The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-04-22
A DAY IN A BOILER.
AN ENGINEERS TERRIBLE SABBATH
DAY EXPERIENCE

Engineer RisIey Went Into the Boiler
to Make Some Repairs-Got Fastened
and Spent Nearly a Day Expecting
That the Fire Would be Lighted.
Sunday morning Engineer E. w. Ris-
ley crawled into boiler. Sunday night
he crawled out 1t was bright, active
man that entered the grim mouth of the
big iron cylinder 1t was a feeble,
broken, nerveless creature that emerged
to light again after an experience such
as turns mems hair gray in an hour and
skaters their constitutions for life. That
Mr.. Risley is alive today is due both to
his presence of mind and the endurance
of his sinewy frame. Death had stared
him in the face for hours that seemed
like interminable days to him.
Mr.. Risley is employed as engineer IN
the factory of Nathan Drucker & Co.,
trunk and valise manufacturers. Sun
day the establishment was solitary, and
Mr.. Risley took advantage of the oppor-
tunity to clean out the big boiler in tie
basement. He went alone. He usua'2y
took candle into the boiler, but could
find none on this morning, and he Lit a
lamp, which he placed in such position
that its bright rays fickered down
through the gloomy fiues under which
he was to pass.
Opening the manhole in the end, Mr.
Risley had soon wormed his way to the
farthest end Of the passage into which
he ventured. Water was standing
several inches deep in the bottom of the
boiler, having dripped down from above,
and the engineer was chilled to the bone.
But he cared little for that excepting to
remain but few minutes. He finished
his work and started to return. 1t oc-
CURED to him that he might avoid the
icy water better if he turned around and
sought egress head first.
Narrow as the passage was, he had
accomplished this feat more than once
before and he anticipated no difficulty il
repeating it. Slowly he turned, closing
| his limbs together like the blades of a
knife and bringing his knees against mis-
chin. He succeeded in turning half way
around when he found that he could &c
no farther.
FASTENED IN THE BOILER.
Mr. RiSley made vigorous efforts tx
| complete the turn, but in vain. Then
he concluded to resume his original po
sition and back out but to his horror ne
found that he could not move. He had
become fixed in the strained position he
occupied, and his attempts to move only
made matters worse. For quarter Of
| an hour the engineer worked to free
himself, while the perspiration poured
from him in spite of the chill thu
water had produced. Then the awfu
reality of his predicament dawned upor
him for the first time and almost drove
his senses away. He was fastened, with
out hope of freedom, in space hardly
large enough for his body.
The pitiless iron bore down on hi
head above and seemed to be acquir
ing the weight Of thousand hundred
weight The faint CLEAN of the LAM
| above illuminated the darkness of tn,
engine room and the blacker night O
the boilers interior His position forceC
the blood to his bent head. Mr.. Risle,
did not know how long he could stano
the strain. Before the morning, how
ever, when the factory would resume it
life, he would be unconscious and tn
manhole would be shut, the fires ightet
and he would awake, if he awoke at all
to be roasted alive before it would b
possible to extricate him.
Filled with the horror of his position
the engineer shouted for help, but hi
voice was slnothered in the depths Of hi
prison. He found, too, that he could no
exercise his vocal powers with effect, a
his chest was pressed against his knee
so tightly that he could hardly breathe
FORTUNATE RELEASE.
Mr.. Risley collected his senses and re
solved to husband his strength, and
above all, to keep cool. He knew tina
to remain where he was until the mex
day, cramped in the icy water, would b
fatal, and he went to work carefully
extricate himself.
No words could describe the suffer
ings of Mr. Risley during that Sabbath
Noon came, and he thought it must a
ready be night. Then the long, Ion
afternoon. The lamp paled, and with
final splutter went out altogether. Til
captive felt himself growing weake
His body was half frozen as it lay in til
water. He had spent the long hours
desperate attempts at freedom, alte
mated by long periods of despairing res
Thoughts of his wife and three little chi
dren came to his frenzied brain. I'll
tiues seemed pressing slowly upon hi
On all sides, like the famous Iron bride
of the days of torture.
After nightfall, by some happy chanc
the engineer unlocked his cramped limb
| | How he did it he does not know. Ha
. crazed by his terrible experience,
struggled madly for escape. Reachir
. the air outside he sank to the grour
and lay exhausted for an hour before
was able to go home.-Cincinnati Co