The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-08-08
RESCUED AT LAST.
The Thrilling Sensations of Man Who
for Ten Days Was Buried in
q Well
John Anderson, OF Nebraska, Alive and
Well After Remarkable
Experience.
IJohnstown CNeb.) special.l

John Anderson, who was buried in q
caving well, Iear Johnstown, Neb., and
was rescued after ten days of torturing
uncertainty, tells a 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 10 went into r. II.
Halls we'll TO clean it out and repair the
curling The we'll, which was $50 feet
deep, was a very dangerous one and felt
as though I ought not to work in it,.
Fifty feet down was where the curbin @
needed the most repdiring, as ut this
point the old curling had given away and
about foot of sand around the we'll had
caved in. After taking the measurement
i came out, put my curling together and
lowered it, supported by four ropes. OF
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 curling had laid three boards
across the bottom, letting them rest on
the old curbing, thereby making a box. l
was in this box stuffing hay in behind,
preparatory TO filling i'll the small cavity
with straw.
When l was about ready TO leave the
well l saw it beginning to cave about me.
Jumping into the bucket / called for those
above 10 pull me up quick, but before a
move could be made the sand and boards
had closed in on me and l 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 a
horrible death was terrible. After coll
lecting my thoughts little / dis
covered i was held fast in the
bucket by two or three boards, but by
q hard struggle l managed to extricate
myself from this position and dropped
down into the bottom. From the bottom
of the box it was three and half feet to
the boards above, which in falling had
formed themselves into an arch and pro
tected me from the sand. The box was
now only about two feet square, and not
room enough for me TO stand erect.
could get on my knees or sit down, but
had to stay in crouching position the
whole time l was IN the we'll.
About the first three days / got along
very we'll, but after that began to want
rained heard what thought was water
slowly dripping. Feeling around found
it, and holding my mouth open man
aged in this way to get about dozen
drops of water, which gave me much re-
lief / had no difficulty in breathing
until the we'll below me came so neal
being filled by sand occasionally coming
in, caused by the diggers above. i had
breathed the air over so much that ii haC
become impure, causing me 10 feel 6
smothering sensation, but about this time
the rescuers got near enough to me TO lei
in air from above.
BY having a good supply of chewing
tobacco l did not suffer so much for food
rs might have been expected. From the
beginning / could hear considerable that
was said and done above. / heard the
wagon when il started to town for lumber
and heard some one say the man is dead
and the order given to try to pull my boz
out. When they began to pull / knew
there was great danger of the boards Civ
ing way and crushing me, and for my owr
safety and to give evidence of being alive
! cut the ropes and heard the exciting talk
that prevailed when it was discovered thai
/ was alive. 1t was music to me. and from
that time on l was hopeful of being res
cued.
About the sixth day / felt something
crawling on my hand and found it 10 be
blue-bottle fly. l thought by this that al
opening had been made from above.
was correct, for soon Henry Archer haC
the opening large enough to pass a wet
rag to me. In reaching it to me it be.
came covered with sand, but no honey
ever tasted better than that wet rag
Soon bottle of water and q piece OF
bread were given me and / was truly
thankful.
From this time on / began to gair
strength, and by helping my rescuers tn,
time passed quicker than one would sup,
pose. When my feet, which are badly
swollen are better, and i dare eat squar,
meal, will be all right. l am very thank
full to my friends for their persistent eff
forts TO rescue me.
When reaching the top Of the ground
Anderson shook hands with his Iescuer
and tried TO thank them, but could onl,
say, God bless you, boys" when hi
voice was choked. There were 200 peopl,
present, and there were very few dry eve,
among them. He was at once carried to tn,
farm house, and placed under the care o
two physicians. They say he is doing a.
we'll as could be expected and that h,
Will hOOH bc ItslOItu W ucdllH
The sympathy naturally called out by
situation such as Anderson's was intensi
fed in the county where, by force of cir
cumstances, every settler is neighbor
and for ten days business in Johnstowr
and Ainsworth and on the farms wa
practically suspended. So intense wa
the excitement and anxiety that farmer
left their fields and merchants thei
stores and focked TO the scene of the &C.
cident. Every day supplies were sent to the
workers from private residences anC
stores, and the women we're unceasing il
their kindly offices. But although tn
rescuing party did all in their power, An
derson would never have been saved bu
for his own efforts. He planned and di
rected the work during the last two days
and was unceasing in his own efforts an,
encouraged the men by his cheerful word
when they we're almost ready to despair.