The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-04-12
NUMBER 80.

been removed. Now, however, it was
nearly filed with chaotic mass OF
broken rock, and q wide crack
had been opened on one side.
enough the men, with
the exception of EVANS slight wound
In the shoulder, had not been hurt
The broken masses of stone had fallen
all around them, but, as If with 3 fiend-
ish desire to see them die slowly, vast
ing away through starvation and tkirst,
the earthquake had spared them About
fifteen feet from the face of the drift
the walls had fallen in and closed the
passage way out. The men were shut
up in chamber fifteen feet long, eight
feet wide and seven feet high, and
even this small space was partly filled
up with loose fragments of stone, and
they were sixteen hundred feet below
the surface of the earth. Z naa 5l4
How long they stood there grasping
each others hand, neither of them ever
knew. At length. by asort OF impulse,
they sat down on the stones, still hold
ing each other, and waited, silent FL
nally the superintendent tried once OF
twice to speak, but failing to do sc, took
On u1o CtP 1L0 OAOW Ct-s N--C lS~.-->--Sr
nodding to his companion to do the
same. Evan arose, and picking his
way to one corner of the place, stopped
down. : In a moment he came back,
holding his hands together. and showed
the superintendent that in, them was
little water. Mr.. Clark eagerly drank
the few drops, and then, recovering his
voice, said:
Where did you get it7''
There's q little hollow In the door,
and it's full" was EVANS reply.
Thank God for that. We won't
die of thirst, at any rate"
'sWhat are our chances" do you
think, Jim?' asked EVAN. aC.
'sThe men may. come after Us, for
the engineer and Lawson both know
where we are. Were there many men
in the mine, Ewanp''
81 don't think so. The shifts must
have been just changing, andwh men
were in would have been at the bottom
of the shaft. They may have got
them all out"
81 hope SO; pray So" And the su-
perintendent was silent.
EVAN put out his candle, and the
two men sat in the dark. Strange i'm
ages seemed to pass before their eyes:
images born of the horror of their situ-
alton; shapeless images which, with
grotesque incongruity, seemed formed
of light, or were thousand-eyed. They
imagined that they heard queer sounds,
like booming thunder at distance, yet
when they listened all was still. At in
tervals they would nervously talk, and
then relapse again into silence, as
though they were unable to bear the
sound of their own voices. And the
time went on, dragging the weary
hours in its train.
At the surface all was excitement.
The shock had been severe enough to
level one or two small and lightly built
houses; but neither the mill nor hoist
ing works were injured. The first
thought had been for the men in the
mine. As Evan had supposed. most
of the morning shift had come out and
but few of the others had gone in. The
timbers in the shaft had been sprung
so that the cage would not pass; bat
it was a matter of few minutes to
take them out and fasten to the end OF
the rope q jury cage, which, being
smaller than the shaft, passed easily.
The men in the mine, being at the bot
tom of the shaft, were soon hoisted
out, more frightened than hurt, with
with the exception of one who had
been killed by the falling of stone.
Then came the job of rescuing the SUI
perintendent and EVAN, who were
known to be in the north drift. Both
were very popular, but it did not need
this to make the call for volunteers one
which was responded to by all the men
present-some three hundred and fifty
stepping forward. The surface su-
perintendent. Mr.. Cleaves, told the
men off in gangs of twenty. each under
gang boss, and ordered that they
should relieve each other every twenty
minutes. The first gang stepped into
jury cage and were soon at the en-
trance of the 1600-foot level. Enter.
ing the level they passed along. The
effects of the earthquake were plainly
visible. The level was about half full OF
broken stone. The sides were splintered
and cracked in all directions, while the
heavy timbers were bent and twisted
until they looked as though they had
been contorted by great agony. The
debris increased in Quantity as they
advanced until, when within forty five
feet of the face. they found their way
completely blocked. Finding that
more than twenty men could be en-
ployed. Mr.. Cleaves sent for two more
gangs. and all of the men began to
clear away the loose stone, piling it up
along the sides. As the gang in front
moved in they came to larger and
larger stones. The men worked liter
ally with giant strength, for the con-
ing the pick or sledge when, through
each to put out his utmost effort. Great
masses of rock were broken, cracked
and moved away with wonderful speed.
Finally they came to a piece which
seemed to be piece of the roof fallen
in bodily. A hasty examination con-
vinced Mr.. Cleaves that blasts would
have to be used, and he directed the
men to drill the rock in great many
places, but to avoid going to any great
depth. This being done, and the cart
ridges being placed in position, mass
about four feet square, extending into
the blocking piece of rock about eigh-
teen inches, was blown bodily-ou Into
the excavation thus made the drills
were placed again, and the. operation
repealed. By. this time MIR. Cleaves
had six diamond drills in position, the
pipes connected with the air-compress
ors above, and these drove the hole:
for the cartridges far faster than could
be done by hand.
At the end of thirty hours from the
time of the shock one of the diamond
drills suddenly began to whirl around
like mad. 1t was Instantly stopped and
Withdrawn, and MIR. Cleaves shouted
through the hole;
Clarke! Jonesl Are you there7'
A voice answered the call with Eyes
we're here, and all right"
"They amt dead. boys,' announced
Mr.. Cleaves; and cheer went up tha
could have been heard . long distance
''Only two feet moro to be cut" con
tinued the surface superintendent. 'sW'
can't use any more powder"
"Sure an wen te ar it out wild on
nails, eff there's no other way" re