The Anaconda standard., 1898-01-15
ANACONDA NEWS.
LIVING DEATH IN A TOMB
How 1t Feels to Be Imprisoned
for Two Days Underground.
STORY T0LDBY Mr.. USHER
Experiences of the Four Miners Re-
leased From Their Undesirable
Abode in the Tunnel Where
Occurred the Explosion.

The Hume tunnel near the upper
works has released its prisoners ard
yielded up its dead. 1t is, no NOR. an
attraction for the curious. Public in
terest in the i'll fated chamber ceased
with the blowing of the l O'Clock
whistles yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday morning at o'clock the
contractors thought that the men would
be reached inside of two hours. Prog
ress was necessarily slow, but, Judging
by the manner in which the work in the
manhole had been prosecuted and the
obstacles met, the Workiren figured that
about two more hours would take them
to the opening ahead. In this conclu-
sion they did not reckon with the heap
of timbers and large rocks that barred
the immediate entrance to the dark
chamber, and these proved to be obsti-
nate detrimentals. When they were
disturbed the great mass of saEd and
fine particles of rock overhead made it
self evident and extra precautions had
to be taken in working through the
debris.
At o'clock yesterday morning a re-
lief crew took up the work so manfully
carried on by Messrs. Young and
Matthews and continued until II
o'clock, when the cheering message
f'We've got EN- passed hurriedly
out of the tunnel to the eager hundreds
that lined the entrance to the tunnel
This was signal that put to the test
the stand back" qualities of the
guards stationed there to keep the tun-
mel clear, for the anxious watchers
could not restrain themselves-they
wanted to see. Rumor and report had
fooled them too often. Now that undis-
puted word had spread over the hill
side that the miners were about to be
released from their perilous situation.
that the grim specter of death had
Withdrawn and left but one summons
and had actually spared the lives of
-four men. the surging multitude whose
impatience had changed to delightful
expectancy, gave vent to an Amen"
the exclamation of which was subdued
TO moderation only by the solemn
Thought that the procession of lucky
miners would. in a few minutes, be fell
lowed by the bier upon which lay all
that was mortal of their comrade and
fellow workman. John Mcleod. Here
the presence of death forbade eXultant
JOY to manifest itself, in this instance
the shudder of sorrow overcome glad
ness.
When Mike Kosina, Mat Petritz An
a11N - ftafo ana Andrew Usher
walked out of the tunnel in the order
stated they We're greeted with hearty
ahandshakes and congratulations by
friends. They went to their homes.
Still the crowd remained at the tun-
mel. Far above the approach to the
drift and encircling the huge depression
IN the earth caused by the great explo-
sion, men, women and children stood
as If rooted to earth craning their necks
to catch glimpse of the body of the
dead miner
1T was ] o'clock when the remains of
Jack Mcleod We're conveyed through
the crowd down the hill to a wagon in
waiting to receive its burden. Then
the crowd left the tunnel their curiosity
had been appeased, the wagon led the
procession to the city, where 1t dis
banded, and the people separated i'm
squads to talk over the exciting Incl
dents Of the last two days