Year: 1876

PITTsvIL-E, Pa, July 18.-The farm of
John E. Cameron, near this place, was the
scene of a fearful tragedy yesterday NOM
ing. Mr. Cameron, early in the day, built
fire in his lime kiln. He lowered his son
by means of the bucket and windlass to
see that everything 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 witnessed by two
other children of Mr. Cameron's, boy 8
years old and girl aged 5. Soon after
their father had gone away the little boy
told his sister to get in the bucket, and he
would give her ride. He helped her in
and lowered her to the bottom of tho kiln.
When he attempted to pull the bucket up
he could not move it, and after several at
tempts he ran home and told his mother.
Mrs. Cameron and her mother-in-law, a
lady about seventy years of age, were the
only persons in the house. They both ac-
companied the boy to the kiln. Mrs. Cam
eron, 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 dis
covered that the noxious fumes from the
burning limestone had commenced to fiIl
the kiln. Not believing that her child
was yet dead, Mrs. Cameron placed her lit
tie son in the bucket, and telling HIM to
put the body of his sister into it and get
back into it himself as soon as possibIs.
she lowered him to the bottom. He jump
ed from the bucket and lifted the body of
the girl into it, and then clinging to the
side of it was drawn short distance up


ward, VIXEN the gas over-powered him and
he fell back to the bottom. Mrs. Cameron
hurriedly drew up the bucket containing
the body 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 her.


self to rescue her son, and that the old lady
must handle the windlass. The latter
grasped the crank, and Mrs. Cameron
climbed into the bucket Her mother-in


law lowered her one or two turns of the
crank, when the weight became too much
for her hands, striking her in the head as
it whirled round and knocking her sense
less to the ground. Mrs. Cameron was
hurled violently to the bottom of the kiln,
and was doubtless rendered unconscious be-
fore the poisonous gases affected her. The
heat in the kiln was now becoming intense,
and but for the arrival of aid the bodies of
Mrs. Cameron and the boy would in short
time have been burned up. The Pittsville
stage came along not long after Mrs. Cam
eron was precipitated into the kiln, and John
Kane, seeing the bodies of the girl and
old Mrs. Cameron, the latter bleeding about
the head, lying on the ground, jumped
down to make an examination. He soon
discovered the bodies in the kiln, and call
ing to gentleman who was 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
companions. So dense was the poisonous
gas and heat that when the bucket was
lowered for Kane, he with difficulty crawled
into the bucket, and when he was hauled
to the top he was unconscious, 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 con-
sciousness, but the other three were past
all aid. g.s 'eies.


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