The Daily Missoulian., 1909-03-11
ENTOMBED MEN ARE RESCUED
FROM MINE AFTER BEING
BURIED FIFTY HOURS.
HOPE Al MOST ABANDONED
Efforts to Free Workmen Caught in
Tunnel Near Salt Lake City Are
Repeatedly Blocked by Fresh Cave
ms, but Perseverance is Finally Re-
warded by Release of Prisoners.

Salt Lake City. March 10.-After en-
during the horrors of an underground
| prison with death at their elbows for
90 hours George and Jerry Peterson
were dragged through an 1s-inch hole
to freedom and safety at O'Clock to-
night.
| A crowd of 100 people, including the
wives and neighbors of the imperi,ed
men, sighed with relief or went with
JOY as they were blindfolded, wrapped
in blankets, refreshed with hot coffee
and bundled into a wagon to be taken
home.
| On Monday afternoon the roof of
the drain tunnel on the ST. Patrick
| property, four miles east of Murray.
| gave way and a huge mass of earth
blocked the passage 100 feet from its
mouth The Petersons were on the
wrong side of the cave. Warned bv
previous experience, they had equip
ped themselves with long iron pipe
| two inches in diameter which they
kept ever at hand. They now drove
this slender tube through the debris
to secure ventilation and undertook to
burrow out.
Their digging was worse than USE
less for the loosened earth ran down
faster than they could remove it. At
supper time they were missed by their
families and their predicament was
soon learned. Ranchmen by the score
and few practical miners formed a
relief party which set to work and lab
ored heroically night and day in the
dangerous ground. Hope grew high as
the barricade was reduced to a few
feet only to vanish as fresh masses of
shale rumbled down from the insecure
roof.
Weak From Hunger.
The prisoners, although supplied
with air through the providential pipe,
were weak from hunger, chilled by the
water which rose to their knees, and
terrified by boulders which, falling
farther back in the tunnel, threatened
them with instant burial under fresh
caves.
When, this morning, after the rescu-
ers had removed but two or three feet
of the obstruction they were driven
back Is feet by new earth fall, the
Peterson brothers felt the hope go out
of their hearts and waited stolidly for
death. But, in the meantime, the word
of their peril had passed throughout
the valley to the cities and to the
mining districts Of the state. 1t
brought, among others, NJ M. Johnson,
the chief engineer of the Newhouse
mining staff, in his speedy automo-
bile. Within half hour the skill that
has made Mr. Johnson chief of vast
mining enterprises was in the service
of the humble and despairing miners
who shivered in the darkness of the
st. Patrick tunnel.
Mr.. Johnson called for timbers-real
timbers, not the sticks that had been
gathered on the hillside-and galloping
teams brought them from the town of
Murray, four miles away.
Put this in there" commanded the
new chief
Men Rescued.
Timber after timber was set into
place as If intended to stand for all
time, as dozens of hands responded to
the impulse of single brain Progress
was slow, but there were no more re-
treats. Daylight finally burst into the
tunnel prison through a meagre OPEN
ing. Fearful of delay the commanding
officer told the Petersons to stick their
feet out. Muddy boots appeared in the
opening and in a moment George Pet
erson was being brushed and hugged
by his friends. Jerry. who was res
cued in the same manner, insisted on
to the wagon, although he did
not refuse a friendly arm.
1T seems good to be out" he said.