The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-22
MINING FOR A LOST BABE.
Rescue OF a Child That Had Fallen
Into a Well Seventy Feet Deep.


Into Well Seventy Feet Deep.
From the Ne0 York Graphic.
A farmer named Detwiler, who lives
three miles from Oakdale, Neb., had occa-
sion Saturday to draw out the wooden tub
ing from a deep-bored we'll on his place,
and had drawn out 20 feet of it, leaving an
unknown number of feet of tubing set in
the we'll This left hole about foot in
diameter. Last Saturday forenoon a 8
year-old boy Of the family was missed, and
a search being made for him, his hat was
found near the hole. The mother called
down, and her child, from an immense
depth finally replied.
Appeals for help were at once sent to
Oakdale and Neigh, and though all posi-
bic haste was made, all the appliances for
sinking a sbaft down alongside the bored
hole could not he got on to the ground and
the work of digging begun until late in the
afternoon of Saturday. Stenson and Stral-
len, well-borers and diggers from Oakdale,
a firm of men III the same line of business
from Neigh, undertook the job, aud there
was no lack of helping hands. But as the
supply of air down IN this deep. narrow
hole might be insufficient tosupply the child,
an iron tube was sunk down and hand
bellows was inserted, through which fresh
air was constantly pumped down during
Z,
on.
From time to time the child's cries could
be heard, and often during the Saturday
afternoon it called for mamma" and for
food and water. The process of digging
went slo wly on during Saturday night on ac-
count of lack of light, and rapid diggers
had at times to give place to slow workers.
All this time the father aud mother were
endur NJ untold torture of mind, the for
mer sometimes raving, and gray hairs al
most momentarily increasing on the heads
of the distracted parents. About 3
O'Clock the Guild seemed to lose all patience,
and filled his narrow, circular tomb with
loud crying
1t was a hard matter for strong men to
endure the extremely distressing condition
of affairs with anything like composure.
All the time, day aud night, crowds of
men, women and children were standing
around with faces white with horror and
the hearts of the men digging i'll the shaft,
and those on the windlass on top, were
bleeding at the cries of the helpless babe be-
low. During all of Saturday and Sunday
night perhaps half of tho people who knew
OF the affair slept little or none.
Sunday morning an unfortunate expert
ment was made in the way Of graphing for
the child with a wOrmer. II is supposed
that the wormer caught ON to the tubing
below and raised it little, when its hold
released, and something was heard to drop.
Then there was a new distress in the minds
OF tho waiting crowd lest the wormer had
caught and lacerated the flesh of the child
or had inflicted bruises on it, for its voice
thereafter was less often heard and much
weaker. As the diggers down in the shaft
went deeper they heard the child moaning
in pain.
By Sunday noon they had dug to depth
Of about thtyfee and the child yet twenty
two feet at least below them. BY nightfall
the work was necessarily going on slower,
for more time was being consumed in haul
ing up the dirt Besides. the most delicate
and dangerous part of the job was now at
hand, and VIII StenSou and James Stral-
len of Oakdale, both experienced men in
underground operations, were sent down,
and they remained there from IL O'CLOCK
Sunday night until o'clock Monday morn
ing, when Tue awful scene was ended.
Stenson, as a miner and well digger, had
many narrow escapes in his lifetime, and as
lac was now down siXty-tive feet in par
italy dry shaft, with treacherCus walls of
earth above and around him, his situation
was perilous, for no time could he spared TO
construct and sink down wooden cIlrbing in
the shaft. Soon after Stenson and Strallen
went down into the shaft. At II o'clock on
Sunday night they struck loose sand and
gravel A few of the inpatient crowd above
urged Stenson To dig down through the
gravel the remaining feet, supposed TO be
yet intervening between him and the child,
but he withstood them and began to tunnel in
towards the circular hole right on top Of
this gravel bed 50 he could have firm clay
roof 70 his tunnel.
He was then about eight feet TO one side
of the circular hole. He tuuneed in few
feet and then dug another shaft closer to
the circular hole, down TO where he thought
the child might be lodged. His object was
70 strike a spot underneath tho spot where
the child was lodged, for it would have
been fatal 10 have disturbed the earth wall
of the circular hole above the child.
Finally he tunneled toward the circular,
and tapping il was surprised to find him
self yet above the child. He was able then
to reach down and tie rope around the
feet of the child, and by the same device
hold him secure there, but he dared not yet
risk an attempt TO draw him up for fear he
might break down tue crumbling walls Of