The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-10-07
Roasted Alive

Rarely has a more sickening
spectacle been presented than that
which was witnessed by large
number of people at the lime-kiln
of E. E. johnson, on Water street,
last evening. Shortly after five
O'Clock a representative of the
Courier was notified that a man
had fallen into the mouth o. john
son lime-kiln and was roasting TO
death. The newsman fastened to
the scene of the accident, and
found a large crowd collecting,
while number had climbed up to
the mouth of tRs kiln and were
gazing horror-stricken into the
yawning furnace. Climbing up, the
scribe looked into the crater and
saw human being in the last ag
onies of dissolution and so firmly
wedged in by the limestone as to
render every efforts to rescue him
futile. The clothing had taken fire
and commenced to burn, but the
flames were stopped by couple of
pals of water thrown on the now
inanimate form. The flesh was
fairly baked through and had been
burned off in places, the body be-
low the hips not being visible.
After taking in the situation of
the unfortunate, the work of elici-
ting the facts as to how the acci-
dent occurred was commenced. 1t
seems that occasionally the stone
in the kiln burns out below, leav-
ing a quantity on the surface that
packs closely together, forming a
sort of crust some two, three, or
four feet thick. In order to loosen
this it became necessary to pound
1t with iron bars called thumps, so
that it would sink into the kiln and
thus burn. 1t was in this work
that Mr.. johnson, Daniel Park
hurst 1.-THE unfortunate), and two
others we're engaged at $3.50 |
o'clock last evening. They felt the
stone sinking beneath them, and |
all jumped out of the mouth of the
kiln at the shout of Johnson, but |
Parkhurst, who, being a 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 from the hips down as
firmly as in a wise, while the sur
face being broken the heat from
the furnace below came up and |
added to the horrors Of Parkhurst's |
AS he went down Mr.. johnson |
handed one of the thumps to him
and holding the other end, at
tempted to pull him out, but could
not accomplish it. Parkhurst
called on his companion to help
him, and a rope was quickly pro-
cured 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 broked stone were so hot that
it was impossible to touch them
had they been able to reach them
with their hands. Thus the com
ions of Parkhurst, who were tug
ging and pulling at the rope, aided
by his cries and command to "pull
me in two, if necessary" were una
BILE to extricate him, saw him rapid
ly roast to death before their eyes,
his head being only three or four
feet from the top of the mouth of
the kiln. Parkhurst realized his
and his groans touched |
the hearts of his companions. |
Soon the intense heat stified his
voice, and insensibilItY and death |
followed within fifteen minutes
from the time he went down.
A large pair Of tongs were final
ly procured and the work of recov-
ering the body commenced. Only |
a portion of the stone could be re-
moved, owing to the heat, and a
dozen men took hold of the rope |
around the body and finally sue
ceeded in lifting in out and over
the mouth, whence IL was lowered
to the ground on q stone car, used
in taking stone from the ground to
the mouth Of the kiln, nearly an
hour alter he fell in.
Not a vestige of clothing re-
NAMED on the body of the unfortu-
nate man, the flesh was baked, Bills
tered and torn in places by the fire
and the jagged edges OF the stone,
presenting a sight not soon forgot
Ien.-[Saginaw (Mich.) Courier.