Year: 1876

The farm Of John y. Cameron,
near Pittsville, Pa, was the scene Of n
fearful tragedy yesterday morning.
Mr.. Cameron early in the day, built
fire in his limekiln. He lowered
his son by means Of the bucket and
windlass into the kiln TO see that eve
rything was in order there, and then
the two went to their work half a mile
away. The operation OF lowering
the boy into the pit had been witness
ed by two other children of Mr.. Cam
eron's, boy nine years old and a girl
aged five. Soon after their father had
gone away, the little boy told his sis
ter to get in the bucket, and he would
give her ride. He helped her in,
and lowered her to the bottom Of the
kiln. When he attempted to pull the
bucket up. he could not move it, and
after several attempts, he ran home
and told his mother. Mrs. Cameron
and her mother-in-law, a lady about
20 years old, were the only persons in
the house. They both accompanied
the boy to the kiln. Mrs. Cameron,
on looking down into it, saw the body
Of her child lying in the bottom of
the pit, she having fallen from the
bucket, and discovered that the nox-
ious fumes from the burning limestone
had commenced TO GIL the kiln. Not
believing that her child was yet dead,
Mrs. Cameron placed her little son in
the bucket, and telling him to put the
body of his sister in it and to get back
into il himself MS soon as possible, she
lowered him to the bottom. He
jumped from the bucket and lifted the
body Of the girl into it, and then
clingiug to the side of it, was drawn a
short distance upward, when the gas
overpowered him and he fell back to
the bottom. Mrs. Cameron hurriedly
drew up the bucket containing the bo-
dy of her child, and placing the body
in the yard, told her mother-in-law
that she would have TO go down into
the kiln herself to rescue her son, and
that the old lady must handle the
windlass. The latter grasped the
crank, and Mrs, Cameron climbed in
TO the bucket. Her mother.in-law
lowered her one or two turns of the
crank, when the weight became too
much for her strength, and the crank
slipped from her hands, striking her
on the head rs it whirled round, aud
knocking her senseless to the ground.
Mrs. Cameron was hurled violently to
the bottom of the kiln, and was doubt
rlIass rendered unconscious before the
poisonous "a saslIss, effected ..fto her. The
heat in the kiln was now becoming in
tense, and but for the arrival of aid,
the bodies of Mrs. Cameron and the
boy would in a short time have been
burned up. The Pittsville stage came
along by the kiln not long after Mrs.
Cameron was precipitated into it, and
John Rane, seeing the bodies of the
little girl and oil Mrs. Cameron, the
latter bleeding about the head, living
on the ground, jumped down to make
an examination. He soon discovered
the bodies in the kiln, and calling to a
gentleman who was a passenger in the
stage, the two set about a rescue, Kane
climbed into the pit, down the wind
lass rope, and placing Mrs. Cameron
and the boy in the bucket. it was
raised by his companion. So dense
was the poisonous gas and heat that
when the bucket was lowered forKane
he with difficulty crawled into the
bucket, and when he was hauled to
the top he was unconsciouc. The
fresh air soon revived him, but it was
some time before he was able to get
upon his feet. Old Mrs. Cameron
was restored to consciousness, but the
other three were past all aid.


During the past seven years, ten
persons have lost their lives in this
lime-kiln under circumstances similar
to the above IN. Y. World.