The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1902-09-26
A TERRIBLE
EXPERIENCE
tOriginal1

ular danger soon become careless In |
providing against 1t. The danger In
being inside a boiler or boiler casing
IL that some one will fire up without |
giving you a chance to get out. But II |
always seemed to me that the constant
noise attendant upon boiler repairing
would keep the outside world advised
Of the repairer's presence within And
30 it would II the noise were kept up.
One morning l was called upon to re-
pair the boilers OF large iron steamer.
She was to go ON her regular trip the
next day, and IL was essential that the
job should be finished In time. Unfortu-
nately had Just had such another job
and had been at work without any
sleep for twenty-four hours. l went
into the steamers boilers at 8 O'Clock
In the morning and at midnight. when
all on board except the watchman were
asleep. l was still at work. had very
nearly finished when I was 50 tired
that had to rest before putting In the
last rlvets and sat down for the pur
pose.
That was the last Ehad Of conscious
ness till I heard a sharp clang. Great
heavens. I had gone to sleep! II was
morning, a fire had been built, and the
noise I had heard was the furnace
door being shut after the lighting Of
the fire.
l didn't need time to become thor
oughly awake. The instinct OF self
preservation was quite enough to &C.
complish that. Seizirg a hammer, I
struck Justify on the Iron casing. The
fireman would doubtless have heard
me had he not gone out Of the boiler
room as soon as he had lighted the fire.
How could he have been SO careless
as not to assure himself that the re-
pairing had ended and the repairer
gone? Doubtless he had come ON duty
| In the morning and. finding everything
quiet. supposed the boiler ready for
use. At any rate. no one heard me. for
there was no one near enough to hear.
Soon I began to feel a warmth In the
| iron. must either be roasted or scald-
| ed Which would II be? The dreadful
| alternative flashed through my mind,
| then gave place to the formation Of
some plan by which l might escape.
Had I been IN full possession OF my
faculties I might have conjured up q
dozen plans, but was 50 terror strick-
en- l could not think. My brain was
paralyzed.
Hark! What Is that roaring? The
newly kindled dre.
Rushing madly from one point to an
other Of my small prison. felt eagerly
for some weak spot. knowing that
there was no weak spot, for l had re-
paired every one. Then l again rained
blows on the iron, though I was aware
that IL was all bricked mp. and even II
the engineer OF fireman had come I'm IL
was not probable he would hear me.
Then l sat down and raved- 1 knew
not whether I was the more terrified
at the roaring Of the fire or the kissing
Of the steam, which was beginning to
spit at me through certain vents like 90
many angry serpents.
Hotter grew the iron. more venom
GUS the Jets Of steam l was no Ion
ger able TO press my hand against the
former and knew that II l came In
contact with the latter I would bs
scalded. Fortunately had heavy sole,
on my boots, and these enabled me
still to stand on the hot metal
1t is said that drowning people pas
their whole lives In review. Why thi
does not pertain to people dying othe
deaths l do not know 1t certaini,
pertained to me. 1t seemed as II N.
childhood and my youth were illuml
mated as by a fash Of lightning. AM
vet the most vivid as well as the mos
melancholy picture was my wife an
> children receiving the announcement
of my death. This brought q new ra,
ing. l shouted. pounded the hot iro
with my fist. which was blistered b
the touch; rushed frantically about th
| narrow inclosure, indeed was rapid
becoming insane. Perhaps IL was tn
realization that was losing my reaso
| which caused me to make an effor
, to keep II.
What is IL that keeps ideas out Q
our heads till IL is well nigh too late I
take advantage Of them, then suddenl
thrusts them upon US to intpsify os
despair? All Of a sudden ! remeu
bered the few rivets that remained Il
me to put In. SEEKING q sledge,
rushed to the place where these rive'
were missing and began to rain blow
upon the place to make a break. Ha
time I might succeed. but the plas
was filling with steam. and l mu
soon perish from scalding. Giving
few last blows. I renounced all hop
expecting momentarily to fall again
the hot iron. when l heard the raspir
sound OF latch lifted, a door opene
and l saw the excited face Of the eng
neer at the opening. l made one dai
for the aperture. fell through 1t al
tainted on the bricks before the fu
mace.
Had / not given the last blows {
the spot where the rivets had not be,
put In l should have perished I'm a fe
minutes. The engineer at that nome
came I'm to begin oiling the engin
heard the blows and barely opened 4
door In time to enable me to save u
life.
This was my last job Of boiler men
ing. Often since then I have been {
fered high wages to go into the
places. with the promise Of perfe
watch while engaged inside. but ha
always declined. ! do not fear a
currence Of my terrible experience. b
am unable TO bear the horror broug
back by being within the iron inc
sure. EVAN MALISTER