Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1888-08-09
RESCUED AT LAST.
The Thrilling Sensations Of Man Who
for Ten Days Was Buried in
Well.
John Anderson, or Nebraska, Alive and
Well After Remarkable
Experience.
[Johnstown lNeb.l spseial.l

John Anderson, who was buried in
caving well. near Johnstown, Neb., and
was rescued after ten days of torturing
uncertainty, tells thrilling story Of his
experience. The man who boards me
for the next ten days" says Anderson,
will not get rich very fast. What have
to say about my experience? A good deal.
1t was awful. July IS went into II. H.
Halls we'll 10 clean it out and repair the
curbing The we'll, which was $50 feet
deep, was q very dangerous one and felt
| as though / ought not to work IN 1t,
| Fifty feet down was where the curbing
| needed the most repairing, as at tins
| point the old curbing had given away and
| about a foot of sand around the we'll had
| caved in. After taking the measurement
| came out, put my curbing together and
| lowered it, supported by four ropes. Or
course this curbing was smaller than the
| other and would have to be made fast
This did by going below and mailing two
| by four inch stuff on the old curbing. In
this new curbing had laid three boards
across the bottom, letting them rest ON
the old curbing, thereby making box. l
was in this box stuffing hay in behind,
preparatory to filling in the small cavity
|
when / was about ready to leave the
we'll saw it beginning to cave about me.
Jumping into the bucket called for those
above to pull me up quick, but before
| move could be made the sand and boards
had closed in on me and i was prisoner.
For the first few minutes of my imprison-
ment words cannot express my feelings.
That my time had come / did not doubt
in the least, and the thought of such
| Wa After
lecting my thoughts little dis
D covered / was held fast in the
7 bucket by two or three boards, but by
i hard struggle l managed to extricate
o myself from this position and dropped
: down into the bottom. From the bottom
. of the box il was three and half feet to
a the boards above, which in falling had
5 formed themselves into an arch and pro-
Z tected me from the sand. The box was
. now only about two feet square, and not
@ room enough for me to stand erect
y could get on my knees or sit down, but
= had to stay in a crouching position the
It whole time I was in the we'll.
It About the first three days got along
ID very we'll, but after that began to want
70 water badly. The fourth day when II
Is rained heard what thought was watel
to slowly dripping Feeling around foune
a. il, and holding my mouth open man
OF drops of water, which gave me much re
no lief / had no difficulty in breas
10 until the we'll below me came SO ne
hAina filled hg 8, sand occasiopailT l cqm,nII ,'I
in, caused by the diggers ABOVE. na'
breathed the air over so much that 1t hat
ms become impure, causing me to feel
.smothering sensation, but about this tim
the rescuers got near enough to me to lie
q | in air from above.
od by having good supply of chewin
e. tobacco / did not suffer SO much Tor 100
n as might have been expected. From tn
ng beginning L could hear considerable ths
n, was said and done above. heard IN
Il wagon when it started to town for lumbt
In and heard some one say the man Is dea
err, and the order given to try to pull my DO
he out. When they began to pull kne
Jay there was great danger of the boards giS
he ing way and crushing me, and for my ow
ch safety and to give evidence or being allN
IDS I cut the ropes and heard the exciting tai
ur. that prevailed when it was discovered tn
pie l was alive. 1t was music to me, and fro
by that time on was hopeful of being re
kin cued.
eet about the sixth day 1 felt somethii
q n crawling on NV hand and found it to be
ing blue bottle fly. / thought by this that
YES opening had been made from above.
ing was correct, for soon Henry Archer h
our the opening large enough to pass "
noh RAG to me. In reaching it to me it b
,eiy came covered with sand, but no hon
the ever tasted better than that wet IA
ger Soon a bottle of water and piece
rs bread were given me and l was tru
1wn thankful.
any From this time on began to ga
ing strength, and by helping my rescuers {
and time passed quicker than one would su
ous nose When nv feet which are bae
,tric swollen, are better, and / dare eat squi
und meal, 1 will be all right. am very than
awe full to my friends for their persistent
ear. forts to rescue me.
WINS When reaching the top of the groui
,ned Anderson shook hands with his lescu
only and tried to thank them, but could o.
ople say, God bless you, Doys, wnen
the | voice was choked. There were 200 peo
they present, and there were very few dry g.
hing among them. He was at once carried to
and farm-hous and placed under the care
eadv two physicians They say he is doing
rent we'll as could te expected, and that
few. will soon be restored to health.
,rms The sympathy naturally called out
West situation such as Andersons was inter
s an fed in the county where, by force or
cumstances, every settler is nelgh'
and for ten days business in Johnste
!. and Ainsworth and on the farms
-, a., practically suspended. So intense
the excitement and anxiety that farm
left their fields and merchants {
rying s;ynnt Evarv Jov SUPPLIES were sent to
,cond ta s.c,, or;yata Residences
unity. ~ "a ,ha woman we're unceasin
carry 49,: ,';nSlv oNicee Rut although
sarys .nen .Sns., did ali in tbeir rover.
,ntire iose , P,,iS' PsiiS' nayor hove been saved
o the ueiSon . w.. o,For,s lie nlanned anf
owe, rected the work during the last two q
nera, and was unceasing in his own efforts
nc ol encouraged the men by his cheerful "
: oeen when they we're almost reauy to despa