The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-04-24
Cooking Men.

ConrsinE Men.
Those who have not recently explored the
lower levels Of the leading mines Of the
Comstock, Nevada, can have but very
faint conception of the heat prevailing
therein at the present time. The heat is
terrible even in winter; it is like the breath
of furnace, aud in most places where men
arc obliged to work ii Is deficient in oxygen,
that lfe-snpporting ingredient having been
burned out by the many candles used, and
in various ways absorbed aud exhausted.
1t can be felt piercing through the little
clothing worn, drying the saliva in the
mouth and almost shrlvclng the cyebal.s
a temperature of 100 to 1870 degrees is so
much above blood heat that the process of
cooking beings in the human frame. But
for the floods Of perspiration covering the
body tho flesh would really cook to Ger
tain extent. A famous English philosopher
has given an account of his going into IN
oven hot enough to cook bcctstcak, and
remaining there till one lying near him
was actually cooked. Had il been the
dead instead of the living body of the
philosopher that accompanied the bcefstcals
it would undoubtedly have been "done to Il
turn" All that saved the expcrimcntcr,
as he himself says, was the fact that he was
constantly in a state Of profusc porspiraton.
"a temperature above the natural heat of
the body undoubtedly attacks it and causes
the flesh to undergo the first stages of cook
ing. THIS happens to Il miner the moment
perspiration ceases to flow from the pores
of his skin. Tho stomach is first affected,
then the brain. 1t is probably through dis
order of and sickness at the stomach that
perspiration IS checked. AS soon rs pcrs-
plration ceases to flow the body begins to
cook, and first of all, apparently, the brain,
as the man at once becomes dcirous-as
wildly insane ns any patient in lunatic
asylum. Cases Of this kind occur much
more frequently than is supposed or gen
orally known. OF late th@y have been very
frequent In the California and Consolidated
Virginia mines. When q miner suddenly
begins TO rave or talk incohercntly his COM
panions "uOCt0r" him. Ii is rough treat
mcDt they give him, but it is found to he
very effective. The man effected is seized
and carried to the coolest place in the vic
unity, when he Is bound haru and foot and
put through PROCESS of rubbing. The
friction Is applied to the stomach; which is
found to be the seat Of the trouble, and in
which knots nearly the size of Il mans
list arc found TO have been formed. These
must be rubbed out, and rs soon as they
disappear perspraiion again starts and the
man regains his senses. The rubbing IS
sometimes done with piece Of g,lnnysack
but rs this is liable TO cnusc useless abrasion
of the skin, picll-handle is preferred TO
be rubbed down with pick handle in the
hands of muscular miner is not such
treatment rs any man in his senses would
be likely to greatly desire, nor does the
miner even in his delrium, desire it;
In i,t
cannot resist. The miners say that they
can bring man ont all right by their
method Of treatment in less than half ,hc
time that it would be done by the physi-
clans A day or two since at tho ConSoli-
dated Virginia the men took one of their
companions, who became dcrangcd from
the heat, tied him at the end Of a roDe and
lowered him about one hundred feet to q
place where he could be conveniently
"doctored," then went at him with their
pick handles and soon brought him out all
right. Recently thing happened in the
consolidated Virginia Shaft which borders
Oh the miraculous. n man was standing
on plank that was placcd across the shaft,
when hc suddenly tainted and fell upon his
back, lying as securely along the plank rs
though he had been placed there with the
greatest care. 1t was quite ns wonderful
too that he remained just rs he fell suiii-
clentiy to allow his fellow worllmcn to
reach him and withdraw him from his
perilous position. Not once in ten thousand
times would mans life be saved when
1alnting in such Il position. The Shaft
mentioned is so fcarfulIy hot that beside it
purgatory would he rcckoncd as n COOLING
OH station. Although the men who work
thcre are specimen Of human salamantcr
like tho philosopher who got into the
oven along with the bccfstcnk-stlll they
cannot work but about ten minutes at n
time. They then fall back and let the
others come to the front. In this way of
working it is asserted that there arc places
In the bonanza mines where it is now cost
ing Sl6 per day to do the work of one
man. The men could do nothing ut all
but for the liberal supply of ice and ice
water allowed them. They swallow ice
water by the gallon: and frequently pour
INC same over each other. In hot
places they use about ninety five pounds of
ice per day to the man. Without ice none
OF our Leading mines could he worked Men
cannot live in the lower levels without au
amp'e supply of ice water, and even with
1t tncy are, as We have seen, almost cooked
alive and frequently rendered delirious---
would die indeed where they not promptly
taken i'll hand and "doctored."