The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-11
CAVE FOR PRISONERS OF WAR.
Abandoned Copper Mine in Connecticut Where Were Keep
Prisoners For Years.

able distance. In many places the
sides are bordered by 9ileS Of broken
rock, held in place by wooden supports
! which have given away in some places
and the rock has blocked completely
the passage. II is difficult to pick the
Way through the mines. owing to the
low and steep condition of the CALLER
les.
A short distance from the main cav
ern the visitor comes to a we'll of water
Is feet deep. but so clear that the bot
tom is easily seen. The sunlight peeps
in at the top of the well hole 80 feet
to the surface below. There used to be
roDe and bucket in the well, the ton
of which was secured by trap door TO
prevent any prisoner escaping. How
ever. one inmate did make the attempt
one night, having bribed the guard TO
unlock the hatch, but after the 0ris-
oner had climbed the rC-e nearly to
the top he was struck on the head by a
descending bucket, and his body was
found the next day at the bottom OF
the Well.
Most grewsome of all is a dungeon
known as the Sounding ROOM 1t is
deep within the mines. and was used
for solitary confinement OF the prison.
ers. Here the echoes are remarkably
intense. and even WHISPER is repeat
ed. while a groan will reSound as if
made by the whole mountain. The re-
fractory prisoner was shackled to the
stone wall. his only refreshment being
soring, which is so near he could
reach it by STOPPING over. Near a shaft
where the copper ore was raised to the
surface. is hole. hardly large enough
for man to crawl through, which
WAS USED AS A DRAIN,
Yet a Tory named Wooster made his
escape by this difficult way. 1t was
closed by iron bars, which Wooster
loosened by picking the mortar with
nail rods he had brought undetected in
to the prison He stayed many nights
within the drain. enlarging it by chip
ping rocks. One night he was thus at
work trying to bore his way out far
WITHIN the drain, when a large stone
feil behind him. making him a prisoner
IN this tomb. He thought he must die
a terrible death of starving, when, to
his delight, he found he could kick back
the rocks a little ways. He struggled
desperately, fearing at every moment
that the stone would reach a place
where he could not reach it. Finally
he showed it to hollow place and was
able to crawl by. Torn and bleeding,
he was able to report to the guard next
day and escape detection. A few days
later he, with several others, escaped
through the drain, but all were captur-
ed except Wooster, who made his way
TO the sea coast and entered his majes-
tvs service.
Another desperate attempt to escape
was Joined in by the men who gave the
account of their entrance TO the prison
With several others, they overpOwered
the guards, fatally wonuding one, and
took the rest prisoners. They then re-
leased their companions, and although
some were wounded in the scufiie, many
escaped. y committee of the Connecti-
cut assembly investigated their escape,
and in its report made very sarcastic
comments on the inefficiency of the
guards.
Jacob Southwen was awakened by
the tumult," says the report. took a
gun and run out of the guardhouse,
and burst not go back for fear thew
would hurt him. n. B.-A young man
more nit to carry fish 70 market than to
keep guard at Newgate. Nathan Phelps
was also asleep. but could do nothing,
the prisoners having possession of the
"a small lad, just fit to
drive pillow with a very gentle team)
morning (poor boy)." The blockhouse
was burned three times while the En-
glish prisoners were kept in the mines
Bright green and dark steel gray col
orS will be noticed in the rock This
is the copper which at one Zine gave a
fabulous reputation for richness to the
mines. Many attempts have been made
to extract the ore, but always have
ended in financial failure. The first at
tempt was made in 1907 by a company
formed of the landowners of Sunbury.
The company made a contract with
three clergymen to smelt the ore, but
the British restrictions on smelling
were too severe to leave any profit An
other attempt was made just before the
Revolution, but in 1878 the works for
mining purposes were abandoned for
many years. In 1880 the Phoenix Min
ing company was formed of New York
men, but the company went under dur
ing the panic. The last attempt was
made in 1855 by the Connecticut Cop
per company which built a sizable
plant, and for two years carried on the
While the ore Yields 10
per cent, and in some specimens as high
as 10 per cent, the difficulty is in ex-
tracing the metal.
S. d. Viets of Springfield. Mass. a
great grandson of the first keeper of the
prison, now owns the properly, and Sc
cures comfortable rev nue. from sight
seers. The caverns were first used as
prisons in 1913 by the Connecticut as
sembly and were formally adopted as
a state prison in 1890, when most of the
buildings now in ruins were built
There were many thrilling escapes, re-
Dellions and instructions among the
,onvicts until the prison was abandon
3D. in 1920, for the present state prison,
at Wethers6eld.