The Washington times., 1905-12-30
LOST EIGHT DAYS
IN DEEPS OF NINE
Finally Crawled Out Upon
Knees in Rags.
HAD FIVE SLICES OF BREAD
First Hours Wilkesbarre Man Fought
Rats and Darkness, and Then He
Lost His Mind.
HAD FIVE SLICES OF BREAD

mass of bruises, hands and knees split
open in scores of places. almost fam
ished from hunger and blind from con-
tnued darkness, Joseph Davis rescued
himself yesterday from the mine in
which he had wandered for eight days
Davis was found at the bottom Of the
shaft, to which he had made his way
with an instinct for preservation that
was stronger than his reason. for his
intellect had long since given wav
under the awful strain
Even now that he is safe and has re-
ceived nourishment his mind is weak.
and his story of those eight awful days
Is divided INTO two parts. which show
distinctly when his mind failed
The first four days he spent in the
mine are coherently enough described.
but the other four are told in words
that show only glimmerings of reason
In the most horrible imaginings of a
mind overcome by terror.
Lost in Antechambers.
Davis IS iisi5orer. He went into the
mine on December 20 and. wandering
from the main gangway. got lost in the
abandoned workings. When he did not
return a search was instituted but no
trace of the man was found
Yesterday some miners met HIN near
his hands and knees toward the exit.
He did not at first seem to realize that
he had reached safety but painfully and
slowly on his bleeding hands ana knees.
pounded and cut TO pulp tried to make
his way past the miners
When they picked him up ne gave a
cry and lapsed into Inconsistencies. He
was Immediately carried to the surface
ana II was several hours after he
reached his home before he was able TO
talk.
"What Day Is This?"
What day is this?" he asked Thurs
day. No, was in the mine more than
one day. l was there a week, two
weeks, a month. 1 was there a week
when the rat bit my face off: bit 1t all
on, and ran away and laughed at me-"
He rubbed his lacerated hand over
his face and smiled at what he recog-
nized as a hallucination
"Oh, have new face he said. Il
know that rat bit my face off. / saw
him do it; felt 1t just as bad as If il
really happened
When asked to tell his experience from
the nrSt day. he said:
Il went into the mine on Wednesday
walked along the gangway toward my
chamber All at once ! saw / had taken
the wrong road J turned and went
back TO find the main gangway. /
walked and walked for long time, but
didn't seem to find fl. Then / thought
had turned wrong again and went the
other way. l walked again for a long
time, but | saw no sign of men or
cars. and the rails had all been taken
up IN the gangWays-
II sat down TO think out what I would
do. made Up my mind that the way TO
get out was to go back over the roads
l had been On since / struck the breast
So turned my face the other way and
walked. l came to part OF the mine
where l knew l had been before, for /
remembered the crooked prop and the
pile of COB, with All old dinner can on il.
Now, l thought. 1 will get out. So
walked some more; but what made me
lose my way again, don't know As
went along. the rats ran out of their
holes and stared at me- 1 could see
their little eyes throw back the light
from my lamp.
Oil Gives Out.
Then my lamp commenced to sput-
ter. and i knew my oil was low. took
out my bottle and filled the lamp again;
but 1 thought II must be getting late.
and 1 began to be afraid 1 would not
be out by night.
Then 1 commenced TO call 1t was
awful TO hear my words come back TO
me. 1t seemed as II / was answered
sometimes. and 1 would call again. and
know IL was only the sound travelling
through the old workings. Then 1 got
hungry. and sat down and ate a slice
OF bread out of my dinner pail.
Il didn't want 10 eat much. because
thought / might be In the mine all
night. and l wanted to have enough
for next day. But l kept up calling and
calling and calling. Ny throat got sore
At last l couldn't do more than whis-
per.
My lamp began TO sputter again. and
i drained my oil bottle. There wasn't
much left. but 1t kept my light for an
hour more. When saw that IL was dy
ing out began 10 be afraid-not Of the
dark. but because j knew that it would
De barder for me TO get out. and that
maybe / would die in the mine. / took
my lamp of my hat and watched the
flame sputter. and blow and smoke.
IL got lower and lower. and at last
bright wick. like the end OF a lighted
cigar held the lamp In one hand
first and looked at the other hand by
the glow. Then l changed II 10 the 9TH
er hand. / wanted TO see all / cou
Of myself before the light went out
ut got lower and lower and then it
went out. and / was all in the dark. /
sat down with my feet IN sulphur wa
ter and cried a little.
Says HIS Prayers.
Then / thought l would say my
prayers. So / knelt and prayed and
prayed. I got tired kneeling. and when
/ was through I was sleepy. / must
have been I'm the mine longer than
thought, for / was played out. / took
OF my coat and made pillow of IT and
went TO sleep.
didn't sleep much. for the rats kept
running over my face. and / was afraid
they would bite NE. When / got good
and awake again / was very hungry.
felt for my dinner pail. The rats had
tried 10 steal IL when 1 was asleep. and
had moved il several yards. / went
along on my hands and knees until
found II. and l counted the pieces Of
bread, and found that had four. / had
eaten one.
If was going 10 be in the mine three
or four days. / would need something to
eat every day So / took just one piece
of bread / lay down on the ground
and drank the sulphur water that /
could hear running along the drain be-
side me.
When j got up. struck a match and
looked at my watch. IL was % o'clock
but / didn't know whether it was night
or day. / didn't know whether j had
been in the mine twelve hours or TWEEN
ty-foar. IL seemed like twenty-four and
/ was