The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1878-08-16
AN AWFUL DtscoyERY.
Seventy six Hours in AN Old shaft,

from the Sierra Nevada mine, passing
near the South Utah, Sierra Nevada
and Utah mines, heard faint cry
coming from the mouth of the tunnel.
and on approaching nearer heard the
cry repeated. The cry was quite weak
but the men walked along tue tunnel
in the direction of the sound, lighting
papers as they went, until about hun.
dred feet from the mouth. Here they
found shaft four feet square. They
leaned over the shaft and. listening,
heard no further noise for several min
utes, when one of the men called out if
any one was there, and a few seconds
after the cry of
HELP! help!
Came up like a voice from the depths
of the grave. They knew that the
shaft was seventy or eighty feet deep,
and when they realized that human
being was at the bottom and alive, they
were almost overcome with emotion.
Soon again the cry came up through
the darkness and died out in a moan
of agony that was terrible to hear. All
else was still as the grave. and the
suspense was terrible. They shouted
down the shaft. to the distressed per.
son that they would procure help at
once, and one man remained 60 encour-
age the poor fellow. while the other
rushed into town and gave notice at the
city jail of what was discovered.
70 THE RESCUE.
Chief of Police McCourt, Jailer Plum.
kett. Alderman Ofndorff and Alex.
Lamb mounted their horses, and taking
ropes and lanterns, started for the
shaft at dead gallop. The discovery
had aiso been reported at the Sierra
Nevada mine. and ropes and tackle
were sent to the place ct once. On ar.
irving the party immediately went to
work. and sailor employed at tie
Sierra Nevada volunteered to go down
the shaft.
BRAVE MAN,
This man. whose name the reporter
could not learn. tied crosspiece to the
rope and was 10 wered down. The heat
III the tunnel was oppressive. and the
men huddled together could scarcely
breathe, while the air was so foul in
the shaft that the lantern which the
sailor carried did not burn with more
than half its volume of fame.
TERRIBLE SIGHT.
After being lowered seventy feet the
SAILOR cried out to stop lowering. Hold
ing the lantern down he saw a formshalf
buried'in the clay and debris at his
feet. The man was almost skeleton,
and bis snnken, emaciated features
were covered with blood. The only
signs of life about kim were his eyes
blinking at the dim lantern. He was
just able to talk. and told his rescuer in
broken accents that his name was Pat
rick Mcguire, and that he had been in
the shaft ever since O'Clock last Sun
day morning, with both legs broken.
The sailor called for more rope, and
getting footing on a ledge of rock
lifted the poor fellow from the mud,
got on the crosspieos, aud holding
Magnire in his arms, shouted to those
above to hoist.
Those above pulled with will, and
and in few minutes raised two men
to the surface. Those who were there
say that the sight of what might be
looked upon as a living, corpse was
something never to be forgotten. A
crowd of men were at the mouth of the
tunnel as Mcguire was borne out. and
the scene seemed. to stagger the strong
est of them. Magaire Was placed ia an
express wagon aad driven into town.
EXCITEMENT ON STREET.
The fact that man had been found
half alive in shaft Was pretty we'll
known on q street some time before.
and as the wagon passed crowds came
out to see the man who had been
rescued from living grave.