The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-22
KILLED BY A BURSTING WHEEL
j. w. LEES INSTANT DEATH IN THE
CENTRAL RAILROAD SHOPS.

Fragment. of Shattered Pulley
struck Him In the Head-Never
Knew what Hit Him-The Cause of
the Breaking of the Wheel IA Mys-
tery-Lee's Body Taken to POOIer
for Burial
j. w. Lee, aged 30 years. a carpenter,
was instantly killed in the Central Rail-
road car shops about O'Clock yesterday
afternoon by piece Of pulley, when
shattered while in motion. The iron
weighed nearly thirty pounds, and,
but for the fact the blow was a eide
glance, Lees head would probably have
been severed from h. body.
The accident SIMS to have been ere
which no preca/>ion could have prevented
and in many respects is a mystery. ior-
ty-inch pulley, spinning around at the
rate of 354 revolutions a minute, broke
into pieces, with no other apparent ex-
PLANTATION except the speed at which 1t was
running The matter is inexplicable to
the mechanics about the shops, because
the wheel was not being driven at a dam
gerous rate of speed and came in contact
with nothing that would have caused the
catastrophe. There is a maximum num-
Der of feet at which cast iron wheels can
be driven with safety, and the fact the
wheel was not revolving beyond the limit
makes the bursting a mystery which adj
mits of no ready solution. 1t is said that
the wheel was not defective in any way, or
at least it was selected from among a
Of
defect was noticed by the workmen ham
ding it.
Lee was working in the east end OF the
carpenter shop, cutting openings in a moor
through which to run belts from puiley
in the basement to a large pianlng ma
chine on the floor above. The engine by
which the planer is operated rests just out
side the building and a belt runs in an
angular direction to a pulley just on the
outside of the building, and on level with
the basement floor This pulley connects
with the one which shattered by hneal
shaft, the two being about fifteen teet
apart. There was no belt on the puley
that flew to pieces and 1t was for the pur-
pose of attaching one and making the
connection with the planer that Lee was
cutting the hole in the floor.
terrific noise from the basement told
the employees above that something mad
gone wrong, and all rushed to see what had
happened. Inc ITSI lHlHB seen DIS til'S
the pulley was not on its shaft and large
fragments air over the basement at once
revealed the trouble Lee was lying on
the floor near the hole dead. with an ugly
wound over the right eye, the forehead de-
pressed and the skull fractured. lie was
lifted up by his fellow employees and car
ried outside the shop. The terrific blow
which he received produced death so
quickly that he probably did not experience
pain.
1t is supposed that he was facing the
wheel when il shattered. 1t was evident
he was using. a hand ak, which was found
| lying near, and was chopping through
heavy joist. The piece of wheel, which
is supposed to have struck him, passed
through the hole which was partially
cleared, and landed against bar of iron
about two inches in diameter and which
was bent sufficiently to show the great We
locity of the flying fragment.
Foreman w. J. Robider, of the car
shops, telegraphed Mrs Lee at Pooler,
and asked that she come to Savannah
| on the train which arrive at o'clock,
| if possible. Being intensely anxious from
| the unexpected news the lady arrived
heart-broken and could not rest until TAX
| en- to the undertaking establishment of
Fox & Weeks, where the remains of the
husband who had been so suddenly
stricken were to stay until conveyed to
! Pooler where the interment will
| take place. Mr.. Robider also
! notified Coroner Goette of the accident.
The coroner arrived in a short time, and
| decided to hold an inquest this morning.
| Unless something unforeseen is revealed,
| however, it will be impossible to find the
cause or locate the, blame, if there is any.
| From what was learned al the shops, such
| contingencies are guarded against by the
| exercise of considerable precaution, and
there was probably nothing which would
give either the company or the unfortu-
| nate man any reason TO apprehend danger.
| Lee was a Mason and was also mem
! Der of the Pooler Rifles, military organ,
| ization, in which he took much interest
and by the members of which he was
held in high esteem and respect. He is
| spoken of as one of the best mechanics
| in the employ of the Central Railroad,
! with which he had been seventeen years
and kind fellow feeling existed between
him and the other mechanics. The fun
! eral will take place at Pooler and will
| doubtless be attended by large number
| OF the railroad employees residing here.
/
sHAINESPEARE IN COURT.