Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-12-29
BURIED ALIVE.

Horrtfying Situation OF a Father and Sow
Buried Deep by the Gazing I'm OF
Well-One OF the Parties Rescued-Ef
forts to Extricate the Other.
Edward English and his son James began
digging awell on Tuesday last at Great Plain
two miles distant from here. They had sunk
the well twenty-five feet, and on Friday after
noon last a mass of earth, with boards timber
and stone, fell upon the two men, covering
them out OF sight. An alarm was spread
among the neighbors and help was quickly AT
the place. James Moore, Michael Downey and
William Davis descended into the well by q
ladder to asc ertain the condition of the unfort-
unates, both of whom were completely
hemmed in by dirt and timbere
and unable to move. Their situation
was critical. The space about them was
scarcely more than two feet in diameter. II
WAS impossible to reach the bottom of the WELL
The men were fastened in completely. and
ABOVE them was hanging mass of earth ready
10 fall and smother them at any moment
Above, around the mouth of the well was a
crowd or men fully realizing the peril of the
Iatner and son below. A small TIN pail was
attached TO cord and let down. There was
no room FOR anything larger. The son. who
had managed to get his hands clear, filled the
pal with earth as well as he could, and it was
drawn up and empted. 1t was terribly
slow process, but there was no other way to
work. Mr.. English succeeded in getting his
hands free ais and he passed earth to the
son. who put 1t in the pail In this way much
OF the earth was removed; but the father
held fast by the timber and stones resting on
MN, could not help himself further. Mean
men.
On Saturday morning. eighteen hours after
tne wei caved in, rope was attached to the
son, and fortunate. v he was rescued. Friends
passed nourshment to the men in the pit at
the per of their lives The result of the re-
father as was expected. The earth at his side
was firm and did not yield. He was penned in,
legs. Efforts were now directed to removing
the dirt about him, for which purpose a small
nre shovel alone could be used. The earth
was after while removed from his shoulders,
but the timber against his breast held him as
In vice. 1t could have been cut I'm two, but
II was feared It's displacement in that manner
erected over the mouth of the we'll and an at
tempt was made to build new curb This
work and what little could be done in remov-
ing loose earth took the whole of Saturday.
Meantime the victim, twenty-five feet under
ground, within hearing of the voices of his
family and friends, and yet hopelessly beyond
tnelr reach, stood fastened In living grave
waiting for the elimination of the horror in a
frightful death. Alive to every sound, startled
5y every falling pebble, Mr.. English passed
through The night befOre-an eternity to one
thus imprisoned. Nourshment and medicines
were passed to him. AT times his courage
up and that he be left to his fate. But friends
worked on, trying their best to get him out,
ana hoping every hour to accomplish il. On
Saturday night there were several hundred
people on the ground, and large proportion
or them remained till Sunday morning. Still,
in spite of all that could be done. the sufferer
was not released and when the first dawn of
the sabbath broke it seemed as If rescue was
well nigh out of the question. The same feel
Ing, only intensified. was experienced by Mr.
English. and he begged for a knife that with
IL ne might end his misery. After daybreak
or sunday project to tunnel by the side OF
the well was proposed, and to carry the same
hn 1nfn rfrrno
Inc whole OF Sunday was occupe ed in this
work. When MIR. English heard Of it hope was
revived.
Up to Sunday ACKNOWLEDGEMENT hours
after the caving I'm of the well-ths sufferer
had partaken of no solid food and had slept
not more than ten minutes. At daylight the
Danbury fire-alarm had been sounded and the
iremen detailed to duty at the scene Services
In St Peters Roman Catholic Church and in
people might 20 to the we'll and assist All
through the day and despite a driZZling rain
throngs of c tizens wendell their way to the
place, and at one time there were thousand
persons present watching the work in the
tunnel. During these hours Mr. English was
e enc ny frequent news of the progress made
Tor MS release. AT seven o'clock last night
the tunnel was far enough advanced to
enable the head man to hear the voice
OF Mr.; English. He cried to them: dig
was spoken to and replied. Tired as his
helpers were they went at the work with fresh
zeal zeal caring naught for fatigue 50 long as he
alive after fifty hours in That awful condition
At ten O'Clock 1T was t ought that in few min
utes he would he free. At midnight the earth
at the head of the tunnel broke away so fast
the passage was with difficulty advanced. At
one o clock this morning the tunnel had reach
ed the original curb of the WELL At half past one
there wasa slide inside just TO the lett of the
prisoner. He was called to- but there was no
response Several times afterward he was
spoken to, but did not reply. man descended
into the well as far as he dared but could see
nothing of Mr.. English. 1t being believed
that he was dead work was begun on top of
the ground between the well and the pit in
order tn recover the body.
Shortly after five o'clock this morning the
men had reached within three feet Of the un-
fortunate, and continued their operations till
four o'clock this afternoon, when it was dis
covered that he was still breathing. There is
little hope that he can be extricated alive
Work still continues. however. and will be
kept up until the object sought for is attained.
Mr.. English has a wife and eleven children.
whose agonizing suspense in regard to the fate
of the husband and father is beyond descrip-
hOn.-DdnbttrU Comm Cor. ~ Y Herald
lit bas since been reported that Mr.. English
was killed by subsequent caving in of earth.l