Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 December 1880 — Roasted in MOlten Lend. [ARTICLE]

Roasted in MOlten Lend.

The St. Louie Chronicle says the extensive establishment of the St. Louis Smelting and Refining company, situated at Cheltenham, was destroyed by fire last night, and one of the emEloyes, named John Williams, per-1 shed by the most horrible death imaginable, being caught in a stream of molten metal and literally bunied by inches. The fire was caused by the bursting of n cupalo of one of the furnaces in which about twenty-five tons of lead or bullion was being smelt**] for refining. > The particulars of the night’s tragedy as related to a Chronicle reporter were to the last degree horrible. At the time the explosion occurred John Williatfis, the engineer, was standing at the door of the engine room. On seeing the serious nature of the disaster, and looking about enough to satisfy himself that the buildings wer<s likely to burn, he naturally thought of Ills own affairs and started to get his eoatand dinner bucket which hung bn a post in the engine room. By this time the molten lead, which was running over the ground in every direction, had reached this part of the building, and a narrow stream had made its way directly across the path between Williams and the place where his coat was hanging. As he went

forward he gave a little leap, expecting to clear the stream, but trimieri over a wire which was stretched along. Falling, he dropved partly Into the hissing pool that had begun to widen and spread out just at this point. Two men who happened to be near saw the engineer’s distress, and started to pull him out of the puddle in which he was floundering. He, however, succeeded in picking nimself up without giving the metal a ehanee to burn him seriously. It is said that he even went and got his eoat and was returning to cross the leaden f!*od at n narrow point, when a second irrruptipn came along from a different direction and caught him. This time it was almost impossible for him to escape. The two men tried to reach him, but the consuming mass tor this time was covering the whole floor almost, or running in small channels in every direction, so that the men could not get near the struggling engineer, whose limbs were literally shriveling while he yet lived and strove to cross the pitiless pool that was momentarilv devouring him. He was seen to fa if,and all effbrts to rescue him having failed, the building burned over him and the ruins fell upon him.