NARROW ESCAPES FROM DEATH.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 498, 7 September 1912, Page 7

NARROW ESCAPES FROM DEATH.

CRIPPLED FOR LIFE. Mr. William T. Seeley, Scunthorpe, writes, in "Tit-Bits":— On July sth, 1907, about 10 a.m., I was employed with three others making hot-blast tubes in the boiler shop of a well-known steel company. [ required some holes punched in angle bars, and went to the machine for that purpose, but found I could not get the size required. The foreman then ordered. me to get the old punching machine in working order, which had been idle about six months. As soon as I got the machine into motion I sought for a punch, but was unable to find one the size I wanted.

My mate suggested that the punch must have dropped beneath the machine and asked me to go down to search. To do this I was obliged to go amongst the machinery, and thin creep on my hands and knees into a hole through which a shaft turns. Unfortunately the draught caused by the revolving machinery blew my jacket up, and it got entangled in a joint on the shafting. As soon as I discovered this I made a great effort to free myself by gripping two electric wires, but they snapped instantly, and I was whirled rapidly around by the revolving shaft. I soon became unconscious, and when I came to I found myself on the ground entirely naked, with the exception of my boots and stockings. I shouted for help, and the machinery was stopped. Two of my shopmates extracted me and I was removed on an ambulance to the Frodingham Cottage Hospital. After having been examined by twe doctors, it was found that I had sustained two broken thighs, right arm broken above the elbow, breast-bone broken, five ribs broken, shoulderblade out of place, and in addition the skin was nearly all off my body and limbs, caused by the clothing being torn off by the shaft. I remained in the hospital eight weeks. I am still unable to work,, although I am able to walk about, and it is very doubtful whether I shall be able to return to my trade ' again.

A SEASIDE ADVENTURE. Mrs. Holden, of Blackburn, says : Last summer I, with my husband and baby, visited Saltburn. One glorious day after dinner, we were resting just under the cliffs, when my husband and myself had a n argument about the distance to a certain point on the cliffs. I said I could go there and back in half an hour, and clinched the matter by starting ofi up and along the cliff. At the top ran a barbed wire fence to keep folks from the danger zone, but, being rather curious, I crept under. The ground sloped some 20ft., and then there was a sheer drop of abput 200 ft. I ventured on the sloping ground, and shortly I felt myself slipping down to the edge, ovei which waa certain death. Here on the very edge my foot caught a small stone and held n»e practically suspended in space. .1 looked up, but was quite out of sight of passers-by, though I could see the people below on the sands like little flies.

After waiting what seemed a lifetime a man heard my shouts on the sands below and immediately rushed to rescue me, but, having to make a long detour, it was quite another fifteen minutes before he got round to me. He brought the coast-guard with ropes and they let one of their number down, who lashed us both together. Then they hauled us up the sloping ground after I had been hovering between life and death foi nearly half an hour. Half dead with fright I got back to my husband, who was quietly reading (and my baby fast asleep), quite oblivious of it all.

Mr. T, Jenkins, Liverpool, says : I was following my duties as fireman on a Class A express goods train that ran between Fleetwood and Liverpool. We had some very large coal on this trip. For the purpose of breaking some, I mounted the tender (which was full) while we were travelling at a rate of between thirty and forty miles per hour. While I was doing this work I happened to notice a difference in the sound of the steam coming from the funnel of the engine, I ducked my head, but not before the top of a oridge we were passing under had knocked my cap off. Even if the blow from the bridge had not been fatal, my chances of escape were :ew, for more likely than not I woulal nave been knocked between thf jngine and the first waggon.