had taken fire and COM
menced 20 burn, but the hames were stopped
by couple of pals of water thrown on the
now inRnimate form. The flesh was fairy
baked through and had been burned OF in
places, the body below the hips not being Wis
ible.
After taking in the situation of the unfor-
tunate the work of elicting tue facts rs to
how the accident occurred was commenced
Ii seems that occasionally the stone in the
kiln burns out below, leaving a quantity on
the surface that packs closely together, FORM
ing a sort of crust some two, three, or Jour
feet thick In order to loosen TINS II oecaIns
'-thumps," SO that it would sink into the Kiln
and thus burn. Ii was in this work that MI.
johnson, Daniel Parkhurst tine unfortunas e.,
and two others were engaged at 30 CLOCK
last evening. They felt the stone sinking be
meath them, and all jumped out of the mouth
of the kiln at the shout of johnson but PARK
hurst, who, being new hand, evidently uId
not comprehend the danger, and, hestatng an
instant, was carried down into the Kiln with
the stone, some two or more tons OF which IN
weight closed around b m and wedged him from
the hips down as firmly Us in wise, while the
surface being broken the heat from the fur-
mace below came up and added to the horrors
of Parkhurst's situation.
As he went down Mr.. johnson handed one
of the "thumps" to him, and, holding the
other end, attempted to pull him out, but
could not accomplish it. Parkhurst called on
his companions to help him, and rope was
quickly procured which the imperiled man,
rapidly roasting, fastened about his own
waist. The united strength of six men was
insufficient to start the body OF the man an
inch, and the broken stone were so hot that II
was impossible to touch them had they been
able to reach them with their hands. Thus the
companions of Parkhurst, who were tuggin9
and pulling at the rope, aided by his cries and
command TO "pull him in two, if necessary,
were unable to eKrricate him, saw him rapidly
roast to death before their eyes, his head be.
ing only three or four feet from the top OF
the mouth Of the kiln ParkhurSt reallzed
his situation, and his groans touched the
hearts of his companions. Soon the INTENSE
heat stitied his voice, and inSensiblIty and
death followed within fifteen minutes from
the time he went down.
A large pair of tongs were finally procured
and the work of recovering the body com
menced Only portion of the stone could De
removed, owing to the heat and dozen men
| took hold of the rope around the body and
finally succeeded in lifting it out and over the
mouth, whence it was lowered to the ground
on x stone car, used in taking stone from the
ground TO the mouth Of the kiln, nearly an
hour after he fell in.
Not vestige of clothing remained on the
body of the unfortunate man, the flesh was
bake ed. blistered and torn in places by the nre
and the Jagged edges OF the stone, presenting
sight not soon OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES (Mcl.l
Courier.