The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-05-29
STEAM AGAINST GRAVITY.
The Singular Manner in Which a Miner
Escaped a Horrible Death.

| "lIHeSSeu was one III WHICH steam anu
gravity were the contestants, and a
human life the stake" writes a Com
panion contributor. I'm the autumn of
1885 | allowed myself to become finan-
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 at the time of
the accident of which l am to tell, the
drill was laundering away more than
nineteen hundred feet below us.
The drill was about forty-fve 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 I'M
screwed from the stem and n 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
the well.
"All went smoothly for few seconds
everything goes by seconds about an
oil-well-when suddenly the drill stuck
and stopped, perhaps four hundred feet
below the surface. Like a flash the
engine, relieved of the strain, ran wild,
and began to reel off stiff and dirty
cable over the derrick floor at danger
GUS rate, throwing one coil of the
squirming mass squarely over the tool
dresscr'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. Thedrill
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 well, when, with
mad impulse to do something, l sprang
to the brake
"'Stop! Keep back" yelled the driller,
and his own hand opened the throttle.
1T came upon me in an instant then
that to stop the drill was to throw the
full weight on the mans body, while SO
long rs 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 upon
the floor. The line was nearly taut
But at the other end it rolled loose with
speed that was frightful. and gliding
swiftly about the mans waist as round
post, plunged out of sight.
What a race that was between two
giant powers working at either end of
the same line. The derrick quivered
under the strain of shat flying windlass,
while the drippings from the rope were
thrown in all directions, covering the
| place from end to end.
I'm the engine-house one must have
trembled, fearing the engine would be
torn from its block, but still the driller
at the other end of the connecting rod
urged it forward.
would he never gain on his antag-
onist? 1t seemed as if he must, rum
ming at such frightful rate. but every
coil of the cable was snatched down the
well as soon as it left the windlass.
True, he did not lose ground, but when
the very slightest loss meant death to
the man before us. there was no great
assurance of safety in that.
Fortunately, extra steam had been
raised for pulling the tools, so that
there was no lack of power. Nor was
it spared. The crown pulley was threat
ening to jump from the block, but the
weight held it back. The windlass
bearings were sending out clouds of
smoke. The bull-rope groaned and
creaked. The floor was trembling I'M
der the vibrations of flying wheels, and
the very ground shook as though torn
by an earthquake. Now STOP at last.
the straining engine, for the race is
over. Steam has won.
LAS soon as possible we released the
prisoner. He was burned somewhat
about the waist, where the cable had
passed, but not so badly as one would
have expected. The stitf-line had not
bent up close, but stood out like a re-
volving barrel-hoop.
$50 the novel race ended well. But
never lost my admiration for the man
whose GOODNESS, az so trying time,
prompted him to assist instead of
checking that runaway drill. Youths
Companion.
He Earned 1t.