The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-10-16
HIS LEE BURNED AWAY.
Terrible Fate of b. Chicago Laborer Who
Fell Into Pit of Slack Lime.

Terrible Fate of b Chicago Laborer Who
Fell Into Pit of Slack Lime.
Patrick Kane, hod carrier, fell into
pit OF slack lime he was preparing at the
yard of Robert Borland, plasterer, and
died a short time ago. He was a stalwart
IrishInan, "a years old, and possessed
record Of unbroken good health, but on
the day the accident occurred he COM
planned of sick headache. At the
close of the days work his employer
asked him to prepare some lime for the
next days work.
Kane at first declined on the plea that
he was i'll, but was finally persuaded to
resume work. None of the laborers
were about the yard when Kane began
working the lime, and his employer went
back TO the Office to calculate estimates
on some jobs in hand. About 7 o'clock
Kane, who felt weary and tired, leaned
heavily on the mixer with which he was
stirring up the lime. The plank on
which he stood had been thrown care
lessly across the corner of the box. His
weight turned it over, and before he
could regain his balance or utter a cry
for help he fell full length into the boil
ing, bubbling lime.
He sank down, no part of his body es-
Gaping contact with the burning liquid
except his left arm and the upper part of
his face. Kane was strong man, and
though half blinded by the specks of
lime that flashed up from the box, and
suffering horribly from the mouthful of
fiery liquid he had swallowed in his
fatal plunge, he crawled slowly out,
staggered q few PAGES and then fell pros
trate on the sand heap, where he was
found few minutes later by his en-
ployer.
From his shoulder downward the lime
had eaten into his clothing and was slow
ly making its way through the flesh of
the unconscious man. The soles of his
boots had dropped off, and his trousers,
from the knee down, hung in shreds
from his slowly consuming limbs. The
skin on the upper part of his right arm,
which was barred to the shoulder, had
been burned away, and the muscles and
tendons had succumbed to the destroyer.
The nails of the fingers had dropped
off almost Immediately after coming into
contact with the lime, and the hand was
tightly clinched, as if to conquer the
maddening pain. The liquid crept slow
ly but relentlessly through his shirt, eat
ing its destructive way and frightfully
scorching his chest and back. The man
was mass of burning flesh and lime,
and when Borland, his employer, found
him on the sand heap the fatal lime had
effectually done it's deadly work.
Borland rushed for the hose pipe, and
attempted to check the progress of de-
struction by deluging Kane with cold
water. Then, despGiring Of the mans
life, he carried him to his buggy, with
the lime eaten clothing still clinging to
his body, and drove the injured man
home Tor a week Kane lowered be.
tween life and death.
None of the sufferers seen by Dante |
during his journey through the Inferno
could ever have endured the awful agony
experienced by the dying bod carrier as
the lime fairly scorched its way through
his lungs. The sears on his body and |
limbs were hideous enough, but all
chance of recovery was destroyed by the
awful fire raging within.
Kane bore his sufferings with the
fortitude Of a stole. No word of COM
plant ever crossed his lips, and he show
ed no sign of the great agony he felt
except to lay his uninjured hand on his |
bosom and murmur, "My heart is burn
ing away" The fiery fluid released him |
after weeks suffering, and Kane passed
away unconscious of the approach of
death. Chicago Herald.