Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-11-26
MANY ARE Alive
IN CHERRY MINE
MOTION OF SUPPOSED CORPSE'S
HAND TELLS THAT NOT ALL
ARE DEAD.
THIRTY ARE DISCOVERED DEAD
Crowds Gather About Mouth of Shaft
When Rescue Work Is
Started.
GRAVES DUG BY LANTERN LIGHT
BULLETIN.

CHERRY. H.. Nov. 2O.-At O'Clock
this afternoon, one of the rescuers ap-
pearing on the surface said that 14O
miners may be alive in the mine. The
rescue work will not stop until every
foot of the galleries has been explored
1t was with greatest anxiety that the
crowd awaited confirmation of rumor
that 100 men were alive in the east gal
lery. Difficulty was experienced in reach
ing this portion of the mine. 1t was
half an hour before a second report was
received from this section that the num-
Der of men alive thus far numbered sew
enty-one.
AT O'Clock the rescuers reported that
seventy-eight miners had been found
alive, eleven in one passage and the rest
in another.
CHERRY. H., Nov. 20.-[SpeciaL i
Forty men have been found alive in the
st. Paul mine.
AT 2 o'clock this afternoon word was
passed from below to the mine entrance
that rescuers after breaking through a
wall of debris. found two score miners
lying about in a passage.
AT first it was presumed that the men
were dead, but suddenly one of the sup
posed corpses was observed to move a
hand.
Then the searchers were electrified to
discover that every one of the forty
miners was still breathing and with ut
most haste reStOrativeS We're applied
Delirlous JOY reigned at the mouth OF
the mine when the news became known,
and it spread like wildfire
Hopes are now entertained that more
men may yet be found alive and the
work of investigation is being pushed
forward with redoubled energy and addi-
tonal men.
Little time was lost In conveying the
revived miners to the hosting apparatus
aud they were quickly lifted from the
bowels of the earth into the sunshine
which they had not seen for seven awful
days.
On reaching the surface, one of The
miners was able only to mutter inco-
herently. His face was blackened and
scorched by the frames, and bis compan-
Ions showed bodies and clothing which
gave mute evidence of the terrible or
deal through which they had passed.
Miners Build Wall.
With wonderful presence of mind, the
miners built themselves the wall of de-
brls behind which they were found.
When they discovered their horrible pre-
ulcament, they first made q mad rush for
the entrance, but found themselves
hedged III at every point by terrific heat
or lnsurmountabe piles of cayed-in earth
and coal
Realizing that hope of escape in this
direction was hopeless, the little band of
apparently doomed men rallied their
spirits and with courage born of des-
Beratlon, they set to work to throw I'D
barrier between themselves and the
against fate. Every stroke of the pick
meant better chance for life, and the
men labored like demons at their task.
FINALLY they had succeeded in practical
~ sealing the passage they occupied
from the rest of the mine.
Then in the inky, horrible darkness of
their self-made tomb, the forty battled
against the pangs of thirst and hunger.
to say nothing of the awful agony of
despair as first one, two and then seven
days and nights passed and still not the
slightest ray of hope penetrated the i'm
penetrable darkness
Faint from Exhaustion.
There in the bowels Of the earth one
man after another tainted from exhaus-
ton. and merciful insensibility finally
transported the last of the little band
from the racking realization of the seem
ingly inevitable end to a condition dan
gerously near death itself
On reaching the surface some of the
men were smiling, but others were still
In comatose condition and did not fully
appreciate their unbelievable rescue for
hours afterwards, when under the care
OF physicians and with returning
strength gained from artifcally admins
tered nourishment, they were able to tell
of fbn most I1pinun in, bo
annals of the world.
Forty Bodies Identified.
Just before the wondrous news startled
the people into frantic, almost madden
Ing Joy, forty corpses had been brought
to the surface and identified
Near the Catholic church two great
trenches awaited the bodies of the vic
TINS without kinsmen, while individual
graves were prepared for those who left
families
Bodies in few cases were taken to
their former homes. Father Wenzel
head of the parish, advised his flock that
for the general good, burial should be
direct from the cOroner's tent. The fam
lilies were satisfied with his promise that
as each body was inferred it would be
blessed and that later, with fitting cere
mony, the cemetery would be consecrated
by Bishop Dunno of Peoria.
Women who have stood for days and
nights with only the hope of recovering
the mutilated forms of husbands and
sons fought with the nationa. guardsmen
to reach the mouth Of the pit. The lat
ter, with the greatest gentleness re-
strained them, explaining that to over
run the pit would only delay the rescue
As one by one the survivors became
visible to the multitude outside the rope
barriers. the women crowded round
them. When one would recognize a kins-
man the joyful meeting moved many to
tears. But saddest of all was the change
AGAIN fo blank 6asnair of those who COW