Putnam patriot., 1916-04-07
MIRACULOUS ESCAPE
Eight Year-Old Boy Swept through I'm.
dergrOuad Tail Race and Lives
Went for Ball and Broke through Trench
Covering


years old, had the experience of being
carried in the swift flowing water OF
the tail race at the mill of the Putnam
Wooden Company, for distance OF be-
tween three and four hundred feet,
Monday afternoon, and is alive 10 tell
the tale. Or he could tell it if he could
remember snything about ii. He was
taken out at the gate to the wheel pit,
where his little body lodged against
the iron grating that keeps foreign
substances from entering the fiume.
Most of the journey was underground
as the water flows under Pomfret
street to the mill and there is about u
foot between the water level and the
covering of the trench. The boy was
unconscious when taken out and was
resusitated after nearly half an hours
first aid application by those first on
the scene and DIR. F. A. Morrell, who
was hastily summoned.
Henry is the son of Mr.. and MIS-.
Vance Fragano of Pomfret. The fami-
ly are Greeks but have lived in the
neighboring town tor the past fifteen
years. They came TO Putnam early
Monday morning TO visit their rela-
tives, Mr.. and Mrs. George 0mas, who
live in one of the mill tenements on
Pomfret street between the company's
two stock houses. In the afternoon
Henry and his little cousins were play
ing ball out in front of the home. The
house SETS well back from Pomfret
street and is close to the head of the
tail race where the Quinebaug river
enters il, furnishing the mill with
power. A part of the trench directly
in front of the houses is surrounded by
high picket fence as the boards GOV.
ering the race are rotten and full Of
holes. The ball with which the lads
were playing rolled under the fence
and Henry climbed TO the top of the
fence, jumped to the other side to get
the ball and disappeared through the
rotten boards into the swift running
water below.
His little pIaymates were SO fright
ened that they stood still and shouted
at the top of their voices but it was
several seconds before they could make
known what had happened. One of
the oldest ones ran to the house and
told the adults what had occurred. The
mothers of the children, both Mrs.
Fragano and Mrs. Omas, became fran
tic, as they could not realize which
child had fallen into the water. For
tunately p. l.. Waterman, superin
tendent of the Waterman Worsted
Company, was at one OF the stock
houses with some of his men and saw
the accident. There are two mills fed
by the trench which branches OIL in
two forks in the mill yard across Pom
fret street. Mr.. Waterman and the
men ran to the opening at the wheel
pit in No. 2 mill, which was nearest to
where the boy fell in, but not discover
ing the body ran further along to the
pit of No. 1Imill. Here they saw the
little fellows legs sticking up and had
but little difficulty in taking him from
the water. Had il not been for the
iron grating the boy would have been
carried into the pit and the water
wheel would have ground his body to
pulp.
When taken from the water it was
seen that there was o spark of life and
the usual methods ia first aid were ap
piled and doctor summoned. The
boy was partially revived and carried
to the home where he was visiting fol-
lowed by the ;sobbing women of the
family. The news of the accident
spread around the city and nearly a
thousand people congregated Mt the
scene. An hour after he entered the
water the boy was considered out of
danger and none the worse for his ex-
perience. His escape from death is
considered miraculous.