The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-30
SAVED A LITTLE CHILD
MARROW ESCAPE AT sCHOFIELD'S
l. I'LL ON FALL CREEK.
SIuice to Rescue Proprietor
Helms

Little eight-year-old Miss Helm. daughter
OF the proprietor of Schofeld's old mill on
Fall creek, had an experience and a mar
row escape from death Friday that will
make a good story for her to tell 10 her
grandchildren when Indianapolis has sur
rounded the mill and 1t remains as one of
the decayed landmarks OF what used 10 be.
Mr.. Helm and his wife came to the city to
visit relatives at Dillon street and Lexing-
ton avenue. They left the child at home.
AS is the usual custom in such places, the
children Of the neighborhood gathered TO
play in the mill. They have done SO before
hundreds of times, and never did an acct
dent happen to mar their pleasure, but Fri
day was an exception. The mill is operated
by water power, there being a power tur-
bine wheel under 1t. which furnishes pow
er from the pressure of the water which
passed to the wheel through a large up
right sluice about five feet in diameter.
This sluice is open at the top. with nothing
to protect those near by or prevent them
from falling into it. On account of the re-
volving of the turbine and the shaft lead
ing from it straight up through the mid
die of the sluice, the water is in constant
turmoil. seething and foaming from the
powerful revolutions of the wheel.
1t was near this wheel, or rather near
the sluice, that the children were playing,
the little Helm girl being one of the num-
Der. Suddenly the head miller, M. Zeiffer,
heard a scream. He did not know from
whence IL came, but naturally surmised
that IL was on account of an accident and
that the most probable accident to happen
would be connected with the machinery of
the mill. 1t did not take but q second 10
TG.lnh ThlZ nnnnsrlZfAn nd tn hAa, chm off
the water and applied the powerful brake
10 stop the heavy machinery. Then, hur-
rying in the direction from which the
scream came, he found hat the little
ugh OF the owner of the mill was
Just disappearing under the water in the
~sluice, winch feeds the turbine wheel. The
water in this pace is about eight feet
deep and the top of il is about four feet
below the floor of the mill. Thinking of
nothing but the peril of the little gilr.
Zeiner jumped into the sfuice and caught
her in his arms.
1t was then that his predicament came
upon him with full force. He was in eight
feet of water and was four feet below the
top of the sluice, the sides of which were as
smooth as a polished floor. How TO get
was a question that Zeiffer had not con-
sidered. 1t required one hand to hold the
girfs head above the water and the other
hand to keep from sinking himself. he
There was only one thing to do, and that
was to attempt to throw the girl out. This
lie ulu Dy L great e1OrI, put the force OF
throwing her upward forced his body en-
tlrely under the water and his feet struck
the fianges of the turbine wheel, placing
him in danger of getting himself caught
under water, where ii would be impossible
to extricate himself before he would drown.
The effort to throw the girl out was sue
ceSsful. and then when Mr.. Zeiffer came to
the surface again he found more trouble in
getting out himself. He found that the top
Of the Sluice was a little too high for him
to reach. The only thing that he could do
was to allow himself TO sink again and
then spring from the bottom and endeavor
to catch the top OF the Sluice blindly. He
was again successful. but when he had Sc
cured his hold II was no easy thing to climb
out, as any one who has ever tried TO
climb out of water under such circum-
stances will readily understand. But al
last he managed to get out.
The little girl was still unconscious, and
it took hard work TO revive her. She was
rolled on a barrel and put through many
other processes to expel the water from
her lungs. Success at last crowned the eff
fort. and the girl opened her eyes to con-
sciousneSS. 1t was an extremely narrow es-
ape, and only those who have seen such
mills and know the appearance of the
seething whirlpool into which the girl fell,
can appreciate the situation and realize
what ii meant to jump in after her.