The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1891-03-04
TO LIFE.
TERRIBLE SUFFERING OF
TEIEMTN SAVED.
stiIl COO Weak n 't,Ak.

this morning broughtto tllesur
face and carried, weak an,
helpless, to the hall of theSpn!
|Uf Temperance, where kins
hands are 1ninisterillg 70 tlieil
wants and where they will Re
main until wen enough to bs
removed TO their homes. II
these men recover, and there ii
no y every reason to hope thai
they will, they have a story tc
tell that will surpass in horror
the many tales Of suffering thai
form part Of the history Of coal
mining.
Though it was stated that five
men we're rescued, only foui
were fUund by the eager Sc .rch-
ers. they are Joe Matucho-
witolS Besso Franko, John
Tomaslnsky and Joe Asko.
Matuchowitch has a wife and
four children residing in Jeanes-
vile, and it was only the care
full watch that the men employ
ed at the head of the mine that
prevented his wife from descend
ing the slope. Ever since the
accident occurred she has been
attempting it. Franko was mar
fied and boarded with Matucho-
witch. Tomaskusky has a wife
and three children in the old
country and the news Of his
death was sent her at the time
of the accident. Joe Asko was
s ngle and boarded also with
the first mentioned.
= now THEY LIVED. WI
After being taken to the hall
ID was learned from Joe Matno-
witch, who was the strongest
of the party, that they subsisted
by eating mining paper, after
the contents of their dinner
pals had been carefully divided
and made to last as long as pos
sible. 1t was further ascer-
tanned that they made an at
tempt to light a fire and wasted
all the matches without any
success. This was lucky, for
had a fire been started their
death would have been certain.
John Tolnakusky says that
lug three days they moistened
their lips by dipping their fin
gers in sulphurous water and
wetting them. The small hole
in which they were crowded
smelled frightfully. They kept
warm by huddling together and
rolling over on one another.
The men are all too weak TO re-
late their experience and their
poor knowledge of the English
language makes it almost inn
possible TO gather from their
disiointed utterances even a
faint idea of what they must
have suffered.
HOW THEY WERE FOUND.
The exploring party that
found the entombed men con-
sisted of Joseph Kelshaw, Jas.
Sterling and Alex. Martin. They
went up the breast, pitching
fifty degrees, for a distance Of
seventy or eighty !eet. The
black damp became so strong
that the approach was danger
GUS. They found fresh tracks
such as footprints, and this
kindled hope in their breats,
and finally they heard the tap
ping. but the black damp was
too much. They came back TO
Mr.. McFarlane and told hi u
that they believed some of the
men were alive.
Then Mr.. McFarlane and
Caleb Williams, joining the
party, set out again. Mr.. Nc
rarlane outran the others. He
rushed to the top Of the breast
and was followed by William
Kelshaw. After working like
beavers for a time they reached
the men. John Tomaskusky
was first found lying on the
ground. Eagerly the rescuers
gathered around him. McFar.
lane took hold Of the rescued
man and carried him out TO q
manway. He gave him some
brady from a pocket fiask he
carried and the warm stimulani
gave new life TO him. In the
meantime William Hall came
back with Besso Franko in his
arms, weak and emaciated, but
alive. Then the others were
brought from the chamber in
which they had been 50 long
imprisoned.
THE WORK or REsUE COMPLETED
Then the fourmen were taken
10 the heading, where there was
a return current Of cir. IL wai
soon found that IL would be 70,
cold for the men there. They
were rolled in warm blankets
Restoratives and stimulants
such as milk, whisky and cof
fee, were given TO the rescuet
men. and the rescuers will new
er forget the look that shone u
! 49, ayaa ~ the gufferers wheI