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Story
August 11, 1872
New York Dispatch
New York, New York County, New York
What is this article about?
In Detroit, young gymnast Edward Cloutier dies horribly after a stunt gone wrong: caught by a rope on a spinning engine shaft, he's lashed and whipped to death, mangling his body before the engine stops. Coroner rules it accidental due to recklessness.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
LASHED TO THE SHAFT
THE MOST TERRIBLE DEATH ON RECORD.
(From the Detroit Free Press.)
About half-past ten o'clock yesterday, a young man, named Edward Cloutier, engaged in varnishing furniture on the third floor of No. 34 Atwater street, met with a horrible death.
The young man has had a great passion for gymnastics, expecting to attach himself to a circus as soon as he became proficient. While working around the building, he has used all his spare moments in swinging from beams, turning hand-springs, and performing other feats calling for suppleness and activity.
He was seen clinging to the main shaft of the two hundred horse-power engine, a few days ago, and was warned by his employer never to attempt the feat again. This shaft makes about one hundred and twenty revolutions per minute.
In the morning, yesterday, after finishing up a table, Cloutier went to the north end of the building and prepared himself to perform some feat which he had studied up. Taking the tackle rope, which is used to hoist articles from the alley below, he passed the free end over the shaft. This much was ascertained after his death, but his further proceedings will never be known.
A boy was working forty feet away, and was first alarmed by hearing Cloutier call out, "Stop the engine-quick!" Running around, the boy saw that he was caught in the folds of the rope and wound over the shaft. The boy ran, as did others, but it was two or three minutes before the engine could be stopped and then the victim was past help.
As soon as the rope lashed him close to the shaft the young man had to turn with it. One of his arms was caught around the shaft so that it drew his face and shoulder close down, but left his limbs free to pound on the floor. The noise of his feet striking the boards was heard half a block away above the hum of the machinery.
His boot heels tore a strip off one of the boards and were then flung from his feet clear across the room. His hat went the other way, and his pants were stripped off and thrown fifteen feet away. After the boots flew off, the young man's bare feet whipped the floor three or four hundred times.
The feet were mashed up to the ankles so that they spread out like brooms, and looked like pieces of bloody beef. The bones of the ankles struck the floor until dents half an inch deep were made in the boards.
After the tackle rope had been wound up its full length it had to snap, but this did not let the victim loose. After the engine stopped, Cloutier had to be cut loose from the shaft. He gave a gasp as they released him, but died as they laid him down.
One of his arms was broken half a dozen times, and, indeed, there was hardly a whole bone in his body. His legs were mere pulps, and his breast crushed in, his ribs broken, fingers broken, back and neck broken, and a worse sight never was seen. The floor was covered with blood and flesh, and the strongest men shuddered as they looked.
Coroner Grau was called, and a jury was empaneled, and a verdict rendered on the spot. The verdict was to the effect that the deceased came to his death while trying an experiment with a rope around a shaft making 135 revolutions per minute. The verdict was thus worded to make plainer the fact that the young man's recklessness brought about the accident.
THE MOST TERRIBLE DEATH ON RECORD.
(From the Detroit Free Press.)
About half-past ten o'clock yesterday, a young man, named Edward Cloutier, engaged in varnishing furniture on the third floor of No. 34 Atwater street, met with a horrible death.
The young man has had a great passion for gymnastics, expecting to attach himself to a circus as soon as he became proficient. While working around the building, he has used all his spare moments in swinging from beams, turning hand-springs, and performing other feats calling for suppleness and activity.
He was seen clinging to the main shaft of the two hundred horse-power engine, a few days ago, and was warned by his employer never to attempt the feat again. This shaft makes about one hundred and twenty revolutions per minute.
In the morning, yesterday, after finishing up a table, Cloutier went to the north end of the building and prepared himself to perform some feat which he had studied up. Taking the tackle rope, which is used to hoist articles from the alley below, he passed the free end over the shaft. This much was ascertained after his death, but his further proceedings will never be known.
A boy was working forty feet away, and was first alarmed by hearing Cloutier call out, "Stop the engine-quick!" Running around, the boy saw that he was caught in the folds of the rope and wound over the shaft. The boy ran, as did others, but it was two or three minutes before the engine could be stopped and then the victim was past help.
As soon as the rope lashed him close to the shaft the young man had to turn with it. One of his arms was caught around the shaft so that it drew his face and shoulder close down, but left his limbs free to pound on the floor. The noise of his feet striking the boards was heard half a block away above the hum of the machinery.
His boot heels tore a strip off one of the boards and were then flung from his feet clear across the room. His hat went the other way, and his pants were stripped off and thrown fifteen feet away. After the boots flew off, the young man's bare feet whipped the floor three or four hundred times.
The feet were mashed up to the ankles so that they spread out like brooms, and looked like pieces of bloody beef. The bones of the ankles struck the floor until dents half an inch deep were made in the boards.
After the tackle rope had been wound up its full length it had to snap, but this did not let the victim loose. After the engine stopped, Cloutier had to be cut loose from the shaft. He gave a gasp as they released him, but died as they laid him down.
One of his arms was broken half a dozen times, and, indeed, there was hardly a whole bone in his body. His legs were mere pulps, and his breast crushed in, his ribs broken, fingers broken, back and neck broken, and a worse sight never was seen. The floor was covered with blood and flesh, and the strongest men shuddered as they looked.
Coroner Grau was called, and a jury was empaneled, and a verdict rendered on the spot. The verdict was to the effect that the deceased came to his death while trying an experiment with a rope around a shaft making 135 revolutions per minute. The verdict was thus worded to make plainer the fact that the young man's recklessness brought about the accident.
What sub-type of article is it?
Tragedy
Disaster
Curiosity
What themes does it cover?
Tragedy
Misfortune
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Industrial Accident
Gymnastics Stunt
Engine Shaft
Horrible Death
Reckless Experiment
What entities or persons were involved?
Edward Cloutier
Coroner Grau
Where did it happen?
No. 34 Atwater Street, Detroit
Story Details
Key Persons
Edward Cloutier
Coroner Grau
Location
No. 34 Atwater Street, Detroit
Event Date
Yesterday
Story Details
Young man Edward Cloutier, passionate about gymnastics, attempts a stunt by passing a tackle rope over a rapidly spinning engine shaft while varnishing furniture. He gets caught in the rope, lashed to the shaft, and whipped around at 120-135 revolutions per minute, resulting in his gruesome death with multiple broken bones, crushed body, and severe injuries before the engine is stopped.