Belper – Miraculous Escape
On Wednesday the 12th a remarkable accident occured at the Unity Steam Flour Mills at Belper which at one time threatened to be attended with loss of life. The owners are having a well sunk on their premises for supplying the engines. The well is about 20 feet in diameter and is lined with a massive wooden frame work which is again lined with cemented brickwork. This framework is constructed of battens several inches thick and it is made into sections, put together at the mouth of the sinkings, and then allowed to sink into its proper depth by its own gravity, assisted by the excavation below.
This excavation was taking place and the workmen were wheeling away the soil from the well. One of the workmen, working close to the wooden framework, felt the earth beneath him give way and he sank several feet ending up being buried and wedged between the soil and the outer casing of the well. He was quickly uncovered but had been buried in a sitting position with a large amount of soil on his legs. The workmen shored the earth around him and tied a rope around his body. An opening was then cut into the well lining to draw the man through. By this time hundreds of people had gathered. The man was fed brandy in large quantities as a stimulant, whilst the rescuers sawed and chiseled their way through the wet wood taking several hours.
A doctor who was later present prescribed a cup of hot tea for the man (may be thinking that would sober him up) as he was becoming rather talkative and failed to realise what a precarious position he was in! The man was eventually rescued through the hole in the well and his fellow workmen gave "two or three Huzzas, which was speedily interpreted by spectators outside to mean victory and they in their turn gave a hearty cheer".
The man was then brought up and wrapped in warm blankets but he refused assistance for in fact "nothing was amiss with him except a little boisterous of spirits which could be explained by the stimulants he had partaken of." It was amazing that he survived let alone having no injuries whatsoever ( except maybe for a very sore head the next morning)!
Known as Unity Steam Flour mills and Bakery .....modern plant and machinery.....capable of grinding 700 sacks a week.... ovens will bake 250 sacks a week. The buildings are of recent erection and most substantial
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