The Republican., 1892-10-14

Oh lne HlGuJ III q question was returning
about 1870 o'clock from the neighbor-
hood of Harold's Cross, where l had
been to superintend the administering
OF a hot bath to a patient, when the re-
Election of the fire on the sky to the
northwest attracted my attention and
drew me to the spot.
Excited by the animation of the
scene, took an active part in the ex-
ertions 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 asso-
ciated myself was the removal of a
number of casks, to get at which it was
necessary to cross a platform of mason
ry built around large copper boiler in
the unfinished end of the building.
had crossed twice in safety and was
about to venture a third time, when
one of the bystanders who had wit
messed my exertions directed my atten-
ton to the dangerous condition of the
timbars, which hung smoldering and
half suspended from the new brick
work and threatened to pull down a
great part of the walls on each side in
their descent, which could not be far
distant.
thanked my friendly warner for his
advice, and had taken it so far as to
retire few steps from the incon-
venient neighborhood of the flames,
when one of the firemen of the N
Insurance company got up on the op-
posite side of the platform and signed
for some one to come to his assistance.
gave look at the nodding tim bers
above; they seemed still too deeply
bedded in the masonry of the building
to give me any apprehension of i'm
mediate danger. l ran up the ladder
that led to the platform on that side,
but just as l gained the top heavy fail
of masonry took place from the angle
of the pile nearly overhead.
l became confused and rushed for
ward, hardly knowing where l ran,
but | had scarcely taken three steps
in advance when | heard the prolonged
tearing crash of the timbers overhead,
and next moment saw the beams
toppe, when the mouth of the open
vessel, which, as l have mentioned,
was bedded in masonry at my feet,
caught my eye.
1t was not more than four feet across;
the chances were that the long timbers
would fall athwart, not into it. With
out bcstowing thought on how l was
to get out, dropped at once into the
bottom of the hollow chamber.
The metal reverberated and the
echolng sphere rang round me for a
moment with a brazen clang-then
crash, crash, with the din of thunder,
down came the blazing timbers-driv.
ing, rolling, bounding-smashing all
before them.
Instinctivelv l strove to cling to the
side of the vcssel-there was nothing
to hold on by, and reeled back to the
little spot of level footing in the bot.
tom 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, per.
fectly smooth, except at the jennings OF
bilt iitAii BitihNo va HiAiNh IL W ao tOil-
posed. The only aperture, except the
orifice at the top. was that by which
the contents were intended to be
drawn off, but this was not much
wider than the mouth of large tum
bier.
was resigned for some time when
the Thought flashed across my mind
that perhaps if l called through this
aperture my voice might be heard.
The opening was in the very bottom OF
the vessel and had to kneel down on
the rubbish to apply my mouth to it.
Ny knees did not come in contact with
the metal. and my hands were defend
ed by thick gloves, thoroughly wetted,
so that till l brought my face close &c
the aperture | had no suspicion of the
dreadful truth that was now to learn
the copper was so hot that l could
not bear it against my skin.
pulled the thermometer l had been
using in tempering my patients bath
out of my pocket. 1t stood at one hun
dred and five degrees. placed the bull
of it on the metal, when the mercury
rose with rapiditv that threatened tC
burst the tube, and l took it away ter