Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-09-10
Roasted Alive,
areiy has a more sickoning spectacle


Rarely has more sickening spectacle
been presented than that which was witnessed
by alarge number of people ut the lime-lSiln of
E. E. Johnson, on Water street, last evening.
Shortly after five o'clock n representative of
the Courier was notified that man had fallen
into the mouth of Johnson's lime-kin and was
roasting TO death. The newsman hastened 10
the scene of the accident, and found large
crowd collecting, while number had climbed
up to the mouth of the kiln and were gazing
hOrrorstrioken into tho yawning furnace.
Climbing up, the scribe looked into the crater
aud saw a human being in the last agonies of
dissolution and so firmly wedged in by the
limestone as to render efforts to rescue him
futile. The clothing had taken fire and com
menced to burn, but the fames were stopped
by a couple OF pals Of water thrown on the
now inauimate form. The flesh was fairly
baked through and had been burned of In
places, the body below the hips not being Wis
ible.
After taking in tho situation Of the unfor-
tunate the work of eliciting the facts as TO
how the accident occurred was commenced.
IL seems that occasionally the stone in the
kiln burns out below, leaving a quantity on
the surface that packs closely together, form
ing sort of crust some two, three, or four
feet thick. In order to loosen this it became
necessary to pound II with iron bars called
"thumps," so that it would sink into the kiln
and thus burn. IL was in this work that MIR.
Johnson, Daniel Parkhurst tine unfortunut e),
and two others were engaged nj $50 o clock
last evening. They felt the stone sinking be-
noath them, and all jumped out of the mouth
of the kiln at the shout of johnson but PARK
hurst, who, being new hand, evidently did
not comprehend the danger, and, hesitating an
instant, was carried down into the kiln with
the stone, some two or more tons of which in
weight closed around him aud wedged him from
the hips down as firmly as in a wise, while the
surface being broken the heat from the fur
mace below came up and added to the horrors
of PTkhurst's situation.
As he went down MIR. Johnson handed one
of the "thumps" to him, and, holding the
other end, attempted to pull him out but
could not accomplish II. 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 tugging
and pulling at the rope, aided by his cries and
command to "pull him in two, if necessary,
were unable to eXtrtcate 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 realized
his situation, and his groans touched the
hearts of his companions. Soon the intense
heat stihed his voice, and insensibility 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 be
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 stone car, used in taking stone from the
! ground to the mouth of the kiln, nearly an
| hour after he fell in.
Not a vestige of clothing remained on the
| body Of the unfortunate man, the flesh was
| baked, blistered and torn in places by the fire
and the jagged edges of the stone, presenting
! a sight not soon forgotten.-SdgtndU mich.
| Courier.