The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-07-22

electric cars OF the big cities, drivers Of
ambulances and ERE engines-tn fact OF
most any kind of vehicle, chauneurs OF
big power motors, navigators of airships,
etc, etc.
Unusual Occupations.
And this mention OF airships brings to
mind n list of unusual occupations-occu-
pations that are exceedingly dangerous.
but are participated In by very few peo-
pie. Aeronauts and airship men like San
tos Dumout and Roy knabenshue are
among them; Barney Oldheld. Webb Jay
and several other professional automobile
racers. the men who handle wild animals
at ZOOS and menageries and the broncho
busters Of the Western plains The soldier
in war time takes a good many risks for
his $3.50. but he fails to face the almost
certainty Of death that confronts the cir
Gus performer every time he loops the
loop on bicycle or leaps the gap on an
automobile. The men who repair dan
gerous steeples and the divers who 20
down where McGinty is supposed to be
Eliminating at the bottom OF the sea; the
bridge jumpers who leap for fame and
cash, and the circus tumblers and ath-
letes who seek to amuse by various phys
carelessly take their lives In their
hands and run as many risks as does the
man who makes q living by blasting rock
or shooting oil wells.
Every shop that has machinery in II
presents certain dangers to the workmen,
but they, having become used to the buzz
and hum of the grinding wheels and
whirring belts, are totally unconscious Of
their danger until mangled by their iron
lar NJ Clr
Gus thinks no more Of the danger he
runs than did the packer In a powder
MILL who was found calmly smoking his
cigar In the midst of enough stuff to
send the entire Russian Army to heaven
or wherever 1t deserved to go. He had
lighted the cigar after lunch aud forgot
to put II out when he entered the fac
tory. Men become familiar with the dan
gers that surround them and forget
about them until 1t Is too late. Doctors
and nurses, for instance. think no more
Of entering a smallpox infested house than
you or I do Of crawling into bed Mt night.
Though perhaps, the most dangerous
occupation there is--that of healing and
caring for the sick-those who enter II.
| thanks to their professional and scientific
training, take almost unconsciously, and
| certainly mechanically, precautions that
| effectively protect them nine times out OF
| ten. Particularly dangerous along this
line Is the Work OF the men III the D1C-
| THEOLOGICAL offices III the health depart
| ments of all big cities. who examine the
| spittle of supposed consumptives and the
culture Of diphtherid patients. looking for
germs of the disease. They usually wear
rubber gloves. an antiseptic coat and
silk mask.
Not alone In the waking hours does
danger beset. Somnambulists frequently
| arise from their beds and walk from
| roofs or plunge down elevator shafts.
| Only recently well-known ballplayer got
up from his berth on a coast line boat
aud, installing a direction. walked into
| the waters. He was never seen again
| and his body was not even recovered.
| Even so useful and harmless an article as
| a plate of false teeth can. like the worm.
| turn and take human life. Several peo-
pie within the past few years have been
| choked to death while In bed owing to
| the fact their false teeth slipped down
! their throats. A woman-a nervous
? sleeper, by the way-while dreaming
| wound herself up In the bedsheet and
smothered herself. She was found dead
| next morning. little child. trying to
| crawl through the Stats In the side Of
| its bed, got all its body through but its
head and hanged itself Fires fire.
quentIy break out at night. and the dan
I ger from this source, except In the most
| modern of buildings, Is considerable. No
| man knows when he may go to bed nud
forget to turn the gas completely OF. thus
| counting death by asphyxiation. In one
| week the papers OF the country showed
| that "a individuals were killed by either
| Illuminating, natural or coal gas while
| they slept. Every day brings to notice
| from somewhere or other at least one In
stance where individuals or whole families
| have narrowly escaped a termination OF
existence from this cause. To revert to
| a favorite theme of the comic papers. a
| boy engaged for the purpose, by watch
| ing the papers from all over the country,
| discovered three cases In a month where
people were killed by the closing OF
| folding beds. while one man actually
| suffered death as the result of the col
| lapse of an ordinary od-faShioned bed
| stead.
But despite 1t all. the last federal CEN
| sus shows that one person IN every 100000
population, or to be exact, 1904 people
| were living at the age OF 100 years or
over SAMUEL WILLIAMS HIPPLER.