The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-21
Baking to Death.
from BIacswood's Magazine. October. 1887

FROM BIdckuood's Magazine. October, 1887.
The destruction by fire Of the distillery OF
Mr.. B., in Dublin some time SINCE, will
be in the recollection of many of your Irish
readers.
am medical man, residing in Dublin,
| and on the night in question was returning
about Il 80 o'clock from the neighborhood
OF Harold's Cross, where had been to
superintend tho administering OF a hot bath
20 a patient, when the reflection Of the fire
| on the sky to the northwest attracted my
attention and drew me 70 the spot.
Excited by the animation Of the scene,
took an active part in the exertions of those
around me and soon became thoroughly
| heated as well as wetted in the service.
| Among other duties undertaken by the
volunteers with whom had associated my
! self was the removal OF number of casks,
| 10 get at which it was necessary to cross a
| platform of masonry built round a large
| copper boiler in the unfinished end Of the
| building.
! / had crossed twice in safety and was
about to ven ure third time when one OF
! the bystanders who had witnessed my exer-
tions directed my attention to the danger
Gus condition Of the timbers which hung
smolderinx and half suspe ded from the
new brick work and threatened To pull
down a greaE part of the walls on each
side in its descent, which could not be far
distant.
| thanked my friendly warner for his ad-
vice and had taken it 30 far as to retire a
few steps from the inconvenient neighbour
hood OF the flames. when one Of the fire.
men Of the N Insurance Company got
up on the opposite side of the platform and
signed for some one to come 70 his assist
ance.
gave a look at the nodding timbers
above, they seemed still too deeply bedded
f, fha - ha m sytu
any apprehension Of immediate danger. |
ran up to the ladder that led to the plat
form on that side, but just as | gained the
top heavy fall OF masonry took place from
the angle Of the pile nearly overhead.
/ became confused and rushed forward,
hardly knowing where | ran; but / had
scarcely taken three steps in advance when
heard the prolonged tearing crash Of the
tirnbers overhead, and next moment saw
the beams topple, when the mouth Of the
open vessel, which, as / have mentioned,
was bedded in masonry at my feet, caught
my eye.
Ii was not more than four feet across;
the chances were that the long tlmbers
would fail ath wart, not into 1t. Without
bestowiug a thought on how | was TO get
out, dropped at once 70 the bottom OF the
hollow chamber.
The metal reverberated and the echoing
sphere rang round me for a moment with "a
brazen clauR-then crash, crash, with the
din Of thunder, down came tho blazing
Understanding rolling - rebounding-
smashing all before them
Instinctiyely / strove to cling to the side
OF the vessel-there was nothing TO hold on
by, and reeied back to the little spot Of
level footing in the bottom. conscious for
the first time that / was in a trap, out OF
which there was no escape.
The vessel was hollow sphere Of about
fourteen feet in diameter, perfectly smooth,
except at tie Jennings Of the metal plates Of
/ which IL was composed. The only aperture,
except the orihce at the top. was that by
which the contents were intended TO be-
drawn of, but this was not much wider
than the mouth Of the largo tumbler.
was resigned for some time when the
thought flashed across my mind that per-
haps II / called through the aperture my
voice might DO heard. The opening was ia
the very bottom Of the vessel, and | had 70
knssl down on tho rubbish 70 apply my
mouth u IL. sly knees did not come In
| contact with the metal, and 10Y hands were
defended by thick gloves, thoroughly wet
ted, - that tlll drought roy face close 20
the aperture / hAd 40 Suspicion Of tue dread