The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-19
COMRADES HOLD
 MANIAC MINER Grief Drives Insane One of Three Entombed Miners RESCUERS WORKING HARD Men Who Have Been In Living Tomb For Six Weeks Are Almost Reached, When FraiI Ladder Breaks
 In the Depths.
RESCUERS WORKING HARD

ELY, New, January 1S.-(Special)- Rescuers burrowing down the thousand feet of shaft, at the bottom of which three miners have been entombed alive In the Kimberly mine since December S' reached point within 30 feet of the prisoners today when the ladder broke Had it held, Bailey, Brown and Me Dougall, who have. lived longer in a mine than any other men in history. would now be safely rescued Since it broke they must remain in their earth like coffin for at least three days more.
 But an event more tragic than the breaking of the ladder befell one of the three prisoners. The telephone. by which they have kept in constant communication with the surface since the shaft caved In, was the means of conveying sad news to one of the en- tombed miners. Just before the lad der broke a hairbrained foreman got a letter at tn top of the mine announc- ing the death of the mother of one of the men. He called the entombed man to the end of the wire at the bottom of the shaft and sent the letter down to him through the food tube. What his long imprisonment the dark, the constant fear of death had not been able to do, this message did.
 Insane With Grief.
 The imprisoned man is said to have gone insane with grief and the last message received from his fellows to- night indicates that they may be fight ing the maniac hour after hour in the little cell at the bottom of the shaft to keep him from killing them before h Ilx ft, f,s.~ l..N cident has set the rescuers working desperately.
 It is reported here that doctors have been summoned to thu top of the shaft and that down the tube through which food has been passed to the prisoners for more than month, they are now sending drugs with Which to put the crazed man into unconsciousness.
 The work of rescue had progressed to- day almost to the point of success when the unfortunate accident of the breaking ladder brought the disheartenng set back.
 The three men. already longer alive under ground than men have ever before been, have taken their dreadful incarcera- ton very calmly.
 The Broken Ladder.
 Today clea ring away the debris as they went the rescuers dug down to a point 760 feet below the surface and there came upon an open shaft that apparently led hundreds of feet nearer the captives. A long ladder stretched down this. One of the rescuers descended it, climbing down to a level that he estimated must be within thirty feet of the entombed men, And on this level he found another lao- der, a frail affair extending still fur ther down. He undertook to descend it, but had passed only few rungs when those beneath him broke short off and dropped into the pitch dark depths.
 The rescuer saved himself by clinging to the upper rungs which he still clutch ed with his hands and ascended again to the 760 foot leval New ladders are now being constructed at the surface and Mine Foreman McAfee will again descend to the 970-foot level and once more attempt to reach the men.
 It is feared, however, that at least 20 feet of rock and dirt still Is closing the shaft above the prisoners heads. If that is proved true, two days at least must intervene before the three miners can be taken out