The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-02-14
FREAKS OF ACCIDENT
Some Marvellous, but
True Tales
Of Things That Befal
Humanity.
Record of Some of the Strangest
Events in the History Of
Accidents.

Curious and strange accidents are
reported from time to time, and many
of them would seem entirely incredi-
BILE had they not been given to us
upon the highest authority.
The case recently reported Of man
who was admitted to Bellevue hos
pital whose arm it was supposed had
been fractured by an explosion, but
instead of which eleven feet of lead
wire was found by the surgeons, may
be recalled.
The man, a machinist, in the employ
of the East River Lead company, was
in charge Of a machine which con-
verts molten lead into wire. It is
steel box, into which the Lead is
poured, being then forced through an
ameter by hydraulic pressure of
the lead becomes hard, and. in the
form of wire, is wound on q big
wheel.
This aperature had become clogged,
and Scanlan, the victim Of this Curl
Gus accident, seized the projecting
wire i'll his hands, intending to free
the action Of the machine, as he had
done hundreds of times on former oc-
casions, by a sharp, strong pull.
He had seized the wire and given 1t
the usual pull and jerk, when an ex-
plosion occurred, and Scanlan was
hurled to the floor, unconscious.
FELT LITTLE PAIN.
On the way to Bellevue hospital
Scanlan, in the ambulance, recovered
his senses, and expressed himself as
feeling all right, with the exception of
little soreness In his left arm, ait the
elbow.
The swelling, which had developed
very rapidly, made it impossible for
the surgeons to make a thorough ex-
amination, but on the following day
when this had sufficiently subsided
they did so, and decided that he had
q compound fracture of the bones of
the arm.
There was no external injury Of the
skin, excepting slight and 4trifing
confusion a little above the wrist. 1t
was 50 trivial, that the surgeons gave
it no consideration, but decided to cut
down and take out what felt like de-
tached piece of bone. Ether was ad-
ministered, an incision made, And to
the amazement of those present, in
stead Of bone piece Of lead wire an
inch in length and one-eighth OF an
inch in diameter was taken out
Piece after piece Of the wire was
removed, till finally the total length
of wire thus removed aggregated
eleven feet, the longest piece meaSur-
ing two feet and the shortest one
quarter Of an inch. The wire was
found embedded under the muscles
of the arm, and some of 1T had be
coma wedged in between the bones Of
the lower arm. To cap the climax, and
most remarkable of all, there was no
fracture nor injury Of the bones. and
Scanlan, as soon as the tearing OF the
muscles has healed, will have as good
an arm as ever.
SNAKE IN HER ARM.
A very curious and almost incredible
case was that of a woman in South
Carolina who had a live snake N her
arm. This case was related to me by
a reputable physician in Charleston.
and had he not vouched for it ]
should not have given it credence
When the woman, who is of prom
inent family, first had her attention
attracted to her arm it was by a bow.
shaped welt, not more than two inches
long. 1t grew to a foot in length and
as large as lead pencil.
In the London Lancet some years
ago a case was detailed Of an idiol
boy, from whose body was extracted
quantities Of slate pencil. from one ft
two and a half inches long; bits OF
stick, pieces of rag and fragments OF
wool. The boy speedily recovered.
Professor Agnew tells of a case Of
an insane woman, in whose body wa:
found after death pair OF suspend
ers, several skeins Of silk, three spooll
of cotton and two roller bandages.
DR.. Drewry, Of the Virginia lunatl'
ASYLUM, gives the details Of very ex
| traordinary case. The lunatic was
large. robust looking colored woman
| 46 years old, who for long time hat
suffered from a disorder that led TIT
doctor to suspect the presence OF Tor
eign substances in her body. Aston
ishing as it may seem, a sob lot o
things, weighing, after having beer
taken out ninety-seven ounces. proves
the correctness of the doctors sup
| picions.
1T was q remarkable collection, in
deed, and embraced such delicacies a
bits Of stone, glass, slate. brick. but
tons, fruit parings and clay. That tn
woman had swallowed them wa
proven by investigation.
TOOTH BRUSH IN HER BODY
DIR. Hashimoto. surgeon general o
the Japanese army. tells Of woman
40 years old, who, in May, 1872, at
cidentally swallowed a Japanes
tooth brush. In March, 1873. an ali
scess formed in the stomach regior
which finally burst, and from it e1
tended the pointed end OF the brusf
The physician. after vainly attemptn
to extract the brush. contented him
self with cutting of the projectjn
lportion.
Although the opening healed afte
this. q disagreeable feeling continued