Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-05-12
BURIED IN A WELL,
En,ombed for Twentv.hve Heurs aud Taken
Out Alive without serious lnlWry.

Rn,ombed for TWENTY-FIVE Heurs aud Take
: Out Alive without serious laiury.
Tho Post Of Rochester, Mimi, has TIL
following: A startling event occurre'
at the place of Mr.. Henry Armenian,
thrifty and well-to-do farmer, residing
about four miles north Of Pine Island, Il
the edge of Goodhue county. The par
ticulars OF this exciting and thrilling
affair were given us by n responsible
gentleman, and are substantially us fol
lows
A well eighty-five feet deep had beef
sunk on Mr.. Ahneman's premises, an'
finding no water, it had been decided T.
abandon the well and fill itup. From
point about forty feet below the surface
curbing had been used, on account o
the loose and sandy character of thu
earth.
On the morning in question young
man, son of Mr.. Armenian, and the hiret
man, were engaged in filling up the well
young Armenian going down the vel
aud removing the curbing, 30 IT could bt
hauled up and saved for other uses
Some fifteen feet of the well had already
been filled. making the distance from
the top to where Armenian was at work
about seventy feet.
About eight o'clock the sand and loose
earth began falling ut point some eight
or ten feet above Ahneman's head, and
instantly he was literally buried under
eight feet of wet solid earth.
At this time the hired man, at the top
of the we'll, was the only man or boy on
the premises, Mr.. Armenian. the father,
having Just gone to Pine Island on bust.
ness. The hired man sped to that village,
and inding Mr.. Armenian, related to
him the terrible news. A number of
men were soon gathered on the scene of
the disaster. No one supposed that the
unfortunate man was alive; to bring out
the dead body for Christian burial, it
was thought, was all which could be
done, and arrangements were made to
that effect. 1t was decided to sink new
curbing inside of the old, and for this
lumber had to be drawn from Pine
Island. In the height of excitement and
inter terror of mind and confusion of
ideas and plans it was three o'clock in
the afternoon before work was COM
menced in the we'll.
The great difficulty was to find men
who were willing to risk their lives in
going down into the well. A younger
son of Mr.. Armenian and the hired man,
together with couple of experienced
well-diggers from Pine Island, whose
names we could not learn, volunteered,
each two at time, to undertake the
perilous task.
Thus arranged, work was kept up
until eleven O'Clock at night, when the
workmen in the well, supposing they
were near the imprisoned man, called to
him, and they were overjoyed to hear
him answer He stated that his position
was not extremely painful, he could
breathe freely, and could stand it n
couple of days, and implored them to
keep to work.
The workmen now redoubled their
efforts, and at four o'clock in the morn
ing the head of the young man was
reached, and physician being present,
administered to him some stimulant. At
about nine o'clock in the morning young
Armenian was relieved from his frightful
and dangerous position and drawn out to
life and daylight again, having been
under ground at that fearful depth about
'"~..'y -''o iAo"ie. ~ si'guI were HIS
injuries that he walked unassisted from
the we'll to the house.
His escape from almost instant death
was indeed providential and marvellous.
In handling the curbing at the bottom
of the well he had placed several pieces
with one end resting on projecting
stone, the other leaning against the OPP
posite side of the well, and at the mo-
ment of the land slide he happened to
be standing directly under the friendly
though unconscious shelter One hand
rested on the side of the well, the other
was caught and held in position by his
side. A space of some two feet about
his head gave him chance to breathe.
He must have been unconscious during
large part of the time, and when he was
taken out he insisted that he had not
been down in the well more than one
hour.
1t might be proper to add that Mr..
Armenian, the father, in recognition of
the kind and earnest efforts of the two
men from Pine Island in saving his boy,
presented them each with a first-class
suit of clothes. He also gave the faith
full hired man clear title to eighty
acres of land.