The Penn's Grove record., 1915-01-29
CLOSE TO AWFUL END
ACCOUNTING DEATH VERY NEAR TO
THIS MAN.
On Bale of Silk in Vat of ScaIdinq
Water the Sufferines of a Life
time Were Compressed Into
a Few Minutes.

A man who is now at the head OF
one of the largest establishments for
dyeing silks in this country tells a
story of a strange and thrilling adven-
ture that he passed through when
he was still only the superintendent
of the boiling room"
Silk, he says, in telling the story,
has been the means of my living,
n once it saved my life. Have you
ever been in a room where they boil
the raw silk? It's a hot, steaming
place, with great bubbling watts that
are sunk to a level with the floor.
The raw silk, in bales, all fluffy and
sticky, comes in on rolling trucks and
is dumped into the watts. The mass
has to be stirred about a good deal
before it goes under.
Just before the moor hour one day
a truck came in with two bales on it.
Dump it into number six vat |
told the men. I'll stir it if you fell
lows want to go to dinner
when they had gone / began to
look round for the stirring fork. l
couldn't find it anywhere. 'Confound
Bill" said to myself. He loses ev-
erything.'
Il had hardly got the words out of
my mouth when my foot went off the
edge of the vat. / felt myself falling
and / was seized with the full con-
viction of death. :
Il had time to think over just how
terribly hot the boiling water would
feel and to wonder how much of me
would be left when the men came
back from dinner. Then / felt myself
land fiat on my back on the mass of
floating silk.
ITO this day l can see the very
look of the old smoky roof as l lay
on the island Of silk with the boiling
water on all sides. 1t was horribly
hot there; the ~perspiration started out
all over me, and l felt that / must
move.
First, however, / shouted as loudly
as | could. When no n answered l
cautiously tried to turn on my side.
The bale of fiber began slowly to roll
over Nearly paralyzed with terror,
| threw out n arm. 1t was just
enough change in balance; / felt the
rolling motion stop. Then / knew it
wouldn't do to move. l lay on my
back, poised on the middle Of the bale,
and walled for help. After a minute
or two | began to realize that the silk
was slowly sinking into the vat.
you could hardly notice the motion.
At first l could look out of the corner
of my eye and see the edge Of vat num-
Der eight. A little later, when / looked
again, it was out of my line of vision.
l couldn't move without having the
bale roll over, and if | remained still
l would go down inch by inch into the
scalding water below.
Il can remember that l became a
little ~hysterical. It's funny, what
tricks the mind plays.
"sThis is dyeing with a vengeance
l said aloud, and l even laughed as /
said it.
1T was growing hotter. Steam had
begun to %percolate through the silk.
and | was wet through with the sitting
clouds that rose from the surface of
the water. l had no idea of time. BY
and by, however, some one answered
my shouts. The door opened and two
men came rushing across the room.
"'Get a pole!' shouted one.
81 knew that would be fatal; the
slightest push and l would roll over in
to the steaming stew.
Boys cried l, don't touch me or
it will be all over! One of you turn
off the feed pipe. Let the other man
go down the ladder. The pipe that
empties this vat is on the left. Turn
it on-full. Do it quick!
Il could hear the chugi chug! of the
steam being cut off from the vat; a
moment later l could see the wet rim
that ~broadened round the edges, and l
knew the water was falling. It took
half an hour to empty number six. For
a while the two men a. round like
excited June bugs. Then they got a
rope and sat on the edge of the vat
watching me with great staring y
"As the water ran out, the silk sank
now on one side, now on the other.
Once it started to roll. Both the men
grunted and sat up very straight. Sud
denly one of them cried out:
There's the bottom!'
Il felt the mass of silk settle against
something. I heard the last water gulp
as it ran out. Then l tainted away
Youths Companion.