The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-26
HEADLoNG INTO A FURNACE.
The Fearful Method of suicide Adopted
by California Stevedore.
From the San Francisco Examiner.

Dy q SalifOrDlh SU0V6OOr6,
From the San francisco Examiner.
Charles Tamelin, stevedore, roasted
himself to death last evening. The suicide
was fearful one. The man deliberately
plunged into the furnace of the fireboat
Gov. Irwin. resisted an attempt to drag
him from the fire, and was dead when at
last taken out.
Previous to ending his life in so frightful
a manner he twice attempted to throw him
self under the wheels of fire engine No. ~,
which was being drawn slowly up and
down East street, near Market, but each
time he was prevented. His charred body
is now at the morgue.
There can be no doubt that che man was
insane. He had been suffering for some
time with an affection Of the stomach, which
caused him intense pain.
He wandered along down East street to
where the flreboat lies, half block below
the ferry slips.
He entered the board Enclosure by the
small side gate.
P. O'Connor, engineer, was engaged in
slowing away coal in the hold Of the tug
when Tamelin approached.
81 am very cold, " be said; twill you let
me 60 down into the fire room for moment
or two so l cen get warmW
go ahead down. but mind you must be-
nave y OuIsSll anu uOb u1OuA6I dTOuuu Uu6
machinery responded OConnor.
Tbs engineer said afterward that he
seemed perfectly sober at the time.
Tamelin, 50 soon as he had obtained the
permission he desired, jumped on board the
boat and started TO go into the fire room.
Half way down he lost his footing and fell
with a crash to the gritty, dirty bottom of
the hold. The drop did not seem to hurt
him, though, for he arose Immediately and
took the lamp from its position. Holding
1t down close to the floor he examined in
detail the furnace doors. He opened each
of them and peered into the fires. Then he
looked hurredly about, as though TO find
out whether any one was looking.
OConnor, who was watching him through
the fire room hatch, shouted: Nov, put
that lamp down where it belongs. II you
don't behave yourself you'll have to get out
theren
Tamelin, without saying a word, placed
the lamp in the rack and then carefully
dotted his coat. He darted toward the fur
mace door furthesp from him and flung it
open. Without hesitating a second he
plunged in through the doorway, which is
only fourteen by eighteen inches in extent,
barely large enough to admit shovel of
coal. But the fires had been banked up in
front and the pile of Goals near the floor
made the entrance much smaller.
The momentum OF the first plunge served
to break down the carrier of red hot GOALS.
Then he wriggled himself through until his
head touched the wall at the other side.
Still his feet remained out of the furnace.
His clothes and hair were afre in mo-
ment
All this took place while O'Connor and
burlington, who had seen him dive through
the furnace door, were hurrying down the
ladder. As they hesitated an instant be-
| fore making up their minds what to do
Tamelin raised himself on his hands and
knees, drew his feet completely into the fur
mace and then placed himself crosswise so as
to make it most difficult to take him out.
| Then he turned over on his back and burned
to death.
The blue flames curled about him, but
Tamelin did not vince nor utter a groan.
He lay still and gave 10 sign of suffering or
regret over what he had done
1t was only few seconds from the time
the crazed man made his fearful plunge
until O'Connor and burlington arrived, but
it seemed hours. They at once set to work
to get him out, and in doing so used the
long iron poker and the ash hos and were
soorched by the heat and suffocated by the
dense gases from the coal.
Tamelin was conscious enough to know
| that they were trying to save his life.
LET me diel Let me diel Let me diel"
| be screamed through his charred lips. Then
| he died.
Notwithstanding all they could do the
two men were fully five minutes in getting
from the flames what had short time before
been a living man. They laid the black
ened remains on the floor, where they we're
allowed to stay until the deputy coroner
arrived