Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-03-19
CURIOUS ACCIDENTS.
OCCURRENCES KNOWN TO HAVE he
FALLEN HUMAN BEINGS.

Curious and strange accidents are re-
ported from time TO time, and many OF
them would seem entirely incredible had
they not been given to US upon the high
est authority.
The case recently reported Of man
who was admitted to Bellevue Hospital
whose arm II 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 machlnist, In the employ
of the East River Lead Company, was In
charge OF . mschine which converts
molten lead wire. IL Is steel box, into
which the lead Is poured, being then
forced through an aperture one-eighth OF
an inch 10 diameter by hydraulic pres
sure Of 600 tons. Reaching the air the
lead becomes hard, and, In the form OF
wire, Ia wound on a big wheel.
This aperture had become cloggcd,
and Seaman, the victim Of this curious
accident, seized the projecting wire In
his hands, intending to free the action OF
the machine, as he had done hundreds
Of times on former occasions, by sharp,
strong pull. >.
lie had seized the wire and given 1t
the usual pull and jerk, when an eIplo-
sion occurred, and Scanlan was hurled
to the floor unconscious.
On the way to Bellevue hospital Scan
Ian, In the ambulance, recovered his
senses, and expressed hims elf "a feeling
all right, with the exception OF little
sore ness In his left arm, at the elbow.
f..t. BOD Iagn
very rapidly, made IL impossible for the
surgeons to make thorough examina-
ton, but on the following day when this
had sufficiently subsidized they did so,
and decided thst he had compound
fracture OF the bones OF the arm.
There was no external injury OF the
skin, excepting slight and trifling con-
tn sion little above the wrist. IL was
so trivial that the surgeons gave IL no
consideration, but decided to cut down
and take out what felt like detached
piece Of bone. Ether was administered,
an incision made, and, to the amazement
OF those present, instead OF a bone a
piece OF lead wire an inch In length and
oue-eighth of an inch in diameter was
taken out.
Piece after piece Of the wire was re-
moved, till finally the total length of
wire thus removed aggregated eleven
feet, the longest piece measuring two
feet and the shortest one quarter OF an
inch. The wire was found embedded
under the muscles OF the arm, and some
of il had become 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 Scsnlsn, "a soon ~ the tear
ing Of the muscles has healed, will have
as good an arm as ever.
Iir. Ciendenen, coroner Of La Sale
County, H., relates n peculiar case OF
spontaneous combustion. lie WAS tele-
phoned TO go 10 Seneca, n village In the
county, u hold an inquest on the bodies
Of Mr.. and Mrs. r., who were found
dead In their farm house. On arrival h.
impanelcd jury OF the most intelligent
citizens, one OF whom was a physician.
The first thing that attracted special
attention was the peculiar sickening
odor which pervaded everything Ia and
about the large frame farm house where
the deaths had occurred. Both the man
and the woman, and more especially
the woman, were addicted TO the ex-
cessiye use OF whiskey. The man was
found lying dead on the door by his bed
in the room adjoining the kitchen. In
| the kitchen all the furniture was found
In its usual place.
A tallow candle on the table, one-third
burned, appeared to have been extin-
guished by Mrs. R,as IL was her Gus
tom 10 be the last To retire. A hole was
found burned through the kitchen floor
about two and one-half by three feet
square.
Upon examining this opening in the
floor mass Of cinders was DISCOVERED
on the ground beneath. Upon examln-
ing them they found the skull, the spinal
bones OF the neck and half OF the spinal
bones OF the back, which had become re-
duced almost to cinders. They also
found part of the thigh bone and n large
part OF the hip bone, aud these also
were almost burned 10 cinders.
The feet were found In the shoes, the
left one reduced 10 n cinder and the shoe
partially calcined. The other foot and
shoe were reduced TO complete cinder.
Ut OtutI pAIis VI the pouN NViS ituut-
ed toa very light cinder, leaving no
shape OF the former body. The clothing
was entirely burned.
The woman had weighed $50 pounds.
The remains, however, after having
been gathered together, were placed 10 n
box that Guild hold less than bushel.
The entire remains weighed twelve
pounds.
The evidence disclosed the fact that
the oman had been mn habilual drinker,
had drunk more than quart Of whi,key
during the previous day, and was In
toxicated when last seen alive, at 5
O'Clock at night. 10 appeared as IL she
had burned on the floor without a strug-
gle.
Why, however, the floor did not con-
tiuue 10 burn was a mystery. The pine
joist against which the remaining Gin
d-rs lay was slightly charged, and no
other evidence OF blaze could be found.
The skull and hip bone were really the
only evidence by which IL could be- told
that human body had been cremated
there.-New York Herald.
A JAP'S CURIOSITY.