Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1907-05-03
miners FOUND ALIVE.
SEVEN RESCUED AFTER LONG
IMPRISONMENT IN SHAFT.
AL TAKEN 70 HOSPITAL
foreman Describes Awful Experience,
IN Flooded colllery--Heroic
Work Of Men to Save
Their Comrades.

youngstown, Pa. ~ Taken from tho
dark recesses Of a coal mine where
they had been imprisoned for over 10;
hours, and snatched almost from the
Jaws OF death, the seven men taker
from the Berwind-White mine No. So
az Foustwell, are lying in the Windbe,
hospital. physically exhausted and OBJ
l'lous to all around them. The mer
We're reached about ten o'clock Tues
tay night, but were not brought out
until an early hour Wednesday morn
Ing, the physicians fearing reaction
from the excitement and sudden ex
posure to the outer air that might have
serious effect.
All Wanted to Go Home.
Y immediately upon being brought GU,
all the men wanted to go to tfleil
homes and were taken to the hospital
under protest. No food was given
them at first, but a stimulant in the
form OF brandy and water was admin
istered to all, with the exception Of
Michael Rolya. who crayed hot milk
This was not given him, how.
e;er.
Soon after arriving at the hospital
the men were sound asleep and nc
communication is allowed with them.
correspondents and newspaper pho.
tographers swarm about the vicinity
OF the hospital in an effort to get the
mems stories and their pictures, but
they are turned aside and the men are
not disturbed except at regular inter.
walls when the nurses administer hot
broths and nourishment. Immediately
after these treatments the men again
drop to Sleep apparently absolutely
exhausted.
The hospital physicians said this
morning that the men would be able
to be about in few days.
Life Came with Waters Fall.
we knew the men on the outside
were at work pumping out the water
in an endeavor. to release us. We
kept careful watch and could note
the water going down inch by inch.
There was nothing we could do to
help and we all chafed under this. We
could hear the tapping on the pipe and
knew 1t meant for us to keep up our
courage" said Foreman. Bolya. 1--WE
always signaled back whenever we
heard the tapping.
All the men had full dinner buckets
when they came into the mine Friday
morning, but the food in these was
soon exhausted and we felt the pangs
OF hunger keenly. I don't think the
men after the third day ever expected
to see their families again, but the
way they kept up their spirits was ad
n E 5s.3!
How Rescuers Worked.
To reach the imprisoned men 1t was
necessary for the rescuers litevally to
crawl and swim through mile Of tun-
nels filled with water. The first party,
after grouping It's way 500 yards, with
only few inches between the surface
of the water and the roof of the tunnel
IN which to breathe, were stopped Ut a
point where the water reached the
roof. One man tried to dive through
u the hope Of finding an air space be.
1ond and nearly lost his life.
When they returned, nearly dead,
'edoubled exertion with the pumps re.
luced the water sufficiently to let a
second party crawl through the tunnel
% the cutoff heading.
The imprisoned men had improvised
] pump, and they worked at this and
lewed out coal to ward of the intense
odd. One man was kept tapping on
he compressed air pipe. The signals
we're always four taps and then three
o indicate that they were in the
ourth right heading, and that seven
# them were alive. No matter what
he answer this signal was never
hanged.
Mine Blast Kills Seven.
Charleston. w. va.-Three men
,ere killed, four were severely burned
nd four others are entombed and
robably dead as a result of disas,
er at the Whipple mine, in the Leap
'reek district Wednesday after.
Don.
Fire damp is thought to have been
snited by the shot causing the acct.
ent. Although damaged, the fans,
'hich have q capacity OF $4,000 cubic
get of air per minute. continued
'orking and doubtless did much to
clip the work of rescue.
Sheep Camp Dynamited.