Three Close Calls

"I never hear of persons narrowly escaping death or surviving extraordinary injuries," said the New York representativo of a big pulp mili company, "that I do not think of some remarkable instances of the kind that have occurred at one of onr milis in the northern part of this state. On one occasion a workman named Wolf was engaged in cleaning a j machine used at a certain stage in the process of pulp manufacture. The principal feature of this machine was two very heavy iron rollers - one above the other. When in operation, the upper roller was pressed closely down on the lower one, and they revolved in opposite directions. To clean these rollers the upper one was raised seven or eight inches, the machine of course being at rest. "In the course of his work Wolf, who was a young Germán, thrust his head and shoulders between the rollers to see better to clean the lower roller. While he was in that position some careless person turned on the water power. The rollers started at once, and before the alarm could be given and the water turned off Wolf was drawn clearthrough between the' rollers and dropped on the other side, as much like pulp, so far as appearances went, as anythingconld be. I happened to be in that part of the mili at the time and saw the f rightful mishap. "I ran to where the limp form of the I workman lay and dispatched a messenger at once for a doctor, inerely as a matter of form, however, for that anything could be done for the shapeless mass of humanity never entered ïny mind. It was impossible to lift the body. We shuffled it on to a blanket and carried it to the unfortunate man's home. I noticed that, although there was not the slightest evidence of consciousness, Wolf was still breathing and that his heart was beating. When the doctor came, he declared that from the shoulders down there was positively not a single whole bone left in Wolf's body. He said there was bot one chance in ten thousand of the man living. " 'It would take 10 doctors a week to set his bones,' he said. "He incased the body in piaster from the neck down, and when he carne next day was amazed to find that Wolf was still alive and had regained consciousness. Wolf lay incased in piaster for several weeks. His bones knit and grew together again, but in such a way th.it when he was able to get around he was covered with knobsand ridges andqueer corners and angles from head to feet. But he was alive. He was our night watchman for 10 years after that and is alive today. "Another lime a workman in a different part ui' the mili named Sanneman was caught in a big belt by a feit apron he wore, and before tbo works could be stopped he was whirled seven times around the pulleys, striking the ceiling with tremendous force each time. He was taken up for dead. I examined him before the doctor came, and there wasn't even the sign of an abrasión or mark on his body. Ten minutes later, when the doctor came, he was as black as coal all over. There wasu't a spot on him that was not discolored. The doctor examined the man carefully, and to his amazement found that there was not a ! bone broken anywhere about him. His injuries were so slight that he was at work again within two days. Yet he had passed seven times through a space between the pulley and the beam not over seven inches wide. "Once the dam of one of our milis became bo clogged with logs that they interfered with the water power. It was necessary to release the jam or shut down the mili. The work would necessarily endanger the lives and limbs of all who engaged in it.and volunteers were asked for. hamlsonie extra pay being offered. Plenty of men were ready to take the risks, among them Pat O'Brien, an Irishman, 61 years old. He insisted on being one of the gang and joined it againstthe protest of the superintendent. "The work of releasing the log jam went all right until the key log that held the main jam was to be removed. There lay the danger. The key was removed, and the men made a wild dash to escape the rush. They all got out of the way but four, among them the old Irishman, Pat O'Brien. These four were caught among the logs and went over the falls, a sheer descent of 85 feet. Men and logs went over together, and everybody supposed that the mw would be ground to atoms. But a most aatonisbing thing happened. In falling a i'. amber of logs feil on enii in a gronp, their upper ends toppüng together, forming an almoat perfect tent, or peaked hut, with the down stream side o])Cn. The men had escaped injury, not only from the logs in the fall, but trom the tremendone plnnge itself, and it waa as theylanded in the water below that the tent of logs formed with them beneath ita shelter. This saved them from In üjí drowned by the water that pltu down from the great height. "There was constant danger of the shelter of logs beiug forced from its lodgment by the pressure of water. In view of the latti t danger, when it came to rescuing them, the three young men of the party urg '1 old Pat O'Brien to be hauled up first. He obstinately refused to be hauled up until his companions had been rescued, when he took his chance and was landed safely ; He had Bcarcely Imii lifted above the shelter of the logs whenit gave way, and the logs went crashiag and thundering on down the stream. I have heard of wonderful escapes of death, but never