The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-12-20
THREE CLOSE CALLS.
NARROW ESCAPES HAD BY WoRKMEH
IN A PULP MILL.

Gaping death or surviving extraordinary
injuries" said the New York represent
tative of big pulp mill company, "that
do not think of some remarkable in
| stances of the kind that have occurred at
one of our mills in the northern part of
this state. On one occasion Il workman
named Wolf was engaged in cleaning
machine used at q certain stage in the
process of pulp manufacture The prin-
cipal feature of this machine was two
very heavy iron rollers-one above the
other. When i'll operation, the upper
roller was pressed closely down on the
lower one, and they revolved in opposite
directions. TO clean these rollers the up
per one was raised seven or eight inches,
the machine of course being at rest.
'In the course of his work Wolf, who
was young German, thrust his head
and shoulders between the rollers to see
better to clean the lower roller. While
he was in that position some careless
person turned on the water power. The
rollers started at once, and before the
alarm could be given and the water
turned off Wolf was drawn clear through
between the rollers and dropped OH the
appearances went, as anything could be.
happened TO be in that part of the mill
at the time and saw the frightful mishaD.
81 ran to where the limp form of the
workman lay and dispatched messen-
ger at once for doctor, merely as a
matter of form, however, for that any
thing could be done for the shapeless
mass of humanity never entered my
mind. 1t was impossible to lift the body
We shufflcd it on to blanket and car
ried it to the unfortunate mans home.
L noticed that, although there was not
tho slightest evidence of consciousness.
Wolf was still breathing and that his
heart was beating. When the doctor
came, he declared that from the shout
dcrs down there was positively not II
single whole bone left in VOLTS body.
He said there was not one chance in ten
thousand of the man living
"'It would take 10 doctors week to
set his bones,' he said
"He incased the body in plaster from
the neck down, and when he came next
day was amazed to find that Wolf was
still alive and had regained conscious
ness. Wolf lay incased i'll plaster for
together again, but in such way that
when he was able to get around he was
covered with knobs and ridges and queer
corners and angles from head to feet
But he was alive. He was our night
Waterman for 10 years after that and is
alive today
Another time workman in DIFF
| ferent part of the mill named Sanneman
was caught i'll big belt by felt apron
he wore, and before the works could be
stopped he was whrled seven times
around the pulleys, striking the ceiling
with tremendous force each time. He
was taken up for dead. 1 examined him
before the doctor came, and there wasn't
even the sign of an abrasion or mark on
his body. Ten minutes later, when the
doctor came, he was rs black as coal all
over. There wasn't Il spot on him that
was not discolored. The doctor exam
med the man carefully. and 10 his
amazement found that there WAS not
bone broken anywhere about him. His
injuries were SO slight that he was mt
work again within two days Yet he
had passed seven times through IL space
between the pulley and the beam not
over seven inches wide.
"Once the dam Of one of our mills be-
came SO clogged with logs that they in
terfered with the water power. 1t was
necessary to release the jam or shut down
the mill. The work would necessarily
endanger the lives and limbs of all who
engaged in it, and volunteers were asked
for, handsome extra pay being offered.
Plenty of men were ready to take the
risks, among them Pat O'Brien, an Irish
man, 61 years old. He insisted on being
one of the gang and joined it against the
protest of the superintendent.
1.-The work Oe releasing the log lam
went all right until the key log that held
the main jam was to be removed. There
lay the danger The key was removed,
and the men made wild dash to escape
the rush. They all got out of the way but
four, among them the old Irishlnan. Pat
O'Brien. These four were caught among
the logs and went over the falls, a sheer
descent Of S5 feet. Men and logs went
over together, and everybody supposed
that the men would be ground to atoms.
But most astonishing thing happened.
In falling number of logs fell on end
in group, their upper ends topping to-
gether, forming an almost perfect tent, or
peaked hut. with the down stream side
open. The men had escaped injury, not
only from the logs in the fall, but from
the tremendous plunge itself, and it was
as they landed in the water below that the
tent of logs formed with them beneath
its shelter. This saved them from being
drowned by the water that plunged
down from the great height.
"There was constant danger of the
shelter of logs being forced from ire