Virginia Free Press & Farmers' Repository

MURFREESBOROUGH, TEN. SEPT. 4.

Distressing effect of Carbonic Acid Gas.

On the evening of Monday last, Thomas W. Woollard, a shoemaker of this place, descended into his well for the purpose of removing a small quantity of water which prevented his making a blast. His wife, who was standing at the top of the well, observed him apparently to faint, and despatching one of her children to a neighbor's, for help, descended to his assistance. A gentleman who lives on the opposite side of the street, on receiving the intelligence, hastened over with three negro fellows, and on arriving at the well, saw Mrs. Woollard lying across the body of her husband, struggling for breath and senseless. One of the negro men, with a cord fastened around his body, descended by the curbing of the well, but on arriving near the bottom, he imprudently untied himself: he was stooping to tie Mrs. W., but suddenly raising himself up, he staggered a few seconds and fell. By this time, a number of persons had collected about the well, but intimidated by the fate of the negro, none appeared willing to venture down. At length Mr. Samuel Wallace descended, and succeeded in tying the rope round the body of Mrs. W. when they were both drawn up. Mr. James Wallace descended next, and was drawn up with Mr. Woollard. Col. James Gilliam descended last and was drawn up with the negro. Restorative measures were immediately resorted to by Doctors Threadway, Becton, Homes and Rucker.

All efforts to resuscitate Mr. Woollard, proved unavailing; he appeared entirely dead when first brought up. Mrs. W. was partially revived, but has lain in a state of insensibility ever since, and the chance of her recovery is thought to be very small.--The negro fellow, through the unremitting exertions of Dr. Threadway, was revived in about two hours, and since, under the management of Dr. Rucker, has been gradually improving, and is now considered out of danger.

This dreadful catastrophe is the result of the temerity of Mr. Woollard, in descending into his well without any precautionary measures in case of an accident, after he had by repeated experiments ascertained that fire was immediately extinguished on being let down into the well, and had been informed of the deleterious nature of the gas generated in such places, and of the means of obviating it by unslacked lime.