The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-11-25
LIFE NEARLY EXTINCT
WHEN DISCOVERED
Ore Dust Is Filled Into Bin While
Victim Is Working There Unbe-
known to Other Employes-Was
Imprisoned in Pit for Nearly Ten
Minutes.
(special to THE TIMEs.)

Indiana Harbor, Ind, Nov. U.s.
beneath thirty tone of iron ore for ten
minutes. without any possible chance
to breathe pure air. Joe Bergenatzo still
lives to tell the tale Of his suffering.
Bergenatzo is an employe of the Inland
mills in this city and boards with
family of foreigners on Pennsylvania
avenue. His miraculous escape is the
conversation of the hour among Harbor
medical practitioners. who declare that
never before in their careers have they
met with so extraordinary a consti-
tuition.
The victim of the accident. If the
disaster may be called, was busily en-
gagged on Monday evening in sweeping
siftings from the central hopper of the
huge ore weighing bins. Over his head
lowered another of the large steel hop
pers, while directly beneath him is the
final, or receiving bin. into which the
weighed material is poured for distrf-
button. It is the labor Of certain
class Of employees to weigh the ore,
dumping thirty or more tons into the
Central hopper and sitting out suf-
ii Aent quantity to satisfy their needs.
The upper hopper is always full of
powderous ore and from this is the de-
mand satisfied.
No Witness To Accident.
At the time Of the accident, no one
knew that Berfienatzo was in the cen
trail bin. and some one. commenced tc
drop the ore through the chute and
into the bin. His cries for assistance
were evidently drowned by his frigh
and the noise of the rushing metal
Upward and upward the ore crept, the
heavy material literally forcing him t
the floor of the bin. Ton after tor
was poured in on top of his semi pros
trate FORM until eight feet of thu
metal dust was in the bin, aggregatint
about thirty tons. For ten minutes h
lay thus. until the final weighing wa
completed and the signal given for tn
drawing off of the ore.
This was speedily accomplished b,
the drawing out of huge slide. Hard
ly had the first small stream of or
passed through, when the slide oper
ator saw a human form shoot throug
the aperature and into the lower biz
Startled, and fearing that someone ha
bene killed he hastily shut off the out
let, and lifted the unconscious Der
genatzo into the air.
Rescued In Nick of Time.
Doctors Teegarden and Ansley wer
called. and worked over the man fc
almost half an hour, before he Shove
any signs of resusciation. 1t We
found that he had suffered a sever
conclusion of the brain, due probabl
to the blow received when he fell int
the lower bin. In additio nto this il
jury, the air passages of his thro;
were filed with the choking powd,
and his body almost blue from IL
compression of his flesh. AS soon as
was conscious enough to be moved, /
was taken to his boarding place, {
Pennsylvania avenue. where he is r
ported as doing nicely.
Physicians of Indiana Harbor decla
that had Bergenatzo been under II
mass of ore for even two minut
longer. his life would have been lite
ally squeezed out. The heart actit
was almost extinct when he was re
cued from a fearful death in the bins.