Fearful Accident.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1581, 14 December 1885, Page 2

Fearful Accident.

The Brisbane Courier states that ht Hondra, on the racecourse line, an Hc:-ident occunvd of a very terrible character. The scene of tin* occurrence was th« Queensland Bric'c and Tile Company's manufactory. Amongst the iMUjiluyues was a young married man named Robert Walker, who was respected by his mates as a sober, industrious and manly fellow should be. He was about thirty years ot age, and lived with his wife and four children m i cottage m the neighbourhood of the brickworks. His duty was to feed the cl.iy and stone-crushing mill. Then arc three stories or floors to the mill. Walker's work consisted m receiving the waggons and emptying them into a capacious shoot or" hopper surmounting th« top rollers ami k.;ep shovellings the stuff on to lli»> rollers. The accident happened at 10 minut< a past 7 o'clock m the morning. Tb-'i'e was no loud crash of bieakiug down machinery, or any piercing cry of pain. The mill was going on with its work, without let or hindrance, and a workman named Britton was quietly watering the clay, when a sight appeared tuat filled him with horror. Tib first he saw of it was two human hands, crushed iuto pulp as thin ami flat as a penny, which were being disgorged from the iron jaws of the mill. These Wt-re slowly followed by long strips of desh, blood and hon«s respecting arms ; and then came a mankind head and body flattened out like the hands and arms and all attached. Britton almost instantly recognised what had happened, aud called out, " Stop the engine ; Bob is m the mill. 1 ' It is estimated that the unfortunate man had been less than half a minute be* tween the rollers when they ,were brought to a etanatill. In that time, however, h)9 arms, bead and body down to his loins had passed through m ft mass of indescribable pulp. Immediately the machinery was stopped, all hands hastened to the top storey, and there found Walker's legs, the ouly uninjured part of his body, stiekiug up from the jaws of death. With some difficulty the rollers were drawn apart about an inch, and the mangled remains of the poor fellow were pulled up and placed on the floor. No one saw how the accident happeued; but the probability is that Walker, when at his work, tripped and fell head first into the hopper or shoot, and was drawn m by the rollers relentlessly, and was killed instantaneonsh'.