Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1889-07-30
A Human Salamander

As stated in yeaterdaY'5 GAZET"rE - ally
three weeks ago the Ruthvan, Dat. gas well
was set s6re, it is supposed, By fcme dis'
grunted inboIer. The cap over the top oi
the pipe was SO fixed that the escaping gas
rushed out directly toward the T. ouiG aud
made safe approach impossible. Ire roar
could be heard 10 Kingsviie, three miles
away
Local mechanics found it impossible to re-
move The cap The heat Was simply unen-
durable and grsw worse every day. The
ground arouod the we'll became baked and
when workmen tried to cool it with stream
from Gse engine the water went up in
cloud of steam before 1t had fairly struck
the ground. All idee Of cooling of the
ground was given up. The c~uers uf the
remove the csp William II. Marvin, u
mining expert, who had some acquaintance
With natural gas, undertook The job. He
tried several schemes for removing the cap
by aid OF long lever, but they ell fsiled
for the reason that his lever would melt
away unGer the fierce heat as soon es he got
it near enough to work. He determined 10
90 near the we'll himself and cut eff the cap.
1t looked like certain. death Ior any one TO
approach the we'll, and even the owner ad-
wise d Marvin TO give up theidee. He made
suit of asbestos that was unique in It's way. 1t
was his purpose TO go right up TO the well,
through the gas flame, and place cold
chisel against the pipe while his assistant
pounded on the chisel until the cap gave
way. The first attempt was signal failure,
Marvin only reached the flame when he re-
treated. He had worn heavy psir OF COW
hide boots covered with vet cothe, but be-
fore he got to the flame the cloth had dried
and burned away, and his boots we're half
burned off. So great was his hurry TO es
cape that he dropped his cutting contri.
vance, and was dismayed to see it get red
hot before his eyes. For his next trial he
wore pair of rubber boots and inside these
thrust bis feet wound in dampened rage.
Outside the boots he put heavy covering
of asbestos. His coat of asbestos was cone
shaped. His arms stuck out through two
holes in the cone, and were wound in sew
erai thicknes Of wet cloth which was GOV.
cred with heavy coating of asbestos. His
contrivance for cutting the pipe consisted Of
a long and very sharp chisel, fastened at
right angles to an iron staff. 10 approach
ing the well he slid the cone along the
ground, seeing his way through glass set
in the front. His assistant was robed like
himself and carried long iron bar, on
which was fastened O small farrier's ham
mer. Two hundred men saw the daring
men make this approach to the flame, and
as Marvin disappeared in i.s circle a shud-
der swept over the onookers. There were
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 chisel resting up against the
pipe, just below the cap. Almost breath.
leesly they watched the assistant make a
stroke at the chisel in clumsy kind of a
way. BE did not hit it. The second trial
was more successful; he hit the chisel
tquarely but lightly. The cone of the ring
Of fire was wavered and cry of Hes
burned to death" went up on all sides. The
cone moved again, the cnisel fell. aud the
people could see that Marvin was coming
out. Everybody thought that be had given
up in sheer despair, but not go. He had
come out of the fire to get rest and air. He
was nearly suffocated. When the cone was
lifted off Marvin, for he was too weak to
lift 1t off himself, he was eight to behold.
His face was scarlet and his eyes protruded
like door knobs. He was half roasted, and
1t took him two hours to recover. Then he
pluckily determined to try it again. His
cone was thoroughly wet and he fixed up
another chisel, esying, 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
SUCCESS or death. Again the hammer and
chisel were brought into play and little by
little the people could see that the mans
skill and pluck would win. All at once the
roar of the well changed to q shrill whstle
and the cap WAS blown hundred feet up
ward, while Marvin's cone stood at
the foot of the pipe motionless. It
was some minutes before 1t moved
and the people thought again that be
had perished in his attempt. His assist.
ant was badly burned and bad to be taken
to the hotel for assistance. Wien Marvin 's
cone began to move the people sent up q
tremendous shout, and the more venture
some ran as far as they could on the hot
ground to reach him. He was t-ken out
and revived. badly scorched, but not hurt
otherwise. Marvin had earned his 81 900.
Saturday afternoon Marvin put a contriv.
ance on the pipe to shut off the f)w of gas,
and now, for the & ct time in nearly three
weeks. Ruthvan is quiet from tbs deafenipg
roar. Marvin's cap is shaped lk the letter
T, and was placed on the pipe after three
trisls. The company estimate that over
II, 900 900 feet Of gas has bet consumed
each day. Marvin said Satu day that il
was the nearest to death he ever expected
to be until his time came. Every BREATH u
he said, ''seemed to burn liz fire, and twice
I nearly tainted. My mou u'h wes &c psrched
that I could not even moisten my lips with
my tongue. The suffering Was dreadful
and would not pass through the expert
ence again for fifty times 81 600. This tune
however, I was bound to win. Despite my
covering my body was blistered in seyers.
places, and my hands and arms are one
mass Of burns. My fest are burned as If