Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-08-09
THROUGH A PILLAR OF FIRE.
wM MARTINS FOOLHARDINESS.

] " ~ " 4 "a ~ - A DEfTAa~NN ~rE
TO EARN ONE THOUSAND DOL
LARS HE GOES TO A BURNING
ING GAS wELL-VIVID DESCRIP-
TIoN OF THE EXPLOIT.
A special from the Kuthyan, On
tario, to the Washington Press
says:
Nearly three weeks ago the Ruth
van gas wei! was set afire, It is sup
posed, by some disgruntled labor
er. The cap over the top of the
pipe was so fixed that the escaping
gas rushed out directly toward the
ground and made safe approach
impossible. The roar could be heard
in Kingsville, three miles away.
Local mechanics found it impOs.
sible to remove the cap. The heat
was simply uncomfortable aud grew
worse every day. Gas experts from
Ohio we're called to the scene, 5ut
they, too, gave 1t up. The ground
around the well became baked and
when workmen tried to cool it with
a stream from fire engine the
water went up in cloud of steam
before it fairly struck the ground.
All idea of cooling off the ground
was given up. The owners of the
well offered $1,000 to anyone who
would remove the cap.
William II. Marvin, a mining ex-
pert, who had some acquaintance
with natural gas, undertook the
lob. He tried several schemes for
removing the cap by aid of a long
lever, but they all failed, for the
reason that his lever would melt
away under the fierce heat as soon
as he got it near enough to work.
He determined to go near the well
himself and cut of the cap. 1t
looked like certain death for any
one to approach the well, and even
the owner advised Marvin to give
up the idea. He made a suit OF as
betos that was unique in its way.
1t was his purpose TO go right up
to the well, through the gas flame,
and place a cold chisel against the
pipe while his assistant pounded on
the chisel until the cap gave way.
The first attempt was a signal
failure. Marvin only reached the
flame when he retreated. He had
worn a heavy pair of cowhide boots
covered with wet cloths, but before
he got to the flame the cloth had
dried and burned away, and his
boots were half burned of. So
great was his hurry to escape that
he dropped his cutting cOntrivance,
and was dismayed to see it get red
hot before his eyes, For his next
trial he wore a pair of rubber boots
anG inside these thrust his feet
wound in dampened rags. Out.
side the boots he put heavy COW
ering of asbestos. His coat of as.
betos was cone shaped. His arms
stuck out through two holes in the
cone, and were wound IN several
thlcknesses of wet cloth which was
covered with a heavy coating of
asbestos. His cOntrivance for cut
ting the pipe consisted of a long
and very hard chisel, fastened at
right angles to an iron staff.
In approaching the well he slid
the cone along the ground, seeing
his way through a glass set in the
front. His assistant was robed
like himself and carried u long iron
bar, on which was fastened q small
farrier's hammer. Two hundred
men saw the daring men make this
approach to the flame, and as Mar
vim disappeared in its circle a shud'
der swept over the onloOkers. There
we're not halt dozen in the crowd
that expected to see Marvin come
out alive, but in a second that SEEM
ed like an age they saw the edge
of the chisel resting up against the
pipe, Just below the cap. Almost
breathlessly they watched the as
sistant make a stroke at the chlsel
in a clumsy kind of way. lie did
not hit il. The second trial was
more successful; He hit the chlsel
squarely but lightly. The cone in
the ring of fire was wayered and a
cry of "He's burned to death went
up on all sides. The cone moved
again, the chisel fell, and the peo
ple could see that Marvin was COM
Ing out.
Everybody thought that he had
given up IN sheer despair, but not
so. He had come out of the fire to
get rest and air. He was nearly
suffocated. When the cone was
lifted of Marvin, for he was too
weak to lift it of himself, he was
sight to behold. His face was
scarlet and his eyes prOtruded like
door knobs. he was half roasted,
and il took him two hours to recov'
or. Then he pluckily determined
to try it again. His cone was thor
oughly wet and he fixed up another
chisel, saying, as the cone was put
over him, that he would succeed or
never come out alive.
The crowd cheered him and then
watched him approach certain sue
cess or death. Again the hammer
and chisel we're brought INTO play
and little by little the people could