Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-02-09
WHIRLED TO DEATH.
A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT AT MARTINS
FERRY
Early Yesterday AtsrnOOn-JOhn Armstrong Uarrisd
Around q Shaft With Light
ming Speed.

At five minutes past one O'Clock yester-
day n of the most horrible accidents
imaginable, and one which at all times
holds machinery workers in terror, &C
Cured at the Buckeye Glass Works, Mar
tins Ferry, hurting John Armstrong;
sonl into eternity and mangling his body
in the most dreadful manner.
Mr.. Armstrong has been employed about
the plant, now belonging to the Buckeye
Glass Company, since its erection and nrst
operation. Before the war he was en-
ployed as gatherer, and after serving
throughout the rebellion in Company u
First West Virginia Infantry, returned TO
his old place. OF late years ne has been
employed at cleaning the moulds, except
near two years, when he was night factory
foreman. In doing the work OF cleaning
the moulds o small lathe, with a luz
for holding circular .molds while being
polished with oil stone, Is brought into
use. At the Buckeye, the polishing room
ia located Immediately in the rear Of the
mold shop, and the lathe mentioned above
ia driven by q long belt which carries the
mower from the main shaft in the mold
shop For fear some miachievous boy
among the large number employed about
the works, would start the lathe n do
some damage, in the absence of the mold
cleaner, this belt is thrown off the pulley
when the shop is not at work. MIR. Arm
strong has been employed OF this same
work several years, and has thrown OIL the
belt and replaced it hundreds Of times,
but it seems that yesterday was the time
set by fate for his death.
A few minutes after the l o'clock whistle
blew Mr.. Armstrong placed his ladder mp
against the shaft, as has been his custom
twice a day for years, and took the
belt in his hands to place it over the pull
lev. No one was looking at him at the
time, but suddenly all the employees in the
mould shop were startled by u agoniz
ing, ear-pierciug shrek. All hands looked
in the direction whence it came, and saw
the familiar form Of John Armstrong rap
idly whirliug round and round, fast to the
rapidly revolving shaft. The first aud
second revolutions did not seem to do
much harm, as his clothing had not tight
ened on the shaft sufficiently to
throw the body ont straight. The
third, however, caused the legs to
strike a cross piece about o II feet
above the shaft, and it could plainly be
seen that both legs were broken. At the
next revolution bis legs struck again, and
both boots and stockings few clear across
the shop, and it could be seen that the
flesh on the legs was almost beaten in two
Each succeeding revolution caused his
clothes to let 20 more q more, and the
cruel whirling monster to which the poor
victim was tied beat him hard aud at the
rate of 100 times a minute against the beam
above, till its power was taken away by
the shutting down Of the engine. By the
time the engine was stopped, his apron,
vest, pants, and shirt had all been torn of,
and as soon as the shaft ceased revolving
he fell to the floor, just too soon to he
caught by the several willing workmen
who had rushed TO take him down.
No one saw the poor fellow at the time
he was caught, but from circumstances
discovered after it was all over, it seems
that a heavy canvas apron which he wore
to protect his clothing from the oil and hot
moulds had been caught on a projecting
bolt on q shaft coupling. This apron and
his vest seem to have taken the first hold,
and his pantaloous and shirt next. The
pully ne was reaching stands close to the
coupling, and be had placed the ladder on
the opposite side of the coupling. In
hanging over to put on the belt
his apron was probably placed against the
coupling and caught by one OF the square
cornered nuts thereon.
As soon as possible DR.. B o. Williams
aud DIR. j. NJ. Blackford were summoned,
hut when they arrived, within ten min
utes after the accident, the poor fellow
was breathing his last, and the heart had
almost ceased its beating. An eXamina-
ton showed that his legs we're beaten Oft
except & few tendOns, just below the
knees. His arms were horribly SCARED by
the iron shaft, and his left breast from the
abdomen TO the shoulder was caved in, and
the breast bone and ribs mashed. Ga his
head, Just across the left ear, was one cash
four inches long and penetrating the skull,
The face was almost one mass Of cuts and
ugly bruises. His mouth WAS cut and
torn, and u cut reached clear across and
| uuuSI lUc CuAu. ~ 1853 Ihih G"SuNJ
cuts could be counted on his head and
body, and he is bruised and crushed
throughout the entire frame. His legs,
with the crushed bones protruding through
the mass of battered, bloody flesh, pre-
sented a horrible and sickening sight, and
many q strong mans cheek blanched as he
gazed upon death in that dreadful form.
Undertaken link came to the shop at
once, and the dead man was washed and
prepared for burial. The legs were band
aged into place and the cuts sewed
up and covered with white court plaster
by the physicians, in the effort to, so far as
possible, hide the ugly gsshes. Mr.. Arm
strong was fifty-four years OF age, and
leaves a wife and six children, n young
woman, the wife of John Moore. The
youngest is a baby eighteen months old.
Armstrong was a steady, sober and in
dustrious man, who was much liked by his
employers, as we'll as all others who knew
him. His family is griei-stricken, a thir-
teen-year old son, who was employed il
the glass works, being the first to break
the sad news to them.
Secretary Miller, Of the company, stated
that he would miss Mr.. Armstrong very
much, as he was always a trusted en-
ploye, whom be had learned TO admire on
account OF his many good traits Of char
acter. He also stated that the complny
would bear all the expense connected with
his burial. Mr.. Miller was very much agi-
tated and seems TO be keenly affected by
the horrible death of one whom be termed
a friend o we'll as an employe.
This is the first fatal accident which has
ever occurred about the Buckeye works.
The entire factory closed down. and will
not resume till after the funeral.