THE ALBERT MEDAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5733, 28 November 1896, Page 7

THE ALBERT MEDAL.

HOW JOHN SMtTH WON IJ

(Stroud Magazine.)

One of the most extraordinary results conceivable was that for which a humble individual named John Smith received the Second Glass Albert Medal. Tli is particular John Smith was a labourer in the Siemens department of Messrs Thomas Firth and Sons, of Sheffield. About eight o'clock on Saturday night, May 18, ]8- c 9, as the workmen were about to remove from the casting-pit a red-hot steel ingot, weighing twenty -six tons, an awful accident happened. One of the men, Benjamin Stanley, was adjusting the chain when his foot slipped, and he fell down into the pit, a distance of 15ft, quite close to the great column of red hot steel. The wretched man lay stunned by the fall, and was already ablaze when Smith, realising the terrible position of his comrade, seized a ladder and thrusting it into an adjoining pit. hurried down with hardly any clothing on. So great was his hurry, iv fact, that he encountered an awkward fall through the ladder suddenly turning round. Recovering himself in an instant, Smith rushed to tlie rescue, and stepping into the inner pit speedily picked up his mate and succeeded in carrying him into the next pit, whence he was able by the assistance of other workmen to get him up the ladder. Now, I should explain that the inner pit into which Smith boldly dashed was the place which immediately surrounded the bottom of the great steel ingot — a depth down of 3ft and a width from the wall to the ingot of only 2ft Sin. Poor Smith was horribly burnt, and was carried in a dazed stateto the infirmary. His life was, however, preserved, but Stanley died three days after the accident. Subsequently a purse was presented to this hero, containing contributions froni every department in the works; this amonnted to £20 17s 9d. and to this the firm added a cheque ior £25. In order to make the extraordinary daring* involved in this rescue still more obvious, I would point out that the man Stanley was dragged from a space less than a yard wide, having on one side a wall, and on the otlier a mighty mass of white-hot steel. .