St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-05-08

GRATz. Austria, May IA diver at
1880 this morning succeeded in reach
ing the party of tourists who have been
imprisoned in the stalactite cavern at
Sourach since Saturday, April 20. ow-
ing to sudden rise in the water and
the fact that the passage to 1t became.
blocked with timber and boulders. The
diver found all seven of the tourists
alive. 1t was at first believed that eight
people were Imprisoned. The news
that the tourists who have been SO long
Imprisoned were still alive caused the
utmost satisfaction among the crowds
of people who gathered about the cav
ern in order to watch the work Of fthe
engineers who have been toiling day
and night ever since they were ordered
to the spot when the local authorities
announced their inability to force an
entrance into the cave. The engineers
had very difficult task IN making an
opening into the cavern. The entrance
was blocked by timber. boulders and
flood debris. It was absolutely neces-
sary to use dynamite In order to clear
away the distractions which prevented
the entrance OF diver into the cavern.
The engineers were compelled to work
with the utmost caution,as it was feared
that too severe explosion might bury
the imprisoned people beneath tons. Of
rock, .
When the debris had been cleared
away and all was ready for another
attempt. Diver Fischer made another,
and this time
SUCCESSFUL DESCENT
Into the mouth of the cave. When he
reappeared he notified the engineer
officers that, although the tourists were,
alive, they appeared like people half
bereft of reason, as the terrible neryQnsi
strain to which they had been subject
ed had almost driven them mad. The
tourists must have taken conSiderablei
supply of provisions with them when;
they went Into the cavern over week
ago. as they still had. according to the
diver, little bread and cheese left, and
they had some candies burning. Phe
imprisoned tourists informed the
diver that they had passed through a
period of most awful anxiety and ter
ror. They had been able to hear the
attempts made to rescue them, but the
work seemed tOprogreSs SO slowly that
they had almost abandoned hope. Ehe
noise made Gy the explosions of tha
dynamite cartridges had the effect OF
cheering the, imprisoned people, though
they were in dread Of being buried be-
meath falling rocks.
Late in the AFTERNOON the rescue was
completed. Six of the tourists wsEe
able to emerge from the cave unaided,.
but the seventh was So exhausted that
he required assistance. Empernr
Francis Joseph was notified Of thes
safety Of the tourists and telegrapheds
his entreme satisfaction. =
LONDON, May IA dispatch to the
Times from Vienna. says: When cou-s
nection was made with the entombed
tourists, they shouted: .sWe are all
alive and well, ana still have provis-:
ions." As soon as possible milk aud
brandy were handed to them through a
SINAI aperture. and they were asked to
withdraw as far as they could to aIlow
further blasting operations.
THE RESCUED MEN so.
state that a box Of provisions which was
sent by the rescuers through the torrent
of water reached them ON Wednesday
last and kept them alive. They heard
the report of the blasting and this re-
newed their hopes of rescue.
The Standards correspondent at
Vienna says it was feared that the
3lHting might be done in the wrong.
direction. There was fresh consulta- :
ton in the morning on the discovery
that the brook which had
caused the disaster had beauni
to fall with, the better weather.
This led to the adoption of plan TO-:
reach the ascending passage called fhe'.
chimney. The plan succeeded admifa-;
bly,. Fischer volunteered to make &hel
ascent. although it would be at.
the risk of his life. He was furnished
with some light provisions and candles.
and was connected by telephone wire
with the first cave. At 10:30 he ascend s
ed the chimney. which was filed
with water, and after removing a.
long piece of timber he found
the explorers in Felzmannhoelle, the.
first large hall to which the chimney:
leads. They were fully conscious, but
extremely weak. They had eaten their
candles, but had been sosparing of their
provisions that they still had bread and
cheese left. Fischer returned with the
news, and then the work of widening
the chimney by further blasting was
performed. The men we're rescued
after being in the cavern 209 hours &