The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-10-16
Buried Alive In q Well.

Last Friday, at noon, says the Nells-
vile wis., Republican, well being dug
at the Fair grounds caved in at the bot
tom after it had reached depth of 116
feet, burying VIM. Selves, workman,
under about thirteen feet of sand, measu-
ring from his head, while he was in
nearly an upright position. The well
had reached depth of one hundred feet,
when stratum of loose white sand was
reached, which made curbing necessary.
Anupright curbingin sections four feet
long was used.i While putting in the
fourth section the caying in of the we'll
took place, first crushing in the lower
section, which was.not finished, and pin
ming Selves in solid sand nearly to his
armpits. 1t was instantly followed by
the three sections above, which were
crushed in the centre. On seeing it
start, Selves had instantly raised Sec
ton of the curbing over his head, bend
ing backward, face up, with the arm sup
porting the piece of curbing stretched
above his head. In this position the
sand settled about him, completely bind
ing him except his head and one arm,
which he could move at that time. The
section of curbing which he had raised
above his head created vacuum, which
for short time communicated with the
vacuum through the centre of the well
maGe by the coming together of the bar
rel-like curbing. As soon as possible
gas pipe for the purpose of pumping air
to him was inserted through the opening.
Selves, who then had one hand at liberty,
placed it as near his mouth as the boards
over him would permit. Soon after this
was accomplished, the sand settled solid
ly above him, leaving only the vacuum
under the board, which soon filed so
close as to imprison the arm that had
bee1l at liberty, and also to render his
head immovable.
In this situation, plainly depicted by
himself in sepulchral tones, through the
air tube, and perfectly audible at the top
of the well, William Selves, then six
hours without food, and cramped and
chilled by the cold sand, said he would
hold on to life if there were brave hearts
enough above him to undertake his re-
lease, knowing full well the danger to
those who might attempt it in hurry.
The task was to remove from Is to Is feet
of sand from the bottom of awell 1l6 feet
deep, by putting in new curbing while
taking out the sand and debris of the old
curbing, and to do it all SO carefully as
not to fill the little vacuum above his
face. Coupled with this task was the
appalling danger to the workmen ofa
fresh cavipg Of the well, now more immi-
nent than the first, for above the ominous
vacuum made by the caving of the sand,
hung the hundred feet of clay wall with
10 support but its own adhesion, its nat
ural foundation of sand being gone. The
bore through the clay being but twenty
seven inches in diameter, could not, for
Lack of both time and space, be curbed.
In the face of these discouragements
were brave hearts enough found to work
night and day, never Stacking except for
short time on Saturday morning, when
for time further attempts seemed sui
cidal by reason of the caving in of a
small portion of the clay wall. But soon
new precautions were devised, and the
almost hopeless work went on to its prac-
tical conclusion at l o'clock this Sun
day. morning, when friendly hand
raised the plank and brushed the sand
from the now nearly unconscious face.
He had retained his mind perfectly up
to few minutes before, when the ten
derly, cautious hands above him, in spite
of their care, had so disturbed the sand
as to cover his face, and interrupt the
supply of air from the tube.
He returned to perfect consciousness
in q few moments, and, his head released,
the work went rapidly on, he himself
helping materially after his arms were
released. At $50 o'clock, nearly forty
hours after his incarceration, William
Selves stepped firmly from the mouth of
his living grave and was received in the
arms of his young wife amid glad shouts
of the throng who had SO long shared his
suspense. His exertions in assisting to
free himself had given him the use OF his
limbs again, and when he reached the
surface about all he seemed to need was
nourishment, which he had not had since
the Friday morning before, nearly two
days.