The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-07-21
STEVENS SET FREE
IMPRISONED MINER RELEASED
FROM A LIVING TOMB.

Two Weeks Spent in C.ved.In Gold Min,
In ArIxona-Thirteen Days and TIE,
Hours without Food and Eleven Day
without water-Reduced to . Skeleton
Yet Keeps Up Yell and Kick Tha
Lets the Rescuers Know Where He Il
At-He Tells the Tale Of His Suffering,
STORY OF the Rescue.
Denver, Co;o.,- July 20.-The Repub
Icon under Phoenix date of July II says
James Stevens. the imprisoned COX
Fields miner, is again free.
Thirteen days and ten hours ne had
feen without food and eleven days with
out water, constituting a record for en-.
durance probably never equalled else
where, yet he is alive and if his physic.
ians may be believed, stands an excel
lent chance for complete recovery though
convalescence will probably be slow.
His body is dreadfully emaciated, with
every bone outlined under the wasted
SKIN His features are emaciated and
gaunt and from a stocki!y built man OF
l60 pounds he has been shrunk by fam
inc to surely not more than 90 pounds
weight.
The rescue was made at 7:30 this
morning. All night long the miners had
heard Stevens below them, signaling
with his hammer on the drift timbers,
and at last they could hear his voice as
ne implored them 10 make haste.
81 am burning with thirst" he reiter-
ated. The second morning shift. COM
posed Of Danielson and Mergen, had jus.
taken up its work. when a stoutly de-
livered blow drove pick through the
tale side of the drift.
Work here" shouted Stevens, aiding
the miners from inside, and within five
minutes he had grasped their hands and
was lifted INTO the shaft and the good
news shouted to the expectant throng
gathered at the pit mouth.
Dr.. Hart Of Tempe, Superintendent
Hall and your correspondent were quick
ly lowered with stimulants and water,
and tne rescued man was taken back
into the drift and there nourished and
made comfortable till such time as the
physician shall deem him fit to be re-
moved to the surface. When he is taken
up it will be to be the particular invalid
Of the camp, with the camps reading
room transformed to his bed room, and
with all the men of the camp as his at
tendants. Lying back on mattress in
the bottom of the narrow drift. in what
nc declared was wonderful comfort,Ste
ems, at intervals. pieced together his
story of his awful trial:
II and another man on a lower drift
were the ouly men working on the night
shift the 4th of July. The rest were cele-
brating. 1 heard the timters creak back
% me on the old stope. but that was
nothing unusual. 1 had taken my lunch,
however. about 10 O'Clock. when the noise
increased enough TO scare me. I grab
teen and started for the within shaft
That moment spared my life. for down
came the rock, filling up the stope.
knocking the shaft into smithereens and
sending regular wave of sand towards
me. The stuff seemed to fill this SO-foot
drift.
Il appreciated that I was In for a long
stay. IL not forever, and all I had to
make it on was a gallon of water and
short candles and mighty little air. As
soon as the dust settled I commenced
working towards the stope to hit an old
air shaft that comes up from the lower
level. 1 could not reach ii, though I
cleared away IS feet Of drift to the within
shaft. There I found fresher air and
there I stayed most of the time after
that My candles and matches gave out
just as I found the fresher air and my
water a few hours afterwadr, Wednes-
day night. the 18th.
How did 1 know II was Wednesday?
Why" and he laughed a curious. harsh
laugh, II didn't have anything to do
most OF the time except to keep account
Of time. OF course I could not see my
watch face. 1t was almost too dark
down here 10 think. but I know there
were just two winds to the hour See II
haven't kept correct time. Isn't this
the morning of Saturday? How did
L a
after water gave our and all I could do
was to listen 10 the men working over.
head and answer their signals. 1 be-
ieve I heard every blow they struck.
heard them when they tried to reach
NE through the Slope. I knew they
couldn't make II that way and then
heard them commence on the hanging
wall in the solid rock. I knew they
would reach me that way. but I couldn't
ell whether could hold on till they did
They seemed ungodly slow the last few
,eet. l don't think I could have held
,ut another day. 1 worried during the
ast few days and IL I had done as I
liked / would have killed myself, but I
nave a family. The pain in my stom-
ich from thirst was frightful 1 didn't
seem 10 mind the lack of grub so much
Stevens appeared 10 have retained pos
session Of his senses and was passive in
he medical mans hands. His pulse |
when the drift was entered was 112 and |
Is tempera ture 1e4. II an hour the one
lad fallen 10 81 and the other TO normal |
md the man. murmuring something !
Ibout a drink of ice water and a wish |
or smashing dinner. had composed |
himself 10 sleep.
The cave occurred IN the southern |
OF the famous Mammoth mine. |
ne Of the richest in the west. the prop |
-ty % Hall & Sullivan .: Denver The !
tope. 20 feet long ana 29e feet deep. lay |
the main south shaft and what
vas known as the whin shat. The larg- |
= shaft was unhurt. but {, vas impos- |
iole - drift through the loose rock ana |
imbers 20 Stevens on the 125-foo: level |
~ =