Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-06-14
GMPR.soNED BY WATER.
kw the Alta Miners Passed the Weary
PDays--Sixty.Five Hours Without Food
SleeD

From the San Francisco Cal.
VIRGINIA, New, June 3.-An the men who
were imprisoned In the Alta drift, and who
were safely brought to surface at midnight last
night are doing well and feeling well to-day.
They say they did not suffer from hunger.
though they were 65 hours without food. What
they most wanted was ice. They had plenty of
drinkable water, but fever of the stomach
made them wild for ice. They were very little
alarmed, feeling confident that their friends
W ould get them out all right. When Richard
Ben nett, the shift boss. ran into the drift to
give the alarm to the men there. the water fol-
low ed close upon his heels. He found the men
on their way out. as danger signal agreed
upon had been struck on the pipe; besides they
had heard the rush OF the water They tried to
wade out, but found the water too not and ris-
ing too fast. and So Tctreated to the end OF the
Drift They made a raft of tim bers. but
concluded 1t was not best to venture upon it.
At no time was there less than 100 feet Of dry
ground at the west end of the drift. as at the
highest the water was bat eight feet above the
station floor. By the advice of Bennett they
proceeded to- make themselves comfortable by
taking possession OF the cooling house This
Is but eight feet long by four feet wide. They
took off one end of the compressor pipe. There
were two pieces of hose. each 30 feet long, at
tac!Icd. the end being forked near the cooling
house, and this was placed III the pipe. They
thus had the air coming to them through two
pipes. One kept in the water barrel and
the other was used to blow cold air upon their
faces and bodies They had part OF a box of
candies. AMI by these kept the time, a mining
candle burning one inch per hour. When this
supply finally gave out. they went out to the
ed re of the water ana picked up pieces of can
die that fOated in. having been diSlOd9ed from
places where they had been left on the rocky
sides OF the drift. They still had light when
found Their life was very mOnOtOnOus. At
stated intervals they went out to the water and
looked ut their marks. BY means of these
marks they were able to tell Just how the pumps
and tanks were working. Bennett was able to
tell them the condition of the pump when the
bulkhead gave way. They could sleep but lit
tie, there being no room to lie down; however
they had an occasional nap. Once, when they
went out to measure the water. they found the
dead body of Callahan. They generally made
signals on the pipe when they went out to the
edge of the water. On one occasion Bennett
recognized the signal Of Superintendent Boyle
and replied to it. They made no plans of es-
cape while imprisoned. as they fell there
nothing To be- done but wait till the water was
pumped out and the air-pipe repaired. Super
intendent Patton and his men did excellent
work in making repairs TO the air-pipe. Before
the men were moved from the Cooling-hOuse
they were given plenty of ice, beef tea and
stmGlants. There were wild scenes of Joy as
they came up the shaft. Cheers burst from the
crowd every time the cage came up with one of
the seven