Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1891-07-03
STEAM AGAINST GRAVITY.
The Singular Manner In Which n Miner
Escnned a Horrible Death.

human life the stake" writes a Com
1885 ! allowed myself to become fnan-
eiaIly interested in drilling well in the
central part of Butler county, Penn.
Naturally enough, spent considerable
time round my venture, particularly
lfteI the well was nearly finished. Two
Thousand feet was about the usual
depth for that field, and at the time of
tho accident of which / am to tell, the
drill was laundering away more than
nineteen hundred feet below us.
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
derriclS5 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.
''On the day in question the tools had
just been pulled, the battered bit I'M
screwed from the stem and sharp one
substituted, the bailer sent on its three
or four long trips into the earth for its
load of muddy water, and the tools
swung back to place and started down
thu well.
All went smoothly for few seconds
everything goes by seconds about an
oil'well-when suddenly the drill stuck
AMI stopped, perhaps four hundred feet
be- low the surface. Like a flash the
ngine, relieved of the strain, ran wild,
al d began to reel off stiff and dirty
GU BILE over the derrick floor at 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
slant or two more the cable would glide
down that little hole, and then, with
the final jerk of more than a 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
rushed down the sveli, when, with, a
mad impulse to do. something, I sprang
to the brake. ........
"Stop; Keep bacisr yelled the driller
and his hand opened the throttle
at came upon me in an instant ther
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 npreel the rope as fast
as it descended.,N ~ ~.
Hardly an extra coil was left upor
the floor. The line was nearly taut
But at the other end it rolled loose will
a speed that was frightful, and gliding
swiftly about the mans waist as rount
post, plunged out of sight.
"What a 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 tn,
place from end to end.
SIN the engine-house one must have
trembled, fearing the engine would bt
torn from it's block, but still the drillel
at the other end of the connecting roo
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 thu
well as soon as it left the windlass
True, he did not lose ground, but whel
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
.aised for pulling the tools, so tina
there was no lack of power Nor wa
It spared. The crown pulley was threat
ening to jump from the block, but tn
weight held it back. The windlas
bearings were sending out clouds o
smoke. The bull-rope groaned an
creaked. The floor was trembling un
der the vibrations Of flying wheels, an
the very ground shook as though tor
by an earthquake. Now stop, at last
the straining engine, for the race
over. Steam has won.
LAS soon as possible we released tn
prisoner. He was burned somewha
, about the waist, where the cable hg
! passed, but not so badly as one woui
,, have expected. The stiff-line had NJ.
: bent up close, but stood out like n
/, volving barrel-hoop.
80 the novel race ended well. But
never lost my admiration for the me-
whose GOODNESS, at so trying a tinM
; prompted him to assist instead {
checking that runaway drill. YOUTH
> Companion.
He Earned 1t.
The other hot day when tramp asAe
a woman on Clifford street for SOM
b, thing to eat, she replied:
Earn it and will.
but what have you to do?"
Nothing, really, but you get thu
snow shovel from the shed and go OF
? and pretend that there's foot of sno
' on the walk. TO through the motion
( anyhow.