The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1856-05-24
The EntOm bed Rescued.

The Entombed Rescued.
The Cincinnati Times gives the following
particulars of the rescue of four men who
were entombed by the caving in Of the earth
in mine near that city:
THE REsCUR.
These heroic workmen engaged in the
! work of rescue, were in constant peril of
I their lives in all the fortnights work. Of
/ course they had propped up with tin.ber as
! they worked in; but at times the timber
bent like reed under the immense pressure,
and, at times, gave way. The fragmentarv
concition Of the rock prevented the work
men from making themselves secure. They
could not work without light, and when, on
Sunday, they had cut in 236 feet, and were
about 10 despair, owing to the bad atmos-
phere and the counsels Of some who thought
II too late to save the men, they took new
vigor and hope, and still pressed on until
Friday, when the attention of the woikmcn
was arrested by knocking within. They
paused and halloed, when the voice of the
entombcd was heard family in re ponsive
hurrah,
The crowd without, on the river bank,
soon caught the cheering news; and iIur
rah! Hurrah!!" rent the air with suchs,
joy as never awoke the echoes Of that beau
tiiul valley before The scene just then was
most thrilling. How dtfrrentIy it affects
different men, this-Qapture of JOY. Some
ran aside in silence and tears. Some laughed
/ wildly as lunatcs. Some whooped like abo-
! rigines. Some capercd and cayorted like
dancing Deryishcs in their inspiration II
was rare scene, and not dis reditable 10 our
I fallen human nature.
n waS tn hnl n
vcrsation with the entombed. The first in
,elligble question propounded by the in
sidcrs was:
/ Was anybody killed by the caying:"
/ None, said the workmen.
! Hurrah hurrah." was heard from with
/ in. This jubilee of the cntombed was re-
ported outside to the crowd, who responded
10 it by spontaneous hurrah Of their own.
II seemed that the men bad picked their
their way some twenty feet within the rocky
J fissure and were enabled TO converse pretty
( freely. The workmen warned them TO re-
/ tire within, as they were in imminent dan
/ ger. Edgin said he wouldn't bulge till they
told them what was the day and hour, and
/ no long they had been shut in. The work
/ men told him that he had only been in a
week; that it was Friday--deceiying him.
as they supposed for his own good and that
Of his companions Edgin then told them
to say TO their families and friends, that If
! they didn't get out they were ready to die
/ happily, having made their peace with God.
Edgin hen retired, exclaiming TO the work;
men most cheerfully:
Wen go in. Work on, boys, May
God bless YOU"
This dialogue gave new hops TO the work
men; and they labored on until the bad air
put out the lights again, when the work was
suspended four hours, until they sent to
GAINESVILLE for some hose, bellows and some
pipe, by which they sent fresh air in and
the lights were resumed, and the work went
on until Friday mig ght, when II was said they
were within twenty minutes Of the rescue
Arrangements were all made to receive them,
and expectation was again banked by an.
other caving in Of the earth ani rock Fri
day night the work continued. Some six
hundred people remained I'll! one o'clock
yesterday morning, when the rescued were
ed and their bodies very much cmaciated
and exhausted. Their families were not
permitted immediately to meet them; ply
sicians were present to look after their well
being, and every thing done 10 make sure
Of the results Of the long labor. viz the pre-
servation Of their lives. Pierson, the older
man, had huttcring at the heart; the others
e
Their faces were covered 20 protect their
eyes. The boy, Savage, it is said, made in
quiry the first thing after chew of tobac-
co )" the rest after their families and friends
They had taken some sleep on some dry dirt
which they had piled up for that purpose
but had no idea OF the time that had
elapsed.
Notwithstanding these men were thus EN-
bedded in the earth, perhaps their preserva-
ton from death by hunger was prevented by
tina! very fact. In the English mines, men
have lived even sixteen days without food.
The very want OF light and free circulation
Of air. the moisture of their tomb, together
with the lack Of oxygen TO carry oft the
particles eliminated from the body may have
had some effect in preventing that exhaus-
ton which has accompanied hunger in the
open air, in ard plains or on the salt ocean.