The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1901-12-05

Allen was employed at a patent fuel
works at Sunderland One night one
of the large tar stills at the works be-
gan to leak. The next morning
workman named Mcleod entered the
tar still to make the necessary repairs.
The tar had been drawn and the work
man removed the cap in order to allow
the fumes to escape. No one was pay
ing any particular attention to Nc
Leod, for although It was generally
known that there was always more or
less danger attending any work in the
stills, repairs had been made so fire.
quently with no injurious results that
the men had long since ceased to expe-
rience any feeling Of anxiety when
workman lowered himself into one Of
the stills.
A number of the men had seen Nc
Leod disappear within the tank this
morning. however. and as the minutes
passed and no sound of his work
reached the men. Richard Lawson, an
other still man, became worried He
FASTENED to the tar tank to see if any
thing was wrong with Mcleod. All
was as silent as the tomb when he
reached the still, and his shouts re-
ceived no answer. Fearing for the
safety of his comrade, he quickly low
cred himself into the still. Once again
some time passed. and as nothing was
heard from either man another employee
Of the works, Weddle by name, at
tempted to make a double rescue, for
by this time it was decided that the
men had been overpowered by the
fumes of the still. Great excitement
prevailed when Weddle went down and
q great crowd of wOrkmen surrounded
the still and shouted down suggestions,
to which Weddle made reply from
time to time. Great was the consterna-
ton of all when this brave fellow no
longer gave back shout for shout. 1t
was just when the excitement was at
its height that Allen rushed on the
scene. He grasped the situation at a
glance, and, pushing the men to right
and left, he made a dash for the still.
> tying a rope around his waist as he
/ went, and carrying another with him.
/ The men quieted down and silently
2 followed Aliens terse, decisive COM
mands. Allen was lowered into the
] still. He carefully tied a rope around
] one of the victims, gave the rope by
] which he was suspended a sharp jerk
e and was Immediately pulled to the sur
J. face of the pit. He held one end of the
e rope to which one of the PROSTATE men
e was attached, and when he had gained
a the fresh air again he pulled after him
q Weddle.
Hardly waiting to gain his breath
Allen made another downward trip and
came up with another victim. By this
time he himself was pretty well ex
: hausted. but his courage and deter
mination to rescue the third man never
faltered.
Quickly he swung down again to the
- bottom of the still to release Mcleod
but he discovered that the workmen'i
feet were fast in some manner anC
while endeavoring to extricate him Al
len was almost overcome.
He came up empty handed and al
soon as he was sufficiently recovered t,
make the trip again he insisted upor
being lowered into the still. This time
he succeeded in releasing Mcleod anC
bringing him up with him, thus effect
ing a triple rescue and making fou
trips into the suffocating fumes Of tn,
"a still Two of the men recovered rapid
~ ly. and Mcleod. the third man, whit
,s was seriously burned. added his chez
n to that of the rest of the workmel
r when Allen was presented with tn
Or gold medal