Rocky Ford enterprise., 1908-01-24
RESCUED FROM
LIVING TOMB
THREE NEVADA MINERS ARE
BROUGHT TO THE SURFACE
UNFRAMED.
AFTER FoRTY.sIx DAYS
WERE IMPRISONED MORE THAN
ONE THOUSAND FEET UN.
DER GROUND.

Ely. Nev-After having been en-
tombed forty-six days In the Alpha
shaft OF the Giroux mine. A. d. Bailey.
p. J. Brown and Fred Mcdonald have
been rescued. At $3.50 Saturday night
Bailey was brought out. Fourteen min.
utes later Mcdonald came to tho sur.
face. while ten minutes afterward
Brown was brought up.
Whistles NIL over the district blew
loudly. while crowds cheered In tho
streets Of Ely. while every bell In the
town was ringing.
About O'Clock the fact that an en-.
try to tho surface Of tho debris In tho
main way had been effected was tele-
phoned to the men anxiously waiting
on top. Tho entombed men had been
working several hours in digging their
way to freedom from the l.000foot
level. the rescuers nj the same time do
Ing all In their power to remove tho
earth that was blocking tho mouth OF
tho l.0O0.foot tunnel.
To tho anxious crowd waiting around
"Ouc. two. three. hoist away" and
upon realization Of this fact. n loud
cheer burst from III. thronG. Sud.
denly the bucket rose To the surface.
In Il was one Of tho rescue party sup.
porting Bailey.
His frst coherent question ns he
was being half led. half carried to the
shaft house was about his wife.
Mrs. bailey was not present. one OF
her children being III. and shc pro-
fcrrcd To meet her husband NJ their
home. where no throns VI curious pco-
pic would bc watching. Bailey sooa de-
ciarcd himself sufficiently rested To
mako the trip. where hc went soon
aftcr~ard. supported on either aide by
a friend.
Anosh,r shou; OF Joy echoed when
Fred Mcdonald was brought out and
given To tho care Of those anxioasiy
waiting, a brother and several fricuda.
Peter brown received a. great an
ovation from tho crowd ms either Of tho
others
On the morning Of December eth.
Mcdonald. Brown and bailey and Two
Greeks were working Ia tho bottom OF
the three compartment shafs. eighty.
nvc feet below tho pump station and
loss feet below tho surface. Tho
cavciu occurred al o'clock. Tho
cable uscd to haul tho cage from the
third compartment Of the shatt
snapped and thousands Of tons OF
rocks. debris and limbcfa fell down
into tho shaft. From the bottom OF
tho compartm-n, in which tho men
~crc working TO the pumping station.
a distance of eighty fisc feet. a series
of rickriy ladders offered tho only
means Of escape.
With falling rocks and simbrfs
streaming down upon them. the ave
mrn struggled up these ladders. Halt
way up falling umbcrs knocked tho
two Greeks from the ladder. killing
them. bailey. Meponaid and brown
managed to reach the pump station.
Its ~eii timbcfcd room vithssood
tho rock and timber that came down
the shaft. and offered them shelter and
safety. Here for tho mrs, day after
the caer.in tho men cfoachcd. while
q, intervals they could hear the rocks
and ,imbcrs crashing above them.
At first u vas thought that all tho
men had pcrishcd. but twcaty four
hours after the ca,e.in the three men
who occupied the pumping station
maEasrd TO make themselves heard by
tapping upon the siy.inch water pipe
tina, stretched from the pumping sta.
,ion TO the surface.
II was this pipe tha, was the means
of saving the lives Of the men. When
communication was once established
with the world above and the men
made known the fact that they were
still alive. food and wafer were low
cred through tho pipe. large sup.
ply was sent down. as II was thought
possible that the pipe communication
might be cut OF before the rcscuins
party could reach the imprisoned mon.
but throughout their long weeks Of i'm.
prisonment this pipe has been in daily
use. A portable telephone was low
cred and the men were able TO talk
with the people above. This telephone
has been in almost constant use.
friends sending them by its means the
news Of the outside world and mes
saecs Of cheer.
The work Of rescue was most peril.
Gus and the men who were engaged In
II. the pick Of the best miners and
timber men In the camp. worked in
wo.hour shifts. There was constan>
danger that the loose mass through
which they were working would give
way and each man worked with a
rope about his waist. 20 that II sud.
denly deprived Of footing they would
not fall, but could reach the cage and
be drawn up.