Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1856-06-06
WHOLE NO. s37.


their way some twenty feet within the
rocky tissure, and were enabled 70 con.
verse pretty freely. The workmen warn :
ed them to retire within, as they were in
Imminent danger. Edgell said he would
not bulge till they told them the day and
the hour, and how long they had been
shut in. The workmen told him that he
had only been in a week; that It was Fri
day deceiving him, as they supposed for
his own good, and that of his companions.
Edgell then told them 70 say to their fam.
lilies and friends, that if they didn't get
out, they were ready to die happily, ha.
wing made their peace with God. Edgeli
then retired, exolaiming TO the workmen
most cheerfnlly I" Well 60 m Work
on boys! May God bless you'll
This dialogue gave new hopes to the
workmen and they labored on until the
bad air put out the lights again, when
the work was suspended for four hours,
until they sent to zanesyille for some
hose, a bellows and some pipe. by which
they sent fresh air in; and the lights were
relumed, and the work went on until Fri
day night, when it was said they were
within twenty minutes of the rescue. Ar
rangements were allmade to receive them,
aud expectation was again banked by
another caying in of the earth and rock.
Friday night the work continued. Some
six hundred people remained till one o.
clock yesterday morning, when the res
cued were brought out to the crowd with
their faces covered and their bodies very
much emaciated and exhausted. Their
families were not permitted Immediately
to meet them; physicians were present to
look after their well being, aud every
thing done to make sure OF the results Of
the long labor, viz /: the preservation of
their lives. Pesrsons, the older man.
had futtering at the heart: the others
seemed to be ''as we'll as could be expect
ed" Their faces were covered to pros
tect their eyes, The boy, Savage. It is
said, made enquiry the 6rst thing after
/" chew of tobacco - 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.
The caving Of the coal bank. by which
they were shut in, took place two weeks
ago last Friday, at about eleven o'clock
in the morning. The men had gone into
the bank very early in the morning Of
that day, so that they have been shut out
from light and pure air for nearly fifteen
days. They had only one dinner, and
after being shut up. found the dinner Of
another man, who had, with sixteen 9TH
ers. at great risk, barely escaped the
catastrophe. tits not true that they lived
on the lamp oil. They had but little Of
it. One Of the men swallowed some Of
the oil to relieve his throat, which had
become very sore from drinking the cop
peras water. So that the marvel remains
of four persons rescued after two weeks
deprivation of food and water and not
in very bad condition either, consider
ing.
Notwithstanding these men were thus
imbedded in the earth, perhaps their pre-.
servation from death by hunger was pre-.
vented by that very fact. In the English
mines, men have lived even sixteen days
withoutfood. The very want oflight and
free circulation OF air, the moisture Of
their tomb. together with the lack Of oxy-
gen to carry off the particles eliminated
from the body, may have had some effect
in preventing that exhaustion which has
accompanied hunger in the open air, in
arid plains or on the salt ocean.