The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-09-24
A RUNAWAY HARVESTER.

/ The sight OF The monster combined harvester
| bsing run away with 10y 32 horses and mules
| was witnessed by res idcnts of Nisalia, Cali,
| early last week Ii was in many ways one OF
| tho most terrifying spectaclcs conceivable.
The excited animals dragged the NUMBERING
machin inc for nearly n mile while TIE four
operators clung 10 their posts or jumped to
save their lives. Tire cuondous clouds Of dust
| onveloped the runaway WHOM once II was
| started, adding an unusual werdncs3 TO the
| scene and amplifying the anxiety Of every
| behoder.
"A runaway of such character Il not
en,icinc 10 the life.saver, ana this one was
allowed 10 have it's full course until IT was
| stopped by the 32 mules and horses piiing in a
heap at the end OF. the field.
The monster harvester was making one OF
| its regular trips up field in the Packwood
district, southwest of Visalia. when piece Of
wood from one Of the numerous OAK trees in
| tho vicinity got caught I'm the revolving ma
chiHeTy. grinding and crushing sound
ensued and frightened the horses. William
Fulgham was driving. Before he could get
the huge machine stopped the horses and
mules had become unmanagcable The two
| leaders commenced TO dash about in their
| harness and each succeeding team caught 10
excitement.
The noise OF the harves' or increased - The
| horses accelerated thoir speed; the fans of tho
! reaper thrashed the dust lavishly: the low
| bed and wheels Of the throshor itself spread
the dust in great clouds, creating still further
| terror among the animals and binding the
| men who still stuck to their posts
IL was no easy task TO cling 10 the machine.
| Mr. Fulgham, the driver, swayed and rocked
| in his preclrious outpost, trying the while
| most desperately to cling TO his seat, and at
! the same time hold the two rcins connecting
with the plunging leaders. Al lcngth the
| joring proved too much for him, and he fell
| backward down the ladder.like projection.
! Startled by this accident the man on TIE
| throsher resolved 20 jump S1mmoning all
| his strength, he leapcd from tie machine.
| The two other operators held on like bull dogs
| TO the sides of the harvester Three times
| one OF thom almost lost his grip.
| Thirty two animals in harness could not
possibly run any prolonged distance without
| becoming ontanglci in their harness The
! low swinging traces, supported only from the
| nocks of the mules by straps, with no poles to
| keep them from the ground. became enmeshed
| among the animals feet, with the leaping Of
| the gailop the animals got astride the
| tug" and on The wrong side Of the pul-chain
and thus confusion began. One of the leaders
| stumbled and W mt down More quickly than
| can be told, tho otncr animals were in heap
| upon the leaders.
The neighbors who had been drawn 10 wit
| ness the accident hastoned 30 the melee.
Fulgham, the driver, had Disappeared and
Hughes, the faclcr. The othcr two men had
got FREQ OF tho machine as il had come to a
stop anl had rushed forward TO assist in the
liberftlg of the mules and horses.
Anxiety as to the fate of Fulgh1m led sew
eral OF the would-be rescuers back over the
track They had gone but short distance
when Fulgham was seen coming toward them,
followed at not great distance ly Hughes
who had lcapcd from tho top OF the thresher.
Fulgham was n rough-ookiug sight But he
came up smiling and asking questions, won
dering how much was left Of his expensive
harvester.
BY some miracle he had rolled away from
the machine when he fell from tho seat, and
had escaped with no severer punishment
than "a shaking up and a scare.
Hughes had Jumped clear Of the machine
and had landed unhurt. IL was the work Of
almost an lour TO liberate the PROSTATE ani.
mails. All Of them had to be unharnesscd
and il was lively work to keep them from
plunging in the meanwhile. Some of them
were badly scratched, but not one was sori-
ously injured More remarkable still, the
harvester itself did not sustain sufficient
damages TO make respectable blacksmith S
hill -San Fran ncisco Examiner,