Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-04-03
ESCAPE FROM
LIVING TOMB
EXISTED TWENTY DAYS ON HAY
AND MORSELS OF
FOOD.

Lens, France, April 2.-FOurteen Of
the 1900 miners who were entombel
In the coal mines at Courierres TWEEN
ty days ago were taken from the
mines today. alive and well. They had
subssted on hay found in one of the
underground stables, and morsels of
food which they took into the mines
Iearly three weeks ago.
The sudden appearance of the i'm
rrisoned men caused stupefaction. A
gang of salvagers had just completed
y cir nights work, when they were
startled to see a group of miners, ter
ribly haggard and exhausted. and with
eyes sunken, appear from remote
part of pit No. 2. The strongest of the
party said they had broken out of a
distant gallery, where they had been
en- ombed since the disaster of March
1G The rescued men were taken up
the elevator, but were unable to see,
owing to the dazzling daylight.
The mine officials were deeply af-
fected. as the weeping survivors were
taken to hospital. The men talked
feehly but audibly. They all asked for
rews of relatives or friends, and wish
ed to go home Immediately. The doc
| tors, however, prevented them with
difficulty from so doing.
| Later crowds besieged the mines in
the hope of further escapes, necessi.
tating the employment of strong po
lice force and detachments of troops
to maintain order.
IL is said that others of the entomb
ed miners are alive and about to BIZ
brought out, their signals having been
heard. One of the men rescued to
Gay. man named Nemy, said thai
for the first eight days the party ate
the bark off the timbers of the mine
Later they found the decomposed bod!
Ct horse, which they cut up and att
with hay.
The survivors brought up portion
of the horse meat. Nemy, who wa
the most lucid of the miners VINO es
capped. graphically detailed their i'm
r.rsonment as follows:
Story Of Survivor.
| after the explosion I CROPPED m
way about, stumbling over bodies an
! seeking refuge from the gases.
!, found some comrades sheltered in
: remote niche. We ate earth and bar
/. for eight days.
Ii 1--WE continued to grope among til
/ bodies, seeking for an outlet from on
! prison, but were forced back agai
and again. We found some ha.
n which we ate, and two days after W
b found a dead horse, which we cut u
S and ate with the hay and bark. W
O suffered most for the want of waite
f. Finally we became desperate and Sc
q arated into three parties and commu
Il cated with each other by shout
r. Last night we felt draft of fires
air, which finally guided us to an 0
s. ening."
+. The doctors have forbidden the SUI
q yivors to- do any further talking. Va
, crowds of people surrounded the he
e rital where the escaped men are b
If ing treated.
v The families of the miners are
tensely indignant. They claim tn
,s salvage work was never undertaken
"a the part of the mine from which Men
If and his companions escaped, and d
orders are expected. The most seve
repressive measures have been take
h. Crowds of women denounce the dire
or tors and engineers, crying:
"If you had given us tools we won
or, have saved our own husbands"
m The party which escaped today
iginally numbered twenty men,
IN whom six disappeared during the gro
in ings in the darkness.