Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-23
HE is NOT BUILT TO BURN.


of the Keystone state.
Perhaps there is no man in PhoenixvllC
better known than Jacob II. Boyer, who is
chief briCklayer for a big local iron com.
pany. He is better known far and near as
the human salamander," or fireproof man
titles he has won by his wonderful ability
to stand great heat. PhoeniXville is quite q
commercial center, especially for the iron
and steel trade, and hardly day passes
but what some stranger comes to town, and
he invariably asks about Boyer, the fire
proof man." before he has been in town any
length of time, for he has heard of him
somewhere in his travels, and is anxious to
see the man who dares to enter a great
yawning furnace heated so hot that his
clothes are burned from his back and his
shoes from his feet.
Jacob II. Boyer is now a man OF some 30
years Of age, and a grandfather He como
from Pennsylvania German stock. He was
born and reared in West Pikeand township.
about three miles from PhoenXville. He
was educated in the little eight-cornered
schoolhouse near his home 1t is said that
he often amused and startled his playfel-
lows by his remarkable ability to stand the
heat The boys would build brush fires to
see who could stand the nearest to the
blaze. and Boyer always won the prize. for
he had his hair singed off and his clothes
nearly burned from his back more than
once. He once sat on a brush heap while it
burned from under him, and came off with
no injury save the loss of his clothes and
shoes. For that feat he was hogged by his
teacher and when he reached home with
the charred remains of clothing hanging to
him in shreds his father gave him another
fogging as punishment for his foolhardy
act; the Boyers had no money to throw away
in clothing.
When Jacob was a youth of some II years
he went to learn the trade OF brckayer. In
time he became a journeyman, and many a
front he helped to lay. In time he found
employment with an iron company, which
work was more to his keeping, for he could
satisfy his abnormal desire by working about
the hot furnaces. He had not long been in
the employ of the iron company before he
gave his employers and fellow employees some
startling exhibitions of his ability to stand
the heat. Sometimes the furnaces would get
out of repair, and 1t would become neces-
sary to. repair them while they were still
hot that time might not be lost.
CURLED HIS HAIR.
One day furnace partly fell in and It be-
came necessary for some quick repairs to be
made The boss bricklayer did not Gee how
1t could be dore, as the furnace was smok-
ing hot, and he thought that no man would
by and at once volunteered to make the
needed repairs.
why, Jacob" said the old man, you will
be roasted alive If you venture into that fur
mace as hot as 1t is now"
"Never mind" said Boyer; 81 will fix it,"
And he did. He went into that furnace and
replaced the bricks that had fallen in, and
came out but little the worse for his daring
job. His hair and beard were snged and
curled by the heat. his clothes were scorched
and the soles of his shoes twisted and
charred.
That daring feat won for Boyer the title of
the "fireproof man." In time the head of
the bricklayers of the iron works died, when
Boyer was Immediately appointed to fill the
He was now his own "boss" and
had no one to chide him for his daring feats
Since he has been in charge of the bricklay-
ers of the works he has never asked any one
Of his employees to risk his life always him
self assuming any risk to be taken. Many
l time has he entered furnaces when his men
never expected to see him return alive for
he work of bricklayer about iron and steel |
works is anything but easy. The bricklayer
about such establishments may have but |
little to do much OF the time, but when he |
s wanted he Is wanted badly, and must !
respond at once, since delays are expensive. |
may be going on all right, when |
Ill of sudden a brick or two may fall in |
While the furnace Is In heat, and unless they |
ire replaced the whole heat may be lost or |
become a conglomerate of bricks and molten |
teel, known to iron and steel workers as |
'salamander." When a brick falls in there |
S danger of others following. In order to |
rick must be replaced. This is an intensely
lot job, for the furnace Is heated to a white
leat, and the molten steel seethes and bolls /
ike so much water.
In such emergencies Boyer Is In demand
lie learns the spot from which the brick
las fallen, and 1t Is his work to replace 1t
With another. He cannot enter the furnace,
or the furnace Of Moloch was never heated
otter. But he replaces the fallen brick.
lie wraps his face carefully with a woollen
CART, gloves his hands, and with his great
ongs stands at tho door of the furnace and
'orks away until the brick or bricks have
cen replaced. Often the tongs bend in his
ands, and his mask Is burned from his
ace. He works over seething, boiling steel
hat snars and spits worse than the crater
a volcano full Of burning lava Some
lea of the intense heat may be had when
Is said that one OF these great Phoenix
lille furnaces contains forty or forty-hve
Dns of molten steel heated to a tempera-
lre OF 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. There
re several of these mammoth furnaces, and
ny one may need some repair at any time.
RIPE FOR HOT WORK.
II there is any one thing that Is especially
Undesirable about a steel plant II is for
to form in one Of the furnaces,
a "salamander" may form fam
trfiing cause, and when II Is once formed
10 whole furnace must be torn down IN order
get II out, for forty tons OF solid steel
Ill hardly come out of the furnace door as ,
went in II may take days OF blasting
ith dynamite 10 break up the "saiaman- /
or" and get II out OF the way. II Boyer can