The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-07-18
TWO MEN BURIED
In A Mine At
SPRUCEMONT

What came within an ace of being
fatal accident occurred few days
ago at Sprucemont, in the mine being
operated by Dunn & Hand. And only
through the intervention of Divine
Providence are miners Sandy
Fletcher and Tommy Rouse alive to-
day to tell the tale of their narrow
escape from what seemed certain
death.
These two men were at work in the
mine one in a shallow Wine about
eight feet deep, and the other in a
small drift, six feet long, leading
from the Wine. In removing the
earth and rock during the process OF
excavating the winze and drift the
men had in a manner undermined
the timbers holding hundreds of tons
of soft wash in place. They did not
note that fact, and were, consequent
", oblivious of the dangerous posi-
ton they were in.
1t was while working in this posi-
ton that a cave occurred, hundreds
of tons of the wash, com posed OF
boulders and earth, settling, filing a
portion of the long tunnel leading to
the Wine and partly filling the
drife. The man who was work
ing in the Wine was In some unac-
countable manner thrown forward
into the drift where his companion
was at work. The earth ami rocS
settled around them, making them
prisoners in a small space about three
feet by five. Here, shut off from air
the light of the world and all possible
sounds, the men meditated upon the
death by suffocation that seemed GER
tain was coming to them in u very
short time.
Happily, the cave was soon discov.
cred by other workmen who SET
about to rescue the entombed miners
none hardly having hope that he
men would be taken out alive. Will
lam Dunn was called and directed the
work of rescue. Knowing the exact
spot where the men were working
Mr.. Dunn knew that the only hope
for them was to get air to them. AZ
ter considerably hard work the pipe
was driven several feet into the place
where the men were supposed to Re
Instantly it reached them they sig
nailed to the rescuers. On the out
side all was quiet { fter the shout OF
Joy that followed the signal from the
entombed miners. Throuhg the pine
from the living tomb came the words
I'VE are all right but the air IS get
! ting short and we are almost s'.ffo
Gated" Another pipe, to cause cir
culation of air was then driven in
and when it had reach I'd the men
| the work of rescue %l.h pirk and
shovel began. For hours the res
cuers worked as they NV" lied
before. Dirt, rock, boulders and de-
bris were removed in remarkable
| time, the rescuers working like de-
mons, it not being known when an.
other cave would occur, which meant
certain death for their entom bed
companions At the end of five hours
the men dug through into the prison
and the men were taken out, neither
having received even a scratch to
carry as reminder of his narrow es-
cape from death. They were badly
| frightened and somewhat exhausted
from their cramped position in the
| little space and the lack of air, but
otherwise uninjured. AT the time
the pipe which was driven in reached
the men they We're almost suffocated
and could have lasted but short
time longer. This pipe, aided by the
other gave them sufficient air to
breathe, and calmly, like Hicks Of
California fame, they awaited theil
rescue.-Neyada State Herald.