A poor lad suffered a broken arm and some horrible injuries, trying to escape the eyes of his father while viewing a new threshing machine (or thrashing-machine). These machines first came into use in the industrial revolution to replace the time-consuming practice of flailing by hand.
On Wednesday se’nnight a shocking accident happened at Bourn. Mr. John Chamberlain, of that place, had lately put up a new thrashing-machine, which excited the curiosity of numbers of persons to see it work : among others, a son of William Davy, (contrarily to the injunction of his father,) went for that purpose : the father happened to go also, and the boy, perceiving him come, ran over the spindle of the machine in order to get away, but being caught by the cloaths, was doubled up amongst the works, and had an arm broken, and his head and shoulders cut and mangled in a shocking way. Notwithstanding all these apparently ‘mortal wounds, the least a death to nature,’ the boy, we understand, still survives, & there are even hopes of his recovery.”
The Stamford Mercury, 12th April, 1811.