Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-05-23
Tough Experience.
i. Fearful Experience of Two Men
pntombed for Four Days in "a
\ Cornish Mine.
rvisteuce in Prison 23O Feet
Rslow the Surface of the
Earth.

81 va Nays. what may be called the
IN I'D story of the entomoment OF
igo uteI isb miners in the Drake Walls
sfh This ia now supplemented by the
~ Il. lue' -, narrative of William Bant OF
I'D s.-aa With him and his comraoe,
III p,ts during the four days, when
III Oun "a day were TO them as one, IN
"a sismal prison $50 feet down belo"
IN JEW 80 of the earth. 1t WAS on the
ssf ho -, of Tuesday, Feb. ., that the two
IA osn heard an ominous ereaAius no.9e'
"a - nv tremendous roar or the
l[nsbipg mass of loose saho anu too or
M 80 told them of their awful peru
r,ly moment before Two ol Vheir
a,as Who. as we know, escaped mlreou-
WA ~, had left them to make tnelt way
"a - the pass to the middle leVel, some
ia 5.- faet distant. 1t was now the turn OF
Ivy toar two TO follow, flying for their
81 ". INT too late. Thousands OF tons
IA .ba sHpped sand and rock already
"A "a the way, and cut them OF from
n "a ,,,,ass to the cheerful daylight and
il,b- Of their fellow men. II Offer
n eraver to Cod says Bant, at this
and said: Not my Will, but thine
5oran Their next act was to grope
Y n a. yay back TO the spot whence they
-tartsd What fate had befallen
Il -. two comrades they knew not, but
NJ -, about in the darkness they touno
Il No. mems Jackets, besides the jacket OF
80 rants having been buried In the
IA and lost. This find was indeed a
3 80 of good fortune, for IN the pocket
4 r. eocn OF the garments was pasty and
uoribn (aDparently small Loaf, which
& a,naranteed them, at least for awhile,
b s-aiost starvation. Some hope they had
~ fndip0 a store of candles, but, to
- yrief the rushing sand had carried
~. svVav. together with key OF water,
#as the writer of the narrative paeheticai-
|& = observes. would have done US some
Uood if we had had H."
III Then they lay down on their oeo OF
and and stones damp with the constant
4 rinping from the roof, and honr after
~ onr listened for some sound to break
ba deadly silence. AT last Baut, whose
ornanion WAS deaf, exclaimed, Jack, |
ear them sounding from the forty
athoro." and Rule answered: "Give
bem a peal" Then it WAS that the one
norsel of candle which they had be-
lame precious, for 1t was needtul to
make their way to some spot IN the
Erection of the knocking and there re
urp the signal. Thus they were enabled
h communicate from time to time
Ehe,. their stock of matches gave out
Ind ere long "a dark cloud" came over
hem. for they could not hear the tram
h. working for awhile. SO the time pass
the i'm orisouej men alternately hud
ing together for warmth and jumping
,ont and beating their hands. In Chill
.n's dungeon il was "the elder of the
reen who sought to "cheer and to up
cld the rest" In the far deeper gloom
a solitude of Cornish mine it wac Bant
Young man of 81, who first strove to
ep no the spirits of his deaf compan-
fifteen years older than himself. On
a occasion he started to sing" when
kck said: "Billy, il you have heart to
ng have heart to laugh." Bot In a
ont space their forced gayety was turn
y to melancholy. "My mate would say
N Sinking of the o'd people at home
What sad way they must be in. This
Iill kill the old man. He was bad before
nd mother is bad by this time, expect,
r. i being the only support the old peo-
lie had
Now Z was the turn of John Rule, who
J. his companion observes, was of strong
nerve, to speak a word of comfort
Al graver way, and to remind his com
ade Of how they had "slwsys been good
riends' but never so mnch as then. Still
was the young mon who had to do al
he sounding, though, ne too, had begun
- feel deaf on ole side through the drip
. ing of water into the ear from the roof
His comrade, by way of KEEP ing up his
pirits observed that it was "better TO be
eaf in one ear that two," which says
Bant IN his simple way, "of course, was
~ ght, but if both were deaf it would be q
M poor lookout for us. Ny mate" continues
8 The narrative, "Would very often ask me
| heard Them niokipg away. l should
$ery quickly reply, Yes, / heard them
oing at is smart Then we would be
III till for about five minutes, when We
MI Mould want change position.
NJ hould get one of my legs under, and he
sSSSS ould put one of his on mine, and so on
|fe would draw our breath into eact
bther's bosom; I would put my hspc
under his coat and he would put hi:
Wander mine, and at the same time would
say, Keep as close as we can to ont
another, and it will keep Us warm W.
would lie until tired, and that would no
b be long. Then l would put my arm
VI around his neck, and he would soon fine
N It wanting, when / should have TO get on
81 OF bed to sound" They fsncied the!
n could tell night from day by the time
III when they felt sleepy.
"a On one occasion Bapt said TO his com
n rade I think it's Thursday; do you
think II isf' On what seemed to be th
day after this they could hear the rescue-
blasting the rock with powder. They has
husban3sd their food in vain, for tn
4 pasties had gone bad and we're loathsom
to the smell.
Il felt" says Bant, hungry and thirsty
thlnkirg at the same time that a pcun
OF candles would go good If had them
n out not having them, had to do without
4 At last thought upon plan heard o
es'n2 their stockings; but | could no
ear mine because they were mp TO the sur
lace, where | should like to have been.
tnodsht ,, of'eatiug a piece of flannel shir
AFTER these thoughts passed tnroug
ny mind I thought heard some on
tsikinE remarked to my mate, VIII
seld Get ont, man, you don't hear an
one listened and heard them agair
4. without -