Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-05-23
A Tough Experience.
The Fearful Experience of Two Men
EntOmbed for Four Days in a
Cornish Mine.
Their Existence in Prison go Feet
Below the Surface of the
Earth.

On February last we published, says the
London News, what may be called the
outer world story of the entombment of
the Cornish miners in the Drake Walls
mine. This is now supplemented by the
pathetic narrative of William Bant of
how il, Jared with him and his comrade,
John Rule, during the four days, when
night and day we're to them as one, in
their dismal prison $50 feet down below
the surface of the earth. 1t was on the
morning of Tuesday, Feb. 5, that the two
men heard an ominous creaking noise,
followed by tremendous roar of the
rushing mass of loose SAM and rock
which told them of their awful peril.
Only a moment before two of their
mates, who, as we know, escaped miracU-
Iuusiy, had left them to make their way
down the pass to the middle level, some
fifty feet distant. It was now the turn of
the other two to follow, flying for their
lives; but too late. Thousands of tons
of the slipped sand and rock already
barred the way, and cut them off from
all access to the cheerful daylight and
the sight of their felioW-men. 81 offer
ed a prayer to God" says Bant, at this
point, and said: Not my will, bat thine
be DONE" Their next act was to grope
their way back TO the spot whence they
had started. What fate had befallen
their two comrades they knew not, but
feeling about in the darkness they foUnd
these mems jackets, besides the jacket of
Rule, Bant's having been buried in the
sand and lost. This find was indeed a
piece of good fortune, for in the pocket
ar &c "a nd
a ''crib' apparently small loaf, which
guaranteed them, at least for awhile,
against starvation. Some hope they had
of finding a store of candles, but, to
their grief, the rushing sand had carried
them away, together with key Of water,
as the writer of the narrative pathetical-
ly observes, 'would have done us some
good if we had had it,"
Then they lay down on their bed of
sand and stones damp with the constant
dripping from the roof, and hour after
hour listened for some sound to break
the deadly silence. At last Baut, whose
companion was deaf, exclaimed, Jack, l
hear them sounding from the forty
fathor," and Rule answered: "Glve
them peal" Then it was that the one
moTsel of candle which they had be-
came precious, for it was needful to
make their way to some spot In the
direction of the knocking and there re-
turn the signal. Thus they were enabled
to communicate from time to time.
TheL their stock of matches gave out
and ere long "a dark cloud" came over
them, for they could not hear the tram
srs working for awhile. So the time pass
ed, the i'm 2risouej men alternately hud
ding together for warmth and jumping
about and beating their hands. In Chill
Ions dungeon it was "the elder of che
three" who sought TO "cheer and TO up
held the rest" In the far deeper gloom
and solitude of Cornish mine it wac Bant,
the young man of 81, who first strove to
keep up the spirits of his deaf compan-
ion fifteen years older than himself. Ga
one occasion he ''started to sing," when
Jack said: "Billy, if you have heart to
sing have heart TO laagh." Bat in
short space their forced gayety was turn
ed to melancholy. "My mate would say:
I'm thinking OF the Old people at home.
What sad way they must be in. This
will kill the old man. He was bad before
and mother is bad BY this time. | expect,
he being the only support the old peo-
pie had"
Now It was the turn of John Rule, who,
as his mpauiop observes. was Of strong
er nerve, to speak word OF comfort
in a graver way, and to remind his com
rade of how they had "aIwey5 been good
friends" but never so much as then. Still,
it was the young man who had TO do all
the sounding, though, ne too, had begun
to feel deaf on one side through the drip
hn
His comrade, by way of keel ing up his
spirits, observed that it was "better to be
deaf in one ear that two," which says
Bant, IN his simple way, "of course, was
right, but if both were deaf it would be a
poor lookout for Us. Ny mate" continues
the narrative, "WouId very often ask me-
if heard Them nick1ng away. should
very quickly reply, yes, [ heard them
going at il smart Then we would be
still for about FIVE minutes, when We
should want change # position.
should get one of my legs under, and ne
would put one of his on mine, and so on;
we would draw cur breath into each
other'e bosom; [ would put my hand
under his coat, and he would put his
under mine, and at the same time would
say, Keep as close as we can I'd one
anu 1T hcSP 10 W
would lie until tired, and that would not
bs long. Then I would put my arm
around his neck, and he would soon fino
if wanting, when 1 should have to get out
Of bed to sound" They fancied they
could tell night from day by the time
when they felt sleepy.
On one occasion Bant said to his com
-ade: q" [ think it's Thursday; do you
think it is?" On what seemed to be the
lay after this they could hear she rescue-s
blasting the rock with powder. They had
their food in vain, for the
Dasties had gone bad and we're loathsome |
10 the smell.
81 felt" says Bant, hungry and thirsty,
thinking at the same time that q pound
If candles would go good if l had them;
put not having them, / had to do without.
1t last I thought upon plan l heard OF
eating their stockings; but l could not
,et mine because they were up to the sur
ace, where I should like 70 have been. l
hoae ut ;, of eating piece of annel shirt
After these thoughts passed Through
ny mind thought heard some one
alking I remarked to my mate, who
aid Get out, man, you don't hear any
me- | listened and heard them again.
, without hesitatiDg, went over TO the
ize, called out, and quickly received an
answer. poich pus a new life in ms."
Il was $50 that lighted lantern was
ct down eighty feet through the hole
.bove to cheer them with its welcome ray,
ogether with a bottle containing pearl
,arley, which they ate, using the empty
,,,ttle to catch the falling water drops.
twenty minutes later stout-hearted
thomas Chapman descended to the
escne, and by the aid of rope drew the
weak and weary captives OUT of their