Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1908-01-30
SAVED AT LAST
Rescued From Mine After Being
Entombed Over Forty Days.
FED THROUGH A PIPE.

A. ID. Bailey, p. j. brown and F.
Mcdonald, Three Miners, After BE.
Ing Prisoners I'm a Colorado Mine
Since the First of Last December.
Were Brought to the Surface One
Day Last Week.
After having been entombed 46
days. one thousand feet below the
surface in the Alpha shaft of the
Giroux mine, near Ely, New, p. J..
Brown, A. d. Bailey and Fred Nc
Donald were rescued last week
Whistles all over the camp blew
loudly, while crowds cheered in the
streets Of Ely to the ringing of the
bells.
Ah.' was the only word OF Bail
ey, the first to reach the outer air.
He tottered forward into the arms
or comrades, who in O few minutes
recuperated him.
us that you, Arthur" oueried
Fred Mcdonald, as his brother stem.
PED forward and embraced him after
nearly seven weeks of separation.
by George, 1t certainly seems good
TO be out OF that hole" he said as
he was led away. telling his brother
of his terrible experience.
| Somebody give me a chew OF to-
bacco," said Brown, with a laugh as
he was led from the mine shaft to
the change room where the three
men were made comfortable.
| The news that rescue was near at
hand reached Ely from the mine
shortly after IL o'clock the day be-
fore and many citizens went to the
mouth OF the shaft to greet the men
Many hours passed while the crowd
waited and the entombed men and
their rescuers dug vigorously to re-
move the earth that blocked the
mouth of the 1000 feet tunnel
Finally the anxious crowd around
the shaft heard the bell signal
hoist away" and loud cheer
burst forth. The basket soon rose to
the surface. bearing one OF the res
cuers supporting Bailey. Mrs. Bail
ey was not present, as one of her
children was sick. AS soon as Bail
ey was provided with clean clothes
he hurried home supported by
friends.
Another shout OF Joy greeted Fred
Mcdonald and when the last man
Peter Brown, came out the crowd be-
came almost hysterical, realizing
that the long entombment was end
ed.
On the morning of December 4th.
Mcdonald, Brown and Bailey and
two Greeks were working In the bot
tom Of a shaft S5 feet below the
pump station and 1855 feet below
the surface. The shaft caved In.
swapping the cable used to haul the
cage from the shaft and hurting
thousands of tons of rock and tim
bers into the shaft. From the bot
tom OF the compartment in which
the men were working to the pump
ing station. series of rickety lad
ders offered the only means of eg-
ress.
With falling rocks and timbers
streaming down on them the five
men struggled up these ladders, Half
way up falling timbers knocked the
two Greeks from the ladders killing
them. Bailey, Mcdonald and Brown
reached the pump station. It's tim
bered roof withstood the rock and
timber that came down the shaft and
| NJ 20
whole day the men crouched
while at inervals. rocks and timbers
kept crashing about them. threaten.
ing momentarily to crush the deer
tomb.
At first 1t was thought on the sur.
face that all five OF the men had per.
ished. but twenty-four hours after
the accident the three buried me1
managed to make themselves hearC
by tapping on six inch water pipe
that reached from the pumping sta
tion to the surface. Communication
t was established with the worlC
} above and food and drink were plen
= teously lowered through the pipe.
= A large supply was sent down. al
1t was feared the pipe might be brok
e en- before the rescurers could reacl
= the imprisoned men. But through
e out the long weeks of Imprisonment
: this pipe was daley used. A port
e able telephone was lowered and tn,
men were able to talk with peorl
above. This telephone carried from
friends news OF the world and mes
: sages of cheer. and from the bur
4 led men reports of their condition