The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1860-05-02
Terrible CHIamity-TwO Men Blu
rled Alive I'm q Well.

About quarter before 4 o'clock yester.
day afternoon, while two professional well
diggers. named Thomas Adams and Solo
men Msrtz, were engaged in digging we'll
on the grounds Of Nicholas Dinner, on the
Shakertown road, about two miles south
east Of the city, they were buried alive by
the sand and gravel caving In.
The unfortunate men had reached depth
Of about sixty -four feet, the greater portion
Of which was curbed, the lowest section be-.
ing about eight feet above the bottom. They
had just worked through q stratum Of quick.
sand about six feet in depth, when q little
water commenced seeping In, causing the
soft sand TO run into the we'll about three
feet from the bottom. The men had ceased
digging and were endeavoring to stop the
leak by putting a Temporary curb about the
place. The workmen at the top ofthe well,
low, were advised Of the threatened danger
and were awaiting q signal to draw them
up, in moment after speaking about the
work the men below called loudly to be
drawn up, snd the men put all their ener.
gies to the task, when. glancing down
they beheld sight which chilled their blood
The sand was rushing 10 iearfully at the
stretum of quicksand, and the curbine
above was being crushed in by the caving
from oil sides At that instsnt they los
sight Of the men, and the windIass refused
to work! They raised the alarm, and Mr.
Dinner, who was . short distance away
was startled by the cry, and at the same
instant heard q strange, rumbling sound
snspping and crushing Of plank. He in.
stantly guessed the fearful truth, and for
moment was 30 shocked as to be incapable o
moving Rousing himself, he ran to the
we'll, where he found his fears more thar
realized.
The neglect on the part of the ill.fatet
lwell.diggers to curb the quicksand stratum
vas the immediate cause of the distressing
accident by which they lost their lives
The workmen say the unfortunate mel
were about l8 feet from the bottom OF lht
well at the moment they were caught b.
the falling sand and gravel. They plainl!
saw the caving in below, and the earth above
losing it's foundation rushed down, carryinI
with il and crushing tho curbing.
1t was nearly dark before force OF mel
could be brought fairly to work; it was the
sscertained that good and substantial cur
bing must, be made and apparatus prepare
before the gravel could be rapidly removed
This work Of preparation was in progres
through most Of the night, and soon after tn
work men commenced removing the grave
the windluss broke, and some delay was oc
casioned. This forenoon was principaIl
spent in making new curbing and adjus,in,
that already in the we'll, it having taken
wrong direction on account of the coving
Hundreds of people-men, women on
chlIdren-have visited the place, and th
crowd continues to go and come. Great ei
forts are being made TO recover the bodies
and Messrs. Wareham, Dinner, SckoffeI
and others. who hive been on the groun
most OF the time since the calamity, deserv
especial praise. Adams had wife an
three children, and Martz q vie and 81
children. They are not in easy crcumstan
ces.- Dayton Empire. April 25M.