Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-05-16
The Buried Miners Rescued.

morning, alive and well. They
emerged from the pit and stood in the
sunlight, grasping the hands of their
friends and listening to congratulations
at their deliverance. For five DAYS and
fifteen hours had these men been shut
up in what everyone supposed was to
be their tomb, and it speaks volumes
for their fortitude, endurance and con-
fidence. That they came forth at last
pale and carewOrn it is true, but still
full of life and animation. When the
rescuing party reached them they were
quietly eating breakfast. They had
slaughtered a mule that was left in the
mine and cooked the flesh in the lids of
their cans held over three lamps. So
fresh and strong were the released
captives that, with the exception of
Price and Hawkins, who lived two
miles away, all walked to their homes;
Kenney, in fact, ran to greet his old
mother, leaping fences and never stop
ping until he entered his house.
Hawkins, one of the buried miners,
states that they keptin excellent spirits.
They first heard the working party on
Thursday, and this gave them new life.
On this day Kenney and one of the
Greens killed the mule. Until then they
had chewed birch bark to keep down
their hunger. A fire was built on
Thursday, after thorough test had
proved the air to be free from gas. The
water was pure and the air good He
thinks they could have lived ten days
longer in confinement, as they had
eaten only one shoulder and hind leg
of the mule. They had prayers fire.
quently. He and Price were Protestants
and the rest Catholics. Hawkins now
suffers from insomnia, but it is thought
he will soon overcome that trouble
Edward Price is quite weak, having been
sick when he went to work last Thurs
day. He says that when the crash oc-
CURED on Wednesday morning the men
rushed toward the slope, but Hawkins
compelled them to return and thus un-
doubtedly saved their lives, as they
would otherwise have been crushed by
the subsequent falls of roof. They
were in the gangway, seven hundred
feet from the opening, but had been up
to the very spot where the drill forced
an entrance, but did not know it. They
tried to work their way out in every
conceivable way, but were finally COM
PEELED to rest and wait.
William Kenney said that no warn
ing had been given them until the boy
Clark came running to them, and then
the fall had taken place. They had
plenty of oil and kept lights burning.
After Thursday they drank no oil, but
lived on the mule meat. Barney Reilly
states that he felt discouraged at first
until the first blast was heard, when he
took heart. The air began to get bad
towards the last. He says the boy,
John Clark, was respondent and
frightened, but soon recovered his spir-
its. The noise made by the workmen
was heard for two days. They were
not troubled by the water. During the
last fifteen hours he almost lost hope.
They knocked with a hammer on every
object that would convey sound, in the
hope that it would reach the ears of the
workmen outside. They did not sleep
very soundly. All speak in strong
terms of praise of the bravery and en-
durance of the boy, Clark. The res
cued men are the lions of the hour, and
their houses are filled with friends
eager W SIdSp tuSI uuIluo anu ltsJlll
their joy. The miners who effected the
work of deliverance are entitled to the
strongest commendation for the intelli-
gence, earnestness and persistence
with which they worked in the face of
appalling obstacles and the most de-
pressing uncertainty. The cost of res
cuing the men has been over ten thou
sand dollars. There is n universal ex-
preston of Joy in this city and no other
topic is talked of to-day. Probably not
one man in fifty believed that the
miners would be found alive.
AS stated in previous letter, this
mine has for some time been considered
very dangerous. After the fall of coal
occurred the greatest excitement pre-
vailed The miners did not have to be
urged to the work of rescue. They
went at it with n will, AS the days
wore by hope almost failed them.
They expected to reach the new gang
way in day, but their calculations
were wrong, and then, too, the work
was extremely dangerous and had TO be
pushed with great care.
1t was supposed that the gangway
was filled with water, and so the pumps
were put to work. The roof was
propped up as the men tunneled further
in, but soon coal began to fall and the
workers were very much disheartened.
| Once the mine took fire but the flames
were extinguished. No tidings could
be had of the imprisoned miners. How
they could live 50 long no one could
tell, for their condition was entirely
unknown. On Sunday a mysterious
tapping was heard. 1t might have
been the noise produced by hammer,
but an experienced engineer gave it as
his opinion that it was caused by fall.
ing water. Last night a drill was
forced through the column of coal
There was a rush of air which put the
lamps out. 1t was pure, good air, and
the miners were encouraged to pro.
ceed. They worked with a Twill. Only
a few more hours and the fate of the
men would be known. All through
the early morning hours the work was
pushed with the greatest possible
speed, and soon after daylight this
morning the hole began to grow per
ceptibly in size. At ten O'clock il
was just large enough to admit
man. Mine Superintendent Smith
crawled through and stood in the
gangway. He did not expect t.
find any one alive. AS he advanced h'
saw light, and in a minute more he
came upon the party, all alive anC
well. Some of the men were cooking
a piece of mule steak. Others were
engaged in changing the direction o.
an air course. The greeting was /
warm one, and when little later thu
entire party emerged from the hole
and the long tunnel which the rescuina
party had made a great shout went up
| -Wil5es6arre (Pa.) Cor. Philadelphia
! Times, Apr1 2S.