Smyrna times., 1907-05-08
SEVEN ENT0MBED
MINERS SAVED
Men Penned in Flooded Shaft Four
Days Are Rescued
HEROIC WORK OF RESCUERS

Jb44ASlOWA, d., MAY ls-All6I OuC
of the most narrowing experiences in
the mining annals of the state the
seven men who have been imprisoned
by a flood in Mine 80 of the Berwind-
White operations at Foustwell since
last Friday afternoon, were rescued
alive and well. For over 100 hours the
rescued men were hemmed in on all
sides by a food of water that had
broken through from an abandoned
working. Their rescue is the result of
the unceasing struggle against the
rising waters made by the wOrkmen
and the officials of the Berwind oper-
atiOns.
The men were reached on Tuesday
night by Stiney ROdon and Charles
Ream, who made a dash through so
feet of water-flled heading Earlier in
the day John BOlya, brother of one
of the imprisoned men, and three COM
rades made a futile attempt to reach
the imprisoned men. These men came
back half drowned and reported that
portions of the heading were still com
pletely filled with water and that more
pumping would have to be done before
the imprisoned men could be reached.
The efforts at pumping were then re-
doubled. When the water had so far
gone down that it was resolved to
make one more attempt to break
through to the overcast where it was
believed the unfortunate miners were
still alive. Stiney ROdon and Charles
Ream volunteered for the service. Like
the party that set forth earlier in the
day, they left the pumping crew and
plunged out into the water and dark
ness. 1t was over an hour before
either man was heard from, and then
Ream anne swimming back through
the heading to the pumping crew,
bringing the first news from the i'm
prisOned seven. The effort had nearly
exhausted Ream. He reported that
the seven men were alive and all in
good shape but that until more pump
ing was done the passage to the place
where they had taken refuge was i'm
passable to those who were unable to
swim.
Ream and his comrade carried to tle
imprisoned men simply a flask of
brandy and little water. He report
ed that Mike Bolya had since the
breaking of the walls between the
abandoned working and the present
operations teen in charge of the move
ments of his comrades. Balyo, who is
a mine contractor. was a man ac-
quainted with every turn of the mine
in which he was imprisoned. When
the food broke out. according to the
story he told Ream, he led his com
rades to the highest point in the head
ing where the overcast" was situated.
Under BOlya's direction, each man be-
fore fleeing seized his lunch basket.
When they arrived at the overcast"
every lamp but one was extinguished,
and one by one the lamps were each
burned out until when they were
reached by Rodon and Ream there wa.
but a single light remaining. and thai
was in danger Of running low at any
time BOlya stated that the lamps were
burned because the darkness and the
noise OF the water rushing in the head
iags as e was driven back and forth
by the expansion of air cushions caus~
ed by the flood was so terrifying tha
the meH feared their reason would
leave them If left in darkness. Bolya
stated that Of all the dangers they
faced the darkness was the most ter
rible.