The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-09-05
A TERRIBLE
EXPERIENCE
tONginal.1

as thS SopCNiul NOIh L uuNt
been engaged in is repairing. most of
my time when at work has been spent
inside the iron cylinder. People brought
into frequent contact with any partic-
ular danger soon become careless in
providing against 1t. The danger In
being inside a boiler or boiler casing
is that some one Will Sire up without
giving you chance to get out. But it
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
so it would If the noise were kept up.
One morning / was called upon to re-
pair the boilers of q large iron steamer.
She was to so on her regular trip tire
next day, and it 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. | went
into the steamers boilers at o'clock
in the morning, and at midnight, when
all on board except the Waterman We're
asleep, ] was still at work. had very
nearly finished when l was so tired
that had to rest before putting in the
last rlvets and sat down for the pur-
pose.
That was the last I had Of conscious
ness till l heard sharp clang. Great
heavens! | had gone to sleep! 1t was
morning, fire had been built, and the
noise l 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 ac-
complish that. Selling q hammer,
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 | began to feel warmth in the
iron. must either be roasted or scald-
| ed. Which would 1t be? The dreadful
alternative flashed through my mind,
| then gave place to the formation of
| some plan by which | might escape.
| Had l been in full possession of my
faculties | might have conjured up a
| dozen plans, but was so terror strick-
en- l could not think. My brain was
| paralyZed.
Hank. What is that roaring? The
newly kindled fire.
| 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 / again rained
blows on the iron, though | was aware
that it was all bricked up, and even If
/! the engineer or fireman had come in 1t
was not probable he would hear me.
Then / sat down and raved. knew
not whether l 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 so
1 many angry serpents.
Hotter grew the iron, more venom
Gus the Jets of steam. l was no lon
ger able to press my hand against the
former and knew that if l came In
contact with the latter 1 would be
scalded. Fortunately had heavy soles
on my boots, and these enabled me
still to stand on the hot metal.
1t Is said that drowning people pass
their whole lives In review. Why this
does not pertain to people dying other
deaths / do not know. 1t certainly
pertained to me. 1t seemed as If my
childhood and my youth were illumi
mated as by fash of lightning. And
| yet the most vivid rs well as the most
melancholy picture was my wife ano
children receiving the announcement
of my death. This brought q new raw
Ing. / shouted, pounded the hot iror
with my fist, which was blistered 10y
the touch; rushed frantically about the
narrow Enclosure, indeed was rapidly
becoming insane. Perhaps it was the
realization that / was losing my reason
which caused me to make an effort
to keep it.
What is it that keeps ideas out OF
our heads till it is well nigh too late tC
take advantage of them, then suddenly
thrusts them upon us to intensity oul
despair? All of sudden / remem
bered the few rivets that remained FOL
me to put in. Selling sledge,
rushed to the place where these rivets
were missing and began to rain blows
upon the place to make a break. Hao
time l might succeed, but the place
was filling with steam, and l must
soon perish from scalding. Giving Q
few last blows, | renowned all hope
expecting momentarily to fall agains
the hot iron, when heard the raspinl
sound of latch lifted, door opened
Ind l saw the excited face Of the engi
neer at the opening. / made one dasl
for the aperture. fell through it ant
tainted on the bricks before the fur