The morning news., 1894-11-25
4 QUEER BEING.
Half Real Nan and Half Artificial.
Tubes in His Throat and Lungs,

Tubes in His Throat and Lungs,
From the Chattanooga Times.
Chief Engineer Tom Burns is in town,
yet everybody does not know it, and it
may be there are a few who don't know
who Tom Burns is. He is, as one man
put it, a walking tin horn. He is half real
man and half artificial Just how he hap
pened to come to Chattanooga does not
appear but he has been here for two or
three days and tells a marvellous tale.
Burns is so patched and made over that
one Is in doubt whether TO call him a
man or a machine. He is 63 years of age.
OF medium hight, has fun red beard
wears a derby hat and long ministerial
coat and has shutting gait in walking
somewhat after the fashion of a camel.
he has six ounces of silver treuauning in
the top OF his head where the skull ought
10 be. He has complicated system of
tubes in his throat and lungs Two or
three OF these are drainage tubes and
one serves as a substitute for part of
the windpipe The unfortunate man has
lost both of his elbow joints, several fin
gers and toes, seven ribs and the lower
part OF his vertebrae, and his right knee
pan is to be found on the calf of the leg.
ana his heart is on his right side Yet this
remnant lives, walks and has his being
chef Engineer Tom tells a remarkable
! story. He is an old time sailor, hailing
| from New England. He was engineer on
the ship City of Savannah which was
wrecked off the New England coast in
March, 1884. He says he was one of thirty
out of crew of ninety-siX who escaped.
his present condition is the result of the
wreck. He was caught in the machinery
of the Savannah and terribly mangled.
For four years he lay fat on his back,
struggling between life and death. He
was attended at different times by the
most eminent physicians in the United
states, and the unfortunate engineer is
walking monument to their skill Burns
claims that he sued the steamship COM
pany for which he worked for $50 900, and
has recently got judgment for $4,000
This living curiosity has in his posses
sion several newspaper clippings descrip-
tive of the wreck and Of himself that are
very interesting reading. He came TO
town two or three days ago and says he
is on his way to New Orleans to enter the
marine hospital at that place, and wants
to get pass very bad. He is dressed
| rather shabbily and seems to have no
money except what is given him.
The unfortunate man has been at the
/ police headquarters several times and
seems to take d great pride in telling his
wonderful experience. While drinking cof-
/ fee at restaurant yesterday morning he
wanted the keeper to listen 10 the coffee
as it gUrgled through the network of pipes
that he claims is laid out in his throat
and chest. The old gentleman salutes
every one in the regulation style, and al
ways announces himself as Chief Euct-
/ neer Burns.
| That this man is a living curiosity no
| one disputes, but he also seems to he
/ somewhat of beat. Night before last he
/ put up at Dick Anderson's hotel on East
Ninth street and was so gloriously drunk
/ that the proprietor put him out. He took
/ his meals principally at darky restaurants
! and invariably tells the keepers that he
! is "a United States man" He told An
/ derson that he had fought the Indians and
/ got shot full Of bullet holes. He also lets
/ on among the darkys that he is in the
/ government employ and is down here in
/ specting boilers for Uncle Sam
/ Altogether, Chief Engineer Burns is an
/ amusing and entertaining freak just what
/ his status in society is would be hard to
] determine