Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-12-15

OIhlndl1 III VI AbeS SeNAN VIZ 80"
York representative of big pulp
mill company, to q Sun reporter,
that do not think OF some remark
able instances of the kind that have
occurred at ole of our mills in the
northern part of this state. On one
occasion workman named Wolf was
engaged in cleaning u machine used
at u certain stage in the process of
pulp manufacture. The principal
feature of this machine was two very
heavy iron rollers, one above the
other. When in operation the upper
roller was pressed closely down on
the lower one. and they revOlved in
opposite directions. To clean these
rollers the upper one was raised
seven or eight inches, tho machine,
of cour. being at rest
'In the course of his work Wolf,
who was a 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 had been drawn clear
through between the rollers and
dropped on the other side, as much
like pulp,so tar as appearances went,
as anything could be.
Il happened to be in that part Of
the mill at the time and saw the
| frightful mishap. Iran 10 whore the
| limp form of the workman lay, and
dispatched a messenger at once for
a doctor, merely as matter OF form,
however, for that anything could be
done for the shapeless mass OF
humanity never entered my mind 1t
was impossible to lift the body. We
shuliled it on to blanket and carried
it to the unfortunate mans home.
noticed that, although there was not
the slightest evidence of conscious
ness, Wolf was still breathing. and
that his heart was beating. When
the doctor came he declared that,
from the shoulders down, there was
positively not single whole bone
left in VOLTS body. He said there
was not one chance in ten thousand
of the man living.
lit would take ten doctors
week to set his bones. he said.
"He encased 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 re-
gained consciousness. Wolf lay en-
cased in plaster for several weeks.
| His bones knit and grew together
again. but in such way that 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 ten years
after that, and he is alive to-day.
''Once the dam of one of our mills
became so clogged with logs that
they interfere / with the water power
1t was necessary to release tho dam
or shut down the mill The work
would necessarily cndanger the lives
and limbs of all who engaged in it,
and volunteers were asked for, hand
some extra pay being offered Plenty
of men were ready to take the risk,
among them Pat O'Brien, an Irish
man, 81 years old He insisted on
being one of the gang and joined it
against the protest OF the superin-
terdent
The work of releasing the log
jam went all right until the key log
that held the main jam was to be re-
moved. 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 Irishman, Pat
O'Brien. These four were caught
among the logs and went over the
fails, a sheer descent Of eighty five
feet Men and logs went over to-
gether and everybody supposed that
the men would be ground to atoms,
but most astonishing thing hap
pened. In falling o number OF logs
fell on end in group, their upper
ends topping together, forming an
almost perfect tent or peaked hut,
with the downstream side open The
men had escaped injury, not only
from the logs in the fall, but from
the tremendous plunge itself, and ii
was as they landed in the water be-
low that the tent OF logs formed,
with them beneath its she ter 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
it's Judgment by the pressure o.
wator. In view OF the latter danger
when it came to rescuing them the
three young men of the party urged
old Pat O'Brien TO be hauled up first
He obstinateIy refused to be hauled
up until his companions had beer
rescued, when he took his chance
and was landed safely above HI
had scarcely been lifted above the
shelter OF the logs when it gave way
and the logs went crashing and thun
dering down the stream. | hav,
heard OF wonderful escapes OF death
but never anything so wonderful a
that.
English orders OF Knighthooh.