Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-11-01
INTO A PILLAR OF FIRE.
4 MINING EXPERT FACES DEATH TO
EARN 81 900.
william II. MRrvfn's Hazardous At
tempt 20 Remove the Caps OF n Burn
ing Ca Weii-Covered with Asbestos
and Wet Cloths, Ie Succeeds, but

ing Ca WeII-Covered with Asbestos
and Wet Cloths, fIe Succeeds, but
Suffers Terribly Ia the EGort.
Some few days ago the Ruthvan, On.
tario, gas we'll was set ATTIRE it is sup,
posed, by some disgruntled laborer. Ih4
cap over the top of the pipe was 50 fixed
that the escapiu gas rushed out directly
toward the 6. ouud and made safe ap.
preach impossible. The roar could he
heard in Kingsvile, three miles away.
Local mechanism found it impossible
to remove the cap. The heat was sl.n.
ply uncomfortable and grew worse evefy
day. Gas experts from Ohio were called
to the scene, but they, too, gave it up
The gr und around the well became
baked ar when workmen tried TO cool
it with d stream from fire engine the
water W Mt up n a cloud OF steam before
1t had fairly struck the ground. All idea
of cooling Off the ground was given up
Tne ners OF the we'll offered 81 900 Ia
any one who would remove the cap.
William II. Marvin "a mining expert,
who had some acquaintance with natural
gr@ undertook the job. He tried several
'h"nes for removing the cap by aid of
II long lever. but they all failed, for the
ra;-Nn that his lever wou!G melt away
AN or the fierce heat a. soon aS he got 1t
icau enough to work. He de ermned to
- near the well himself aul cur Of
'ua cap. II looked like certain death fui
nuy one TO approach the well, and eveu
til" owner advised Marvin 10 give up the
idea He miule a suit of ash s;U, that
VIZ, unique in its way, II wa his pur-
poe TO 20 right up to the wei, through
the gas flame, and place cold lhisel
against the pipe whiie his assistant
i. l. ~. L..
way.
I ne first attempt was a signal future.
Marvin only G5d cned the llame, wncD n-
rclrcarrd. He mad worn heavy pair OF
I covhIde boots, covered with wei cloths,
~ d u fore he got to the flame the cloth
/ h;u dried and burned away, and ms
I b Dt7 were Laif burned oil. So great
I was his hurry to escape that he dropYeG
his cutting contIivance and was dismaveS
/ 10 see it get red hot before his eyes. For
/ his next trial he wore a pair Of rubber
boots and inside these thrust his feet
wound in dampened rags. Outside lie
! boots he put a heavy covering OF ashes
/ tos His coat of asbestos was cone shape,
/ His arms stuck out through two holes in
! the cone and were wound in several
( thIcknesses OF wet cloth, which was COW
/ cred with heavy coating OF asbestos.
I His contrivance for cutting the pipe con-
sisted of long and very sharp chisel.
fastened at right angles to an iron staff.
| In approaching the well he slid the cone
| along the ground, seeing his way through
I u glass set in the front. His assistant was
robed like himself and carried long iroG
! bar, on which was fastened a small far
riers hammer. Two hundred people saw
! the daring men make this approach to
! the fiame, and as Marvin disappeared in
/ its circle shudder swept over the on
! lockers. There We're not half dozen in
| the crowd that expected TO see Marvin
| come out alive, but in a second that
/ seemed like an age they saw the edge of
the chsel resting up against the pipe,
just below the cap, Almost breathlessly
they watched the assistant make stroke
at the chisel in clumsy kind of a way.
lie did not hit it. The second trial was
more successful; he hit the chiscl
squarely but lightly The cone in the
ring of fire wavered and cry of Hes
buiued to death went up on all sides.
The cone moved again, the cnisel fell and
the aeople could see that Marvin was
coming out.
Everybody thought that he mad given
up in sheer despair, but not so. He had
come out OF the fire to get rest and ali.
He was nearly suffOcated. When the
cone was lifted OF Marvin, for he was
100 weak to lift it off himself, he was
sight to behold. His face was scarlet
and his eyes protuded like door knobs.
lie was half roasted and it took him tive
hours to recover Then he pluckily de
termined to try it again. His cone Was
thoroughly wet and ne fixed up another
ehisel, saying, as the cone was put ovel
him, that he would succeed or never
come out alive.
The crowd eheered him and then
watched him approach certain success OF
death Again the hammer and chisel
were brougnt into play, and little by lit.
tie the people could see that the man
skill and pluck would win. All at once
the roar of the well changed 10 u shrill
whistle, and the cap was blown 100 feet
upward, while Marvin cone stood at
the foot of the pipe motionless II was
some minutes before it moved and the
people thought again that he had per-
ished in his attempt. His assistant was
badly burned and had to be taken to the
hotel for assistance. When Marvin's
cone began to move the people sent up
tremendous shout and the more venture
some ran as far as they could on the hot
ground to reach him. He was taken out
and revived, badly scorched, but not
hurt otherwise.
Marvin had earned his 81, 900. He put
contrivance ON the pipe to shut off the
flow of gas, and now Ruthyan is quiet
from the deafening roar Marvin's cap
Is shaped like the letter T, and was
placed on the pipe after three trials. The
company estimate that over ll,000 0J0
feet of gas has heen consumed each day.
Marvin said chat it vas the nearest to
death he ever expected to be until his
time came. every breath" he said,
seemed to burn like fire, and twice
nearly tainted. My mouth was 50
parched that l could not even moisten
my lips with my tongue. The suffering
was dreadful and l would not pass
through the experience again for fifty
times 81 900. This time however, 1 was
bound to win. Despite my covering, as
body is blistered in several places ant
my hands and arms are one nass OF
burns. My feet are burned rs il l had
them in the fire.