The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-05-30
STEAM AGAINST GRAVITY.
The Singular Manner In Which Min,
ESCAPED "A Horrible Death.

human lllc Inc stake, WrlUeS OOln-
panion contributor. 'In the autumn of
1885 / allowed myself to become ftnan-
cially interested in drilling well in the
central part of Butler county. Penn.
Naturally enough, / spent considerable
time round my venture, particularly
after the well was nearly finished. Two
thousand feet was about the usual
depth for that field, and Mt the time of
the accident of which ] am TO tell, the
drill was laundering away more than
nineteen hundred feet below us.
1.-THE drill was about forty-five feet
long, and weighed something over two
thousand pounds. Attached to this was
twenty-five hundred feet of cable, which
passed from the mouth of the well,
over the crown pulley at the top of the
derrick, and then down to the wind
lass, on which the surplus length was
coiled. The windlass was operated by
the 'bull-rope' running from band
wheel, which, in turn, was connected
with the engine. The tools were pulled
from the well by means of the engine
turning this windlass and winding up
the cable.
son the day in question the tools had
just been pulled, the battered bit un-
screwed from the stem and a sharp one
substituted, the bailer sent on it's three
or four long trips into the earth for its
load of muddy water, and the tools
swung back to place and started down
the well.
'All went smoothly for few seconds
IL,
oil-well-when suddenly the drill stuck
and stopped, perhaps four hundred feet
below the surface. Like flash the
engine, relieved of the strain, ran wild,
and began to reel off stiff and dirty
cable over the derrick floor at a danger
GUS rate, throwing one coil of the
squirming mass squarely oyer the tool
dresser's body just as the driller who
acts as engineer, shut off steam.
Before hand could be raised to re-
lease the unfortunate captive, the blood
was nearly frozen in our veins to see
that mass of loosened cable running
like lightning down the well. The drill
had started. We could not reach the
man. The floor was literally piled with
an animated, writhing mass of horrible
death. Stiff and slippery with dirty
water, the loops and kinks were hurled
about as though in search of other prey.
The tool-dresser stood in the center
of this twisting heap, unable to make
an effort at escape. 1t seemed there
could be no help for him. In an in
stant or two more the cable would glide
down that little hole, and then, with
the final jerk of more than ton of fall
ing metal on the unfortunate man, the
force would come again upon the wind
lass, there to stop or break the line.
What matter which to the poor fellow
who must die just before?
"Fully half OF the loose cable had
mad impulse to do something, spraug
to the brake.
"'Stop Keep bacls.' yelled the driller,
and his own hand opened the throttle.
at came upon me in an instant then
that to stop the drill was to throw the
full weight on the mans body. while sc
long as the line could be kept slack he
was safe. Then | understood. The
driller meant to unreel the rope as fast
as it descended.
Hardly an extra coil was left upor
the floor. The line was nearly taut
But at the other end it rolled loose with
a speed that was frightful, and gliding
swiftly about the mans waist as rounC
a post, plunged out of sight.
"What race that was between two
giant powers working at either end o
the same line! The derrick quiveret
under the strain of that flying windlass
while the drippings from the rope were
thrown in all directions, covering the
place from end to end.
''In the engine-house one must have
trembled, fearing the engine would bt
torn from its block, but still the drille1
Mt the other end of the connecting roc
urged it forward.
Would he never gain on his antag
onist? 1t seemed as if he must, run
ming at such frightful rate, but every
coil of the cable was snatched down the
well as soon as it left the windlass
the very slightest loss meant death t
the man before us, there was no grea
assurance of safety in that
Fortunately, extra steam had beer
raised for pulling the tools, so tina
there was no lack of power. Nor wal
it spared. The crown pulley was threat
ening to jump from the block, but the
weight held it back. The windlas.
bearings were sending out clouds o
smoke. The bull-rope groaned anC
crealIed. The floor was trembling un
der the vibrations of flying wheels ant
the very ground shook as though tori
by an earthquake. Now stop, at last
the straining engine, for the race il
over. Steam has won.
"As soon as possible we released the
prisoner. He was burned somewha
about the waist, where the cable haC
passed, but not SO badly as one woult
have expected, The stitf-line had no
bent up close, but stood out like re
volving barrel-hoop
$50 the novel race ended we'll. But
never lost my admiration for the MAJ
whose coolness, at SO trying time
prompted him to assist instead o
checking that runaway drill. Youth
Companion.
lie Earned 1t.
The other hot day when a tramp asked
n woman on Clifford street for some
thing to eat, she replied
Earn it and will"
"But what have you to do?"
Nothing, really, but you get tina