The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-03
FIRE WON'T TOUCH HIM.
JACOB BOTER, THE HUMAN sALA-
MANDER OF PHESIxTILLE,
Tie Takes Pleasure In working Around Iro-
and Steel Furnaces mud In Situations
In which No Nun Wishes to Replace
Him-IIi- Habit. Hard for His Family.

fHUN1NN1IIE, Dec. EO,-feTnhDS tnero Is no
man in Phunixviile better known than Jacob
II. Boyer. who is chief brIoklayor for a big local
iron company. lie is better known far and near
as the human salamandor.' OF f~lreproof man,
titles he has won by his wonderful ability to
stand great heat. Phnnixville is quite q COM
mercial centre. especially for the iron and steel
trade. and hardly a day passes but what some
stranger comes to town, and he invariably asks
about Boyer. the "freproof man" before he has
been in town any length Of time, for he has
heard of him somewhere In his travels, and 10
anxious to see the man who dares TO enter .
great yawninr furnace heated so hot that his
clothes are burned from his back and his shoes
from his feet.
Jacob II. Boyer IL now n man OF some IS years
OF age, and a grandfather. He comes from
Pennsylvania German stock. He was
born and reared in West Pikcland township
about three miles from Phnnixville. lie was
educated In tho little eight-cornored schools
house near his homo. It Is said that no often
amused and startled his play fellows by his re-
markable ability to stand tho 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 slnged Off and his
clothes nearly burned from his back more than
once. He once sat on n brush heap while IL
burned from under him. and came Off with no
injury save the loss OF his clothes and shoes.
For that feat he was logged by his teacher, and
when he reached homo with the charred re-
mains Of clothing hanging to him in shreds his
father gave him another nogging as a punish-
ment for his toolhardv act; the Boyers had no
money to throw away In clothing.
When Jacob was n youth OF some IL years he
went to learn the trade of briCklRyer. In time
he became n journeyman. and many n front he
helped to lay. In time he found cnploymont
his keeping, for he could satisfy his abnormal
desire by working about the hot furnaces. He
company before he gave his employers and
fellow employees some startling exhibitions OF
furnaces would get out OF repair. and it would
become necessary TO repair item while they
one day a furnace partly fell in and IL became
T1css so.. b IGr sGWs 3 3is no, rs sss Sow 70 !, DO soS @sd be-
done, a. the furnace was smoking hot. and 10
thought that no man would dare venture into
1t Boyer was standing by. and at once volun-
teered to make the needed repairs.
why. Jacob" said the old man, you will be
roasted alive u you venture into that furnace as
"Seyer mind said Boyer; u will hx It,"
And he did; lie went int. that furnace and
out but little the worse for his daring JOB. His
hair and beard were sinced and curled BY tn.
heat, his clothes were scorched. and the soles OF
hi. shoe. twisted and charred.
That daring feat won for Boyer the title OF
bricklayers OF the iron works died. when Boyer
Was Immediately appointed to hl the vacancy:
chide him for his daring feats. since he has
been In charge OF the brIcklayers OF the works
f he has si n0y iif. s'G AVIAN ANY 2 SlS Of PTS s. s@DiGyee sa TO
risk 10 be taken; Many u time has he entered
furnaces ;sr w9 .iTva his ;or men ,S, never Mo,s eIpee Ssdct e sse
about iron, and steel works is anything but easy.
The bricklayer about such establishments
time. but when he Ia wanted he is wanted badly,
and must respond at once. since delays are ex-
when all OF a sudden a brick or two may fail in
while the furnace is in heat, and unless they are
a conclomerate of bricks and molten steel
known TO iron and steel workers as "salaman-
der" When q brick falls in there Is, danger OF
others following. In order to save the furnace
and the metal therein the brick must. be re-
furnace Is heated TO a white heat. and the mott
en- stee! seethes and. boils like so much water.
learns an ss the e spot fFom Sh TEXT the 6 sP csn mas fallen.
and 1t is his work TO replace II with another. He
cannot enter the furnace for the furnace OF Mo-
the fallen brick. lie wraps his face carefully
with a woollen scarf, gloves hts hands, and with
and ansS work. away until the brick or bricks have
been, replaced. often the tones bend In his
lie works over seething. boiling steel that snarls
and splits worse than the crater Of a volcano full
may be had when II is said that one OF these
great PhGnixville furnaces contains forty or
temperature OF 900 degrees Fahrenheit. There
are several OF these mammoth furnaces, and
II there Is any one thing that is especially UNI
desirable about n steel plant it is FOR a "sala-
tImes a salamanca" may form from a ,riaina
cause. and when II Is once formed the WHO'S
furnace must be torn down, In order 10 get u
come out OF the furnace door a. IL went In. IL
may take days of blasting, with dynamite to
the way. II Boyer can save the works the mis-
fortune of having one "salhmander" IN a year
he has earned IA pretty good salary II he does
Some time ago It became necessary for MI.
had fallen in and others threatened to ian: The
furnace was still very hot, probably 1900 de:
above boiling, Boyer went in order TO make the
repairs necessary; He clothed himself In woollen
through the door. and stood on the iron CRATES.
His shoes were soon on fire. when he called, for
s w6lis q h. w ,o nSsh " f f.. b On lSr t h,% w .S s, .oon I'm IN
flames. and tho fire curisd and cracked about
the daring mans feet , The sweat Hr burst from o
kept on ut work until his repairs were
fifteen. minutes. HIS tools became SO hot
that they burned his hands; his shoes were
scorched and his hair and beard CURED by tho
heat. When he came out he was MS weak as "a
done and tho furnace saved. This is only ono
among the many like experiences OF Boyer's at
The hour when he may be called on, for he may
be hurried out OF bed 70 repair 2 furnace that
e sSs SS9s w uRa com ls ms S a seoa b blSh ss sH sSs
NSAak
since he saves great losses sometimes by his re-
markable ability. Changes take place, men
come and go, but Boyer still remains In good
times and bad. for he cannot he spared.
This man who can stand on burning CRATES
and deiics the heat OF the furnaces and works
with the flames rolling about his feet .wllts be-
fore tho least extreme of solar heat. When the
weather gets hot he will fee from 90 degrees Of
solar heat and 20 down to the mill and sit
down in iao degrees OF heat from the furnace
fires to cool off. Last summer during the, hot
weather he remained most OF tho time about
the mill rather than expose himself 10 the heat
OF the sun HIS body has undergone a complete
change and he Is at variance with his environ-
mcnt, The cold weather has a most distressing
effect on his system, and very often he. will oe
seen going about when Others are In light
clothes with his overcoRt buttoned up to lis
chin. His habit Ia such that II is hard for him TO
hhd a congeuial temperature outside the mill.
Mr.. Boyer has no little trouble to adjust him
self to tho temperature OF his house. for his
family are not used to the extremes OF heat he
has so often endured. notwithstanding the
change wrought in his system, MIR. Boyer is y
strong, hearty man, seldom Is sick, and has not
a gray. hair In his great shock OF auburn
hair. He belongs to a lonE.lived family, and
says he expects to live to II good old age unlesA