Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1874-10-07
"A PBRiLoUs POSITION.

I IA. r.
Sam Jones, brother Of Senator ] p.
Jones, and Superintendent ofthe Crown
Point mine, in company with George
Williams, station-tender and Mr.
Chase underground foreman, had a
narrow escape from death while ascend
ing the main shaft Of the Savage mine.
The Nevada ESitsiprise says: The
three men got ON the cage at the 1890
iesel. which Is at the bottom of the pea.
pendieular shaft. They had with them
some specimens of rock, which they
laid upon the cage, and lanterns, which
they carried Ia their hands. They
placed themselves on the cage and
taking hold OF the bell-rope, struck
three bells, which, being interpreted,
means hoist with men, Obedient to
the signal struck on his bell above, the
engineer began hoisting the cage, An
went well until the cage had aseehded
laIsoul 400 iect. when n ssldtlenlv Jump
ed out Of the guides and was loose in
the shaft. Il was dashed from side to
side with ssel violence, that the Ian
terms were knocked out OF the hands Of
the men, their specimens of ore wore
thrown from the cage, and they must
all have been shaken OF, but for the
peculiar construction Of the cage, which
has cross-bars at each end which may
bc gasped. Up they went, banging
from side to side, Mr, Chase trying all
the while to seize the bell.rope and
strike the signal for stopping the cage,
This rope is in corner Of the shaft,
but when Mr. Chase did occasionally
get hold of il, he was unable TO make
the sigaal, owing to the rapid and ir-
regular manner in which they were as
cending Thus they were dragged up
tho SHAFT for q distance Of over 800
feet, expecting every moment that the
cage would catch on some projection in
the shaft, the cable be broken, and the
cageand themselves precipitatcd 70 the
bottom of the shaft, which would have
been instant death.
3 Finding they could not signal the
snrlhce by means of the bell-rope, they
began yelling, stop the cage stop
the cage e in the vain hope that they
might be heard above Sam says he
yelled Ikea horse-thiefr An their
yelling was of no avail, however as not
whisper was heard on the surface.
The banging about oi the cage caused
the heavy iron cable TO be swaycd vio-
lently. and this was at last observed by
the carman at the surface, who called
the attention of the engineer TO it, and
had him stop hoisting, it being apparent
that something was wrong. BY means
Of the ladders, a man from the surface
then climbed down the shaft, and, as
certaining the situation of the men on
the cage, returned and had n cage sent
down another compartment 70 their re-
lief The three men were kept sus-
pended on the cable for over an hour
before they finally got out Of their
pciilous position Even after the cage
had stopped they were not safe. They
feared every moment that some Of the
men at tho bottom of the shaft would
ring the bell and start them either up
or down the shaft To prevent .nis,
one of the men got hold Of the bell
rope, and winding IL two or three times
round his hand. thus held il fill the re
\ lief cage rraehcd them. When they
reached the surface il is said that all
three OF the men looked like the last
run ofshad, They were drenched with
water and covered with mud Chase
had q cut on his head, and Sam Jones
bad his left shoulder badly bruised
from his beng iammed against the
cross-bar of the cage. Sam says a SIM
gle unexpected jar in a cage sufficiently
irigbtens any man, but to be dragged
and banged to and fro a distance of 300
feet is simply terrible.