Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-08

Remarkable Experience Of a
Cincinnati Engineer
WHO WAS CAUGHT IN A TRAP
Awful Mental and Physical Suffering O.
the Unfortunate Man While in
Cramped and Fixed Position.

boiler.
Last Sunday night he crawled out.
1t was . bright, active man that en-
tered the grim mouth Of the big iron
cylinder.
1t was . feeble, broken, nerveless
creature that emerged to light again
after al experience such as turns mems
hair gray III an hour and skaters their
constitutions for life. That Mr.. Riiey
IS alive today is due both to his presence
of mind and the endurance of sss
sinewy frame. Deaths horrible hu-
miliating death-had stared him in the
face for hours that seemed like inter
mnable days 10 him.
Dir. R,sley Is employed as engineer
III the factory of Nathan Drucker 4
Co., trunk and valise manufacturer 8
At Ninth and Broadway. Last Sunday
the establishment was solitary and Mr..
Rlsiey took advantage of tile oppor-
tunity TO clean out the big boiler IN the
| basement looking toward the canal.
He went alone, having always attended
to the machinery without assistance.
He usually took q candle into the
boiler, bu. could find none Oh thi,
morning, and he 1t a lamp. which he
placed IN such a position that Its bright
rays tiickered down throughthe gloomy
| fues under which be was to pass.
Opening the man-hole in the end, Mr..
Risley. whose daily labor gives him no
opportunity to accumulate superfuous
flesh, had soon wormed his way To the
furlhest end of the cotfin-llke passage
into which he ventured.
Caught Fast Under tho Fines.
Water was standing several inches
deep in the bottom OF the boiler, hav-
ing dripped down from above, and the
engineer was chilled to the bone. But
he csrd little fox that, expecting 10
remain but few minutes. He iinished d
his work and started TO return. 1t o.
| Cured to him that he might avoid the
ICY water better If he turned round and
sought egress head first. Narrow as
the passage was ne had accomplished
this feat more than once before, and
he anticipated no difficulty IN repeat
ing it. Slowly he turned, closing his
limbs together like the blades of n
knife and bringing his knees against
his chin. He succeeded in turning
half way round when he found that
| he could GO no further.
| Mr.. Risely made vigorous efforts to
| complete the turn, but in vain. Then
he concluded 10 resume his original
| position ana back out, but to his horror
he found that he could not move. lie
had became fixed in the strained posi-
ton he occupied, and his attemp. to
move only made matters worse. For !,
quarter of an hour the engineer worked
TO free himself, while the perspiratlon
poured from MIN, in spite OF the chill
the water had produced. Then the
awful reality of his predcament
dawned upon him for the first time
and almost drove his senses away. He
was fastened, without hope of freedom,
in a space hardly large enough for his
body.
Unable to Move a unsclc.
The pitiless iron bore down on his
head above and seemed 10 be acquir-
| ing the weight of thousand hundred
weight. The faint gleam of the lamp
above illuminated the darkness of the
| engine-room and the blacker night of
the boilers interior. HIS position
| forced the blood to his bent head. Mr..
Risley did not know how long he could
| stan the strain. Before the morning
however. when~the factory would re-
| sumo its life. he would bc UNCONSCIOUS
! and the manholc would be shut, the
fires lighted and he, would awake, If
he awoke at all, to be roasted alive be-
fore it would be possible to extrica;e
| him.
| Filled with the horror of his position
the engineer shouted for help, hut his
! voice was smothered III the depths of
his PRISON. Hc founi;s~ too, tha. lie
could not exercise his vocal powers with
effect, rs his chest was pressed against
his knees so tightly that he could
hardly breathe, Mr.. Ris!ey collected his
+, senses and resolved 10 husband his
| strength and, above all, to keep cool.
/ He knew that TO remain where he was
| until the next day, crampcd in the icy
water. would be fatal; and he went to
work carefully to extricate himself.
| Released Himself at Last.
No words could describe the suffer.
| ings OF Mr.. Risley during that Sabbath.
Noon came. and he thought ii must al
ready be night. Then the long, long
afternoon. The lamp paled. and with
| final splutter went out altogether.
The captive felt himself growing
| weaker. HIS body was half frozen as
! IL lay IN the water. lie had spent the
long hours In desperate attempts o,
freedom. alteinated by long periods of
dcspairing rest. Thoughts of his wife
| and three children came 10 hrs fren-
zed brain. The iiues seemed pressing
| slowly upon him on all sides, like the
famous iron bride" OF the days of tor.
I turc.
And after nightfall, by some happy
| chance, the engineer unlocked his
| cramped limbs. How 20 did il he does
not know. Half crazed by his terrible
| experience he struggled msdly for es-
cape. ana st last successfully. Reach
ing the air outside he sank TO the
| ground exhausted for on hour before
| he was able ~ 90 home.
| Mr. Risley. thOu9h bruised AMI sore
and using his limbs with difficulty, was
found siiting n a chair at his home
| last night
The engineer ls modest and hesitaipd
| 10 relate his terrible adventure. he
| stated that the worst effects of Il are
| felt in the chest. He brrathes labor
| i9usiv snd cannot take A "iong''
bresth. His muscles are greatly stlf-
fened. the result of bis days bath N
cold water.
MURDERER CAUGHT.