Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-11-19
y SEVERED HEAD ALIVE.
How Walter Arnold met his Death-The
Possible Effect of Superheated Steam.
Chicdg0 Herald.

Chicago Herald.
Coming over the Detroit last week
reporter met very genial and intelligen t
old gentleman in the smoking compart-
ment of one of the sleepers. The scribe
thought at first, from the "cut of his lib y
that the stranger had been an engineer on
some big lake steamer or on one of the
ocean liners. In talking about boats and
engines the subject of Superhcated steam
was reached. The old man had been most
Ofhis life locomotive and mechanical en-
gineer. He said; Il never cared much for
superheated steam; it is tlcklish stuff to
HiI''0' tell what t' it yo" is 'pa going never ta
dOneXt. You see, sir" he continued, $50
long as your fire is only applied to water
it does not matter SO much what pressure
of steam you get up in your boiler be-
cause the place of the high pres
sure steam is filled by the compara-
tive low pressure steam, which is being
formed In the boiler, and a part of the
work that is in the steam is used in heat
ing this new steam. But when you apply
heat to superheater at a distance from
the water, where there is nothing bat
steam, you are doing a different thing
you are bringing new elements into play,
and all the heat is going into the form of
expansive force"
you?"
''No, but was mighty near it once. and
l have seen three or four explosions. |
was running a mixed train on the New
York and Erle i'll 1856. We were going
along at pretty good speed-about twenty.
five or twenty-eight miles an hOur-when,
all OF a sudden, l felt the whole machine
tTcmbie and pant as though she was going
to shake the insides out of her. | tell you,
sir, l was scared, for L did not know what
was up. The steam-gauge was indicating
only 10 pounds, but when | opened the
furnace door the head-sheet and the ends
of the tubes we're red hot. IstOpped right
there and raked out the fire as quick as |
could. right on to the track and a good
job did, you better believe. | suppose an
other second or two would have done the
business. The injector had got chOked
and there was hardly any water in the
boiler. was wrongsin stopping, though,
and l have since wondered how we es-
capped an explosion i should have all
lowed the engine to run along so as to let
the pressure work off gradually, while the
fireman and myself raked out the fire.
The boiler was spoiled for awhile"
Chow was it about the explosions you
witnessed?1
"Well, one was near Susquehanna, on
the New York and Erie, now the New
York, Lake Erie and Western. Poor
Walter Arnold was running the engine.
He was as nice chap and as steady and
careful an engineer as you ever saw. |
was standing near the office door. talking
to the mechanical superintendent about
some new hammers that we were putting
into the shop. 1t was in the fall of 1851.
but remember it as il itoccurred yester-
day. Walter hauled up about 2G0 yards
to the right of where we were standing,
and his engine had hardly stopped when
the explosion took place. 1t was a fear
full sound. 1t stunned us for Il second or
two. Then we rushed down to see a sight
which don't want to see again. A lot of
the work people and their wives and
children had got on the tender. 1t was
pay day, and they We're going down the
road to the village. There were fourteen
of them altogether, and they were nearly
all cut to pieces. The fragments of the
bodies were seen lying around, mixed up
with the wreck of the engine and tender.
Immediately on getting up to the spot |
rushed across the track to see if | could
find anything of poor Watty, for he and |
were close friends. Well, sir. sure
enough, there was his head resting up
right on fiat stone in little stream of
water by the side of the road, and the
color of life was still in his checks, His
eyes were wide open and staring. NV
God | said to the man next to me. there
is poor Watty's head,' and with that the
eyes actually closed and opened. as much
as to say, Yes, old man, here l ann
This is as true as you and 1 are here now.
No, don't want to be in any more explo-
sions."
'.And you really think the head heard
your remark and answered it by winking
his eyes.n
''Yes, sir, it is true as death. Watty
Arnold knew me, and heard my voice and
answered it. You see, the head was
taken off clear, below the jaws, and very
likely the superbeated steam scared the
ends Of the veins and stopped the flow of
blood from the head and face, There was
a good color in the face and the ewes were
full of intelligence"
The reporter ascertained that the name
of the speaker is VIM. Nugent, mechani-
cal engineer and draughtsman. The per-
son who was with him at the time of the
accident was one Richard Bates, who
afterwards removed to Philadelphia. Mr..
Nugent is employed in the office of the
Chicago tire and spring works, 81 Wash
ingtOn street, Chicago. As to the possi-
bility of the head being conscious after
severance 1t is on record that several of
the heads taken of by the guillotine
in Paris during the reign of terror
showed signs of life and conscious
ness after execution took place, and
that vital action continued for a con-
siderable time in some cases. 1t is hv
no means impossible that a nervous
contraction of the eyelids might have
taken place. Whether there was really
conscious motion is another question. 1t
is certain that Mr.. Nugent thought at the
time that there was, and that he con-
tlnues in that belief to this day. The con-
dltIons are certainly more favorable for
the momentary maintenance Of conscious 4
ness in Walter Arnold's case than in the
cases of victims Of the guilotine, There
was much less loss Of blood, and the
whole system was probably in condition
of more robust and active life. There was
also the fact that the flow of blood from
the head in this case had been partially
checked, first, by the superheated steam;
and second, by the cold water Of the
creek.
HORsFORD's ACID PHOSPHATE.