ROASTED IN MOLTEN LEAD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6003, 12 February 1881, Page 7

ROASTED IN MOLTEN LEAD.

'he St. Louis Chronicle says the extensive stablishment of tlic St. Louis Smelting and I.efiuing Company, situated at Cheltenham, ,-as destroyed by fire last night (December 5), nd one of the employees, named John Villiams, perished by the most horrible eath imaginable, being caught in a stream f molten lead and literally burned by inches, 'lu: fire was caused by the bursting of a upola of one of the furnaces in which about 5 tons of lead or bullion was being smelted or refining. The particulars of the night's ragedy, as related to a Chronicle reporter, rere to the last decree horrible. At the time he explosion occurred, John Williams, the ngineer, was standing at the door of the ugine-room. On seeing the serious nature f the disaster, and looking about enough 3 satisfy himself that the buildings were ikely to burn, he naturally thought of his wu affairs, and started to gee his coat ancl din-er-bucket, which hung on a post in the ngine-room. By this time the molten >;ul, which was running over the ground i . every direction, had reached this art of the building, and a narrow tream had made its way directly across he path between Williams and the place ,-here his coat was hanging. As he went Drward he gave a little leap, expecting to lear the steam, but tripped over a wire •hich was stretched along. Falling, lie ropped partly into the hissing pool that ad begun to widen and spread out just at his point. Two men who happened to be ear saw the engineer's distress, and started a pull him out of the puddle in which he ;as floundering. He, however, succeeded :i picking himself up without giving the letal a chance to burn him seriously. It is aid he even went and got his coat and ras returning to cross the leaden floor at a larrow point when a second interruption ame along from a different direction and j aught him. This time it was almost mpossible for him to escape. The two men ried to reach him, but the consuming mass ly this time was covering tiie whole floor lmost or running in small channels in every lirection, so that the men could not get near he struggling engineer, whose limbs were iterally shrivelling while he yet lived and trove to cross the pitiless pool that was nomentarily devouring him. He was seen o fall, and all efforts to rescue him having liled, the building burned over and about im, and the ruins fell upon him.'