Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-05-08
CLOSE TO AWFUL END
AeoNIZlNG DEATH VERY NEAR TO
THIS MAN.

A man who is now at the head OF
one Of the largest establishments for
dyeing silks in this country tells a
story os 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
and once il 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 vats. The mass
has to be stirred about a good deal
before 1t goes under.
Just before the noon 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 fel-
lows want to go 10 dinner
When they had gone / began to
look round for the stirring fork.
couldn't find it anywhere. 'Confound
Bill" said l to myself. He loses ev-
erything'
II had hardly got the words out of
my mouth when my foot went off the
edge of the vat. | felt myself falling
ana L Yves seized with the full con
viction Cf death.
Il had time to think over just how
terribly hot the boiling water would
feel and to wonder how much os me
would be left when the men came
back from dinner. Then felt myself
land fat on my back on the mass of
floating silk.
ITO this day / 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 persp spiration started out
all over me, and ! felt that / must
move
First, however, shouted as loudly
as | could When no one answered /
cautiously tried to turn on my side.
The bale of fiber began slowly to roll
over Nearly paralyzed with terror,
] threw out one arm. It was just
enough change in balance; l felt the
rolling motion stop Then l knew it
wouldn't do TO move. 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 could look out of the corner
of my eye and see the edge of vat num-
ber eight. A little later, when l looked
again, it was out of my line of vision.
/ couldn't move without having the
bale roll over, and if l remained still
| would go down inch by inch into the
scalding water below.
Il can remember that | became a
little hysterical. It's funny, what
tricks the mind plays.
This is dyeing with a vengeance
l said aloud, and | 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. ! 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 polel shouted one
Il knew that would be fatal; the
slightest push and would roll over in
to the steaming stew.
Boys, cried /, don't touch me or
it viii be all overt 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 quickl
Il could hear the chug! chugi of the
steam being cut off from the vat: a
moment later l could see the wet rim
that broadened round the edges, and |
knew the water was falling. 1t took
half an hour to empty number six. For
while the two men ran round like
excited June bugs Then they got a
rope and sat on the edge of the vat
watching me with great staring eyes.
"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 bottoml'
Il felt the mass of silk settle against
something | heard the last water gulp
as it ran out Then tainted away
Youths Companion.