Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-09
n Fortunate Escape.

Last Saturday Six miners working
for the GIandville Mining company at
Buncombe Wis. had 4 very narrow
escape from being suifoeated hy what
Is known among miners as the black
damps For several weeks these
men have been driving drift st
depth Of 120 feet toward another party
OF miners in the New Deaf mine at
the same depth, the object being to
hole thr0uhg to each others drift and
thereby obtain good air. The condi-
tion of the air at times in the mine
had been exceedingly bad, yet those
brave miners perseycred and toiled
day after day in ar totally unit for
men toliye in.
Just before noon on Saturday he
New Deal men gave signals that
they were going to shoot, and ia 4
few minutes a terrific explosion took
place, the smoke Of winch filled the
Glandyille mine. Then the Six men
Of the Glandville mine loaded and
fired holes 10 said mine and assembled
the ladder for dinner Their captain
+. A. Williams. believing that plenty
Of air had been obtained, did not stop
for dinner with his men, but worked
at sharpening drills, etc, 50 that the
men could 90 to work on time, think
ing that the usual 20 or 80 minutes
used in blowing the smoke out Of the
mine after dinner would bc unneces-
sary.
But the men, having used the air
mill freely short time, descended
and started to work Bnt soon all
became almost helpless and sleepy,
and realizing that they were breath
ing poisonous fumes they signaled for
air but Capt Williams having walked
down the digging lot did not hear
them. All this time they could feel
the sleepiness Of death closing about
them. Two Of the younger miners,
Free Andrews and Matt Wolfe, at
tempted in their weak and sulfocated
condition TO get out OF that 30 foot
shaft, which by superhuman effort
they accomplished Andrews on reach
ing the surface turned and caught
Wolfe by tie shoulder just as he was
releasing his hold on the ladder, and
saved him from falling. This all
happened within 20 minutes from the
time the miners descended. just as
the first two men reached the surface
Capt. Williams arrived and encour-
aged his men to come steadily up,
throwing water on them and turning
the air mill at terrible speed.
The next man who undertook to
climb out was Elmer simmons. Nv
this time large crowd Of miners
from the New Dealn mine had ar
rived and the men could see him
struggling on the ladder at times,
then resting and apparently asleep.
All this time Williams Numbered ord
ers to them to come TO him. and as
they came to the SUI lace he seized
them, as they seemed faint and re.
leased their hold on the ladder thC
moment he touched-them. All were
out but one, Peter Cavanaugh, he
having fallen below The whip rope
being lowered he was ordered to Tic
it around his body, and after great
effort and cautiousness on his parI
he was brought to the surface more
dead than alive. The names Of The
men are Robert Hamilton, Peter Cav.
anaugh, Freeman Andrews, Calet
Champion, Matt Wolfe and Elmer
Simmons. These men have beer
working the Glandville mine very
successfully, and although it is but
three months since they struck it, il
has developed into what is considered
to be one Of the best mines in Southern
Wisconsin. Our citizens are rejoicing
in general to know that the minor,
were so fortunately rescued. &.