Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-02-26
HAPPY MINERS.
Sssry Of tss Escape Of -Four Msa
lnerisoaso il ths Jsznss.Es
Mias fer nnstesa os,S

Al . O'Clock Tuesday morning ~ a
company II bl&sxeasd miners who
I AA.i jast issued froln the mouth II
ths Jsaaesslls mae with the aaost
I marvellous st0Fy ths bowels " tie
earth ever gave forth They sang
/ tie glad tsdiugs Of resurrection,
/ for never did men look uD0a a
miracle more strange than seemed
/ tAe rescue OF comrades many days
noarnsd a. dead Ihs records Of
human sudur anee contain nothing that
can match the experience # The four
men now being tenderly nursed back
10 life and strength kor nineteen
days and eight hours these four men
were eutombed, practically without
food or drink . . ieet deep and three
| quarters ef mile from the mouth of
I the nine, Ia hole three feet wide and
three nigh. For air 10 breathe they
had only what was imprisoned with
them
/ The disaster which overlook them
and score OF more OF their cOmrac 81
/ occurred a. IL o'clock Ou the mOr.sng
OF the 4th inst There was a sudden
rush of water into the mine from long
abandoned shaft. Nobody knows the
cause. IL is eonjectured that the work
/ ings had gone nearer the abandoned
mine than vas suspected and that a
miners pick had pierced the barrier
and started the food. A. ali events,
the waters poured IN with a So den
deluge which in i've minutes had filled
! more than zoo feet vertically out OF the
/ lower levels OF the mine.
p Ii was into the little drifts, the high
est points in the depths OF the mine.
that such miners as were not caught
by tho food aud whose escape by the
shaft was cut of Immediately fed.
| The water in the mine mounted so high
that in the main shaft it reached full V
| 10 feet above that OF the imprisoned
men. Their prison was Of course air
light The air confined there pre-
vented the invasion of the 40 cd 10 the
very end of the pockets where the men
took refuge.
The rescuing party worked faithfully
securing the bodies of the luckless
miners. -Four were found on Monday.
and this LETT four still missing of the
eighteen men who were caught in the
mine when the disaster occurred. Mon
day evening Foremen Hale and Ketcham
detected sounds in the debris ahead of
where they were searching. They
raised their voices in loud, long hail,
which was answered in a feeble and
faint but distinct ''fielloi" Bidding the
owner OF the voice to be of good cheer,
for help was coming, the men informed
their fellow rescucrs of the good tidings,
and. regardless OF black damp, they
pushed ahead IN utter darkness to
the breast. The men were not
there. They had crawled into a
heading or passage which had been
partially excavated from breast )
to breast 4. ketcham crawled into the
hole. He found the sufferers lying in a
| heap Ketcham seized ono of the men
and began dragging him slowly toward
tho opening. 1t was slow, painful
work in the utter darkness and the
| vitiated atmosphere. He reached
the opening a. last and the half
dead man was placed IN
| McFarlane's arms Ketcham was ex-
harsted by the foul air and Hale start
ed after the next man. Finally all four
were got cut and rcstoratives admins
tered But how to get the helpless men
through the $50 feet of low tunnel lead
ing to the large gangway and down a
sharp incline was a hard problem. The
only way was for miner to lie upon
his back, take one OF the sufferers in
his arms and slide over the rough path
to the bottom. The men were quickly
transported to the bottom of the slope
and hoisted in car to the landing
above. There they remained in the
care OF DR.. niean- everal hours before
taking their ad it onal journey of half
mile.
Meantime the mouth Of the pit was
surrounded by half frantic crowd who
could MT restrain their inpatience.
IL was given ous that the rescued m u
would not be brou ht up till morning,
so finally the people made the hotel
their headquarters for the celebration.
Shortly before o'clock the rescuing
party of miners came up. With their
lamps still burning in their hats and
their faces still black with coal the com
pany marched To Mr.. Hayden's house
and. standing in front. sang with most
inspiring fervor the doxoioyy. A more
dramatic and affecting climax of the
nights events could not have been sup
piled. The rescued men were brought
up about 4 o'clock in two cars and were
tendsrly transported % the town hall
Fer several hours the men were not
permitted 70 talk Indeed, they were
and still are too weak for more than a
few words az time. During the after
noon John B,rno said:
''.Then the last ounce Of food wa.
gone. started out in the darkness e
see If could find anything. / grope6
around for hours. but was not success
fui: the rats were =. nv feet all th'
TINA concluded that if I could fine
no further food I would kill the rats
This did with club. Fer seven day
our only food was rats legs The, rat
. we're very bold I had to watch tovel
my companions in their weakness O
the rats would have eaten their eye
out.
: The Hes of Lawrence Reed. Henri
Had. hlks smith and James Bullock
? which were found in No. ? breast o
!. the east gsnrway. bore unmistaksbi
, evideuce Of death by some means othe
than drowning. possibly BY sufoestion
Tbs food ia The dinner pals which
with spare ratio1s. would have lsste'
four or fre days was az eaten. and th
men We're living on drops Of snlphu