Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-02-07
THE HAUNTED MILL
Boys Entrusted With Terribly
Dangerous Work.
CATCHING BARS OF HOT IRON.
An Expert Hand Disembowslled in an In
slant by Red Rod.

Another Mans Body Pierced Through
and ThrouEh-Not One Drop of Blood
Leit-Precarlous Condition OF a Hun
Carian Who Was Injured-Three Thou
sand Mon at Work in the Mill.
TRENTON, N. j., Feb. 1.-THE
Haunted Mill" is the title given by the
workingmen to the new Clinton streel
annex to Roeblings wire and rolling
mill.
The men have some cause for the
name, too, for, although the mill has
been in operation but a few months,
nearly dozen of their fellow workmen
have been stricken there with death in
the most shocking manner possible.
Indeed, SO superstitious are the men
becoming that they go to their labor
very reluctantly.
The drawing Of wire under the pro-
cess used at Roeblings is extremely
dangerous. although the firm is rapidly
replacing the old machinery by the pipe
guide system.
A number of large bars of iron sew
oral inches in diameter are now placed
in furnace, and whom at white heat
they are rushed over to the CHI ain of
twelve rollers with grooves, and it is
while they pass through these rollers
that the danger arises.
Two men on either side Of the rollers
take charge OF the iron In its heaviest
state, and from there on to the fnisher,
who is stationed a the end of the long
limo OF rollers, are boys.
The iron passes through the first
groove IN the heavy state very rapidly,
and at the opposite side of the rolls
stands boy with a pair of tongs, who
must catch this rod of red hot iron, GO
Ing at the rate of about a rod a minute,
twist 1T about his head In a snake wrig-
gle and pass the end into another
groove or hole smaller than the one
through which it has just passed.
If the boy misses the hole or guide
in to which he should pass the hot iron
in an instant the iron bends, the end
shoots up and if the lad is not nimble
enough to get out of the way it goes
through his body.
This was tho position held by Charles
Cheattle, and, although he was consid-
cred first-class workman, he was not
quick enough to escape the swiftly roll
ing iron and it pierced his body through
and through.
A few days ago Thomas Hutchl1iss,
one OF the most expert ''roughers," or
men who handle the hot iron when it
first passes through the rollers, was
killed in this mill in an even more hor-
rlble manner than was young Cheattle.
Hotchkiss was standing before tho fur
mace with his tongs when the accident
happened. A fellow workman stopped
over to repair the damage, and at tho
same instant large square rod of iron
came rushing from the furnace. and
owing to tho disarrangement of the
furnace Hotchkiss could neither stop
the iron nor turn it from Its course,
Nor could he move out of its tracks.
He bent over, thinking that it might
pass over his head, but in this he was
mistaken.
The end of the red hot rod entered
the lower part Of his abdomen and
passed through the body, coming out at
the neck and burning out his entrails.
Not one drop of blood was shed, but
Hotchkiss was dead before the iron
could be extracted.
The hungarian who was injured on
Tuesday night lies in precarious con-
dition.
Tho Roeblings employ about 5000
men,