The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-23
.ALL alone DEATH
CAME INSTANTLY.
Continued From First pagc3

Continued From First PagcD
half hour or moro that the body OF MIR.
1,lnnkenshIp was discovered, and tho
manner in which he met his dcf.th was
disclosed. tHlet, he fell Into tho race
way he was alone and mono saw or
heard him as he Went down. Ills con-
tinued and unexplained absence caused
alarm, which provoked q general search
for him. When he was ut last found, 1t
was moro thai, three hours Stree he had
been seen, dead or alive, By any man on
the place. ,s55,
AS superintendent and manager, Mr..
Blankcnstip had entire charge Of tho
Belle Isle Works. and general oversight
o. the affairs OF the establishment. Not
withstanding tho fact that lie had skilled
men under him, to whom he might have
delegated tho task Of looking after the
details in the several departments, 1t
was his frequent custom to give his per
sonal attention to many OF these little
things. SO 1t happened on yesterday.
Some carpentry repair work was neces-
sary, and though he carried his master
carpenter with him, Mr.. Blankcnship
personally undertook to prepare q sketch
or specification OF the proposed improve
mcnts.
The Horseshoe Shop.
Thus about noon the superintendent
went from his office to the horseshoe de-
rartment, toward the other end Of the
Island. Accompanying him was Mr.,
Woodward. head Of the carpenter shop.
The two Inspected the place. After
while, Mr.. Woodward went away to din
ncr, leaving Mr. Bankenship there. The
latter spoke to Foreman Schneider, re-
marking about the rottenness Of some
OF the timbers. with his hand he pulled
n piece out OF one Of the huge jolats.
The mark Is still displayed by the work
men: the words the superintendent ut
tered at that time were probably his
lust. ~
Tho machinery in the horseshoe depart
ment Is driven by a ponderous water
4 wheel. encased { in iron and lying flat.
This wheel is fed by q strong current
from the canal. The upper end of the
forebay is bridged by huge jolsts per-
3hnps ten inches apart. 1t was here and
among the corresponding timbers further
down that the repairs were to be made.
After it passes under the joists the wa
ter whirls through a great pipe by
ME ans Of which 1t reaches the Wheel De-
fore mentioned.
Fell Through Joists.
When he was last seen, Mr.. Blanken.5
shin was standing upon the jolsts draw
ing a sketch Of the place. For some days
past he had been somewhat indlsposed.
and had complained Of q headache. The
only conceivable supposiion Is that he
was seized with vertigo and fell between
the timbers, into the rushing water In
which he was swept into the pipe and
thence to the wheel. His notebook with
his half-finished drawing was found be-
side the place
His continued absence from his custom
airy haunts about the place, caused an
sunea siness among the employees, and
eventually a search. The superintendent
did not appear at the dinner that Is daily
served on the Isle, nor could he be found
anywhere about the works. The uneasl-5
ness was momentarily intensified, and
finally It was sugges' I'd that the miss
ing man must be in the canal The
wheel was stopped. the gateways were
let down, and the water ran slowly out.
a rnanhole In the casing OF the water
wheel was opened and four me n-Rlch-
ard Hunter and his SON.; Joe 4McGary,
and Willis Sydner-crawled In. Cropping
about in the pitch darkness, their hands
soon reached the body of Mr. Blanken-
ship. The nlutilation was slight. The
left hand was torn and the face SCARED
and, cut. But the body had evidently float
ed in the pipe until the water was let
out. While the water was in the wheel
there was not sufficient room within
tho casing to admit 1t. The unfortunate
man had met instantaneous death from
drawing @ a-s