The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-07-23
NUMBER 26.
TANNER PARALLELS.
FOURTEEN DAYS IN A COAL NINE WITHOUT
FOOD OR LIGHT

continued abstinence from food in various
sections of the country. One of the most
wonderful cases on record, in the United
States at least, is almost local, having occur
red about three years ago near GAINESVILLE,
Ohio About six miles below the city named
on the banks Of the beautiful Muskingum
river are located a number Of coal mines
In one of these a large force of miners were
engaged during the damp fall season of 1877,
when a frightful ''cave' of the roof of the
main Gentry to the mine occurred, the en-
tire roof caving in for distance of nearly
100 yards. a portion of the gang were en-
gagged in digging "rooms" between the
'cave" and the entry opening Alarmed Ivy
the noise-which was akin to rolling thunder
in the bowels of the earth-these workmen
rushed out into the open air, where, with
faces blanched and hearts aching with fear
it became known that seven miners were in
the entry beyond the "cave, -" and were sure
ly buried alive. The news spread like wild
fire, and in a few hours there were hundreds
of miners and neighbOrs on the spot Will
ing hands piled picks and shovels, and hun
dreds of tons of coal rocks, sand and debris
were removed
BY day and night the work went on, none
daring to hope that any one Of the seven en-
tombed victims could he saved alive, but all
. anxious to recover the dead bodies, that they
might be delivered over to the bereaved rel
atives. At last, shortly after daylight on the
fourteenth day, the terminus of the "caye"
was reached, and as one of the miners was
prying away a huge boulder of coal he sud
denly ceased labor, enjoined silence, and eX-
claimed, 'A1y God, men, I hear a noise
They're alive, they're alive" a shout Of Joy
went up which was re-echOed at the en-
trance to the mine, nearly half mile away,
and wOmen's hearts, the loved ones of the
sufferers within, stood still, in ominOus fear
and Joyous delirium of hopes. The work
men within became human giants. They
worked as never men worked before, and in
20 minutes seven living skeletons, apparent
ly but animated with just enough of life's
vitality to murmur thanks to God and man,
were dragged through the small opening
made and snatched from a living grave, All
were weak and tottering, with eyes sunken,
faces all contracted, lips blue, and forms bent
and doubled. Their voices were scarcely
above a whisper, and were husky and un-
natural, but they were alive. All except one
Of them begged for water, and that one, a
tobacco" Physicians were on hand, but it
was found that not a man was injured, all
having escaped the falling roof. Their only
suffering had been from hunger and thirst,
and after being carefully nuTsed and gradu-
ally provided with nourishment, every man
recovered, ard all are living to-day, except
one, a One-armed ex-Federal soldier, named
Hedges, who, about two months ago, receiv-
ed such serious injuries, by being thrown
from a buggy at GAINESVILLE, that he died
therefrom.
The experiences of these men were simply
terrible All was as dark as night within
their prison, their head-amps (worn in front
of their caps) being blown out by the force
of the wind, which came like a great blast
toward them when the cave took place.
One Of them managed with a single broken
match found in his pocket to relight his lamp,
and an effort was made to dig out, but ere
long the contents of the several lamps were
exhausted, and AL hopes were given up.
They had no idea of the passage of time and
when told that they had been entombed for
fourteen days they turned pale with terror
at the thought. The only theory or explana-
ton advanced by the miners for their singu-
in the entry, and that there were some rock
assures opened by the fan leading out into
the air; but to this day the wives and Teia-
tives Of the men are fixed and unaiterahle
in their belief that the saving of the men
from n horrible death was purely providen-
tial.
ANOTHER CASE STILL MORE REMARKABLE
A FORTY DAYS VOLUNTARY FAST,
FOLLOWED BY DEATH.
About the 18th of July, 1870, John French,
a son of George French, Esq, of Hagers-
town, Nd induced by religious monOmania,
began a fast of forty days and forty nights,
abstaining from food of ali kinds, but drink
ing freely of water and occasionally indulg-
ing in a smoke. He completed the fast on
August 21, at which time he was reduced to
a skeleton. DR.. Fred. Dorsey was then call
ed in, but in spite of the most careful atten-
ton he died ten days later-on the 1st Sep
tember
For two or three years previously it had
been noticed that the young man had pecu-
liar views upon various subjects, and espe-
cialy religion and the future state; but it
was not suTmised that they were imbedded
very deeply, much less to such an extent as
to derange his mind. On the contrary, be-
ing more than usually gifted with intelli-
gence and acuteness, credit was given him
for more than the average reasoning sense.
He, however, became fond of reading works
on theoretical religion. To such an extent
did he become absorbed in some of the mys-
ticisms that his mind gave way, and while
labOring under the misfortune became i'm
pressed with the idea that he had some spe-
cial religious task to perform which he could
not accomplish until after he had tasted for
tY DAYS. Every effort made during that time
to induce him to eat utterly failed, and those
who were in close contact with him all the
time say that not a mOuthful Of food passed
his lips. Strategy, after persuasion had ex-
hausted itself, was resOrted to. Tempting
fruit and other things were placed i'm his
way ard i'm such manner as to leave the i'm
preston that their presence was unknown to
all but himself, yet he refra ined from par
taking of them in every instance. Of course
during this time he became very much ema-
ciated, looking more like a skeleton than q
living human being. Nature at length could
stand the strain 10 longer, and few days
before the expiration of tie forty days he
was fed with great care, but his system had
sunk too deeply to recuperate. There are
very few who do not believe that French did
what he professed to undertake, with the
exception of drinking freely of water and
smoking considerably. 1t was pronounced
by physicians to be one Of the extremely few