The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-03-04
RESCUED ALIVE.
Thrilling Experiences ofThree
Imprisoned Miners.
Shut Up in a Nanticoke (Penn.)
Colliery for lib Hours.

John Rineer, William Cragle, and Michael
Shet.ong, the threo man c,ught by mine
1oo1 in slope of the Susqushanua Coal
Company at Grand Tunnel, opposite Nanti-
coke, Penn, were rescued alive from their
underground prison, after being confined LID
hours. The point wnc.e they were found
was fully 1909 feet from the mouth OF the
slope and almost 800 feet from the main
,gangway where the water rushed In upon
the place in which they were at work. Here
they remained captives in the flooded mine,
without fool or drink, and in total darkness
for lis hours. The story OF the rescue, as
told by George Bendell, who was the first to
reach the three men, is thrilling.
When the mine pumps had got the water
down to point which would allow the use of
a boat, Bendell, finding no boat available,
got upon a raft constructed OF brattlce
boards, and pushed along through the
low sets of timbers by lying. fat
upon. the float and pulling himself
along by the roof of the mine. Reaching
third timber sat- he found it so low that
there was scarcely room for the raft. But,
on looking between the water and the roof
he noticed that just beyond the timbers was
a rise in the top of the gangway. There
upon he slid into the water from the raft
showed the raft under the timber,
swimming alongside, and 50 passed the OBJ
struction. He lost his lamp in the attempt
and called for light. In answer William
Bowen and Anthony Jones plunged into the
murky abyss wading part of the distance
and swimming the rest to where they could
reach Bendell.
Bowen got to him first and pushed his
lighted lamp over the top Of the timber.
With this Bendell pushed on to the other side
of the dip and got out of the water. AS he
went I'D along the bratticework, about sixty
feet from the timbers, he heard call:
"For Gods sake, hurry up boys, and get
us from here"
It was Rineer calling to him, and he re-
sponded: "All right, men; we are coming as
fast as we can"
Then he ran back through the water to
where he could call to Bowen AMI Jones.
~ have found the men; they are alive,
alivem he shouted, and the cry was picked
up by the men at the pumps and sent on up
the slope to where other men were resting
from their many hours of hard work, for
some of them had not been out Of the mine
since beginning the work Of rescue five days
before.
Then Bendell went back to the men. The
first one he reached was Rinear, who threw
his arms about him and cried with Joy, and
said: ~.
'God bless you, George. How is the
water"
Being told that it was nearly low enough
to permit their escape out, tie men all
offered up thanks to God for delivering them
from death.
II was nearly 5 o'clock before the men
could be taken down from the cross-heading
where they had found a refuge. They foated
one at time on the raft across the gang
way, aud then were carried to place where
they could receive medical treatment. The
only nourishment allowed them was milk in
very small quantities.
At o'clock the men were taken from the
mine and removed to their homeS-Cragle
and Rineer to West Nanticoke and Shetlong
to Grand Tunnel.
The two villages went wild over the rescue
of the men, who had been given up for dead
by the mins officials and all familiar with
the working of the mine, excepting those
who had slight hops the men might have
. escaped into the airway. This they could
not do, however, and their lives were only
saved by q narrow margin. The story told
by the rescued men is as follows:
They were at work off from the main gang
way about one hundred feet when they
heard the distant roar of the rushing water.
They feared there was danger, and drop
ping their tools, ran from the gang
way. The water was already at hand,
but when they reached the door the
volume Of the torrent fairly burst
upon them. 1t was a race for life, as they
turned and ran back to the point they came
from, the water in swelling pillows reaching
now and then to their feet, but with hasten
ing step they kept safely ahead Of it until
they reached cross heading, running from
Rineer's gangway to the old workings OF the
mine, and about ninety feet from the point
where they had been at work. This cross
heading is sixty feet in length, and runs up
at pitch of forty degrees. Its head was the
highest point in the mine the men could reach.
Beyond it the old workings pitched down in
either direction deep into the mine, but there
was no way of escape through them.
Up the pitch they crawled to get away
from the water, and up the slope it came
sitter them until they reached the top Of the
heading. 1t was useless to go further, and
they prepared themselves to meet the fate
which seemed in store for them. One
miners lamp still fcIered and cast
its dim light about them, and
looking down the heading they could see re-
flected in the water dance Of Light as the
food kept creeping toward them. On and
on it came until it was almost within their
reach, until it was within eight feet Of them.
Then it stopped, and finally settled until it
stood about ten feet below them.
Shut in by water on one side and no way
OF escape on the other, the men still hoped
that help would reach them from the outside.
They believed that their fellow workmen
would leave nothing undone to rescue them,
and in this faith awaited the signs that would
tell them the work of rescue was under way.
After timo the great mine pumps, 600
feet away. were heard throbbing and draw
ing on the water. The moment was
thrilling one to them, and gave them
great encouragement. Then the solitary
lamp which had guided them in their
flight from the flood gave out, and they were
left in inky darkness. They now did not dare
to mrTe from the logging that gave them
rest for single misstep upon the rough
mass of broken rock that clutered the head
ing would have plunged them down into the
deserted them. and together they waited the
time that would bring them succor.
In the first few hours of their Imprisonment
they felt the pangs of hunger, but this soon
ceased. and the greater one of thirst came over
them. This they could only appease by getting
their faces against tue rib Of the heading
and licking the trickiing water at it dropped
from tine roof and ran down the side of their
prison walls But this source of supply was
inadequate, and their sufferings were inten-
sified by the fact that the mine ten feet be-
low them was flooded with water they could
not reach.
AS the facts of the wonderful rescue have
become known about the thickly populated
mining regions the people are intensely in
terested and excited. TIE story Of their es
cape is accepted as one OF the most wonder
full known in the long list Of mining acci-
dents where the man OF the subterranean
passages are frequently imprisoned, but
rarely rescued alive