Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-08-26
James SHUTS Has Miracu-
lous Escape From Death
at Federal Building; Ply
sicians Say Will Recover.
RAPIDLY GAINING
STRENGTH AT HOME
Physicians State That No
Bones Were Found to be
Broken; Bruises Consti-
tuee Main Injuries.

barred I0T SlTSS DouGS duu oNo-AAiA
beneath about ten feet OF rcck and
earth i'm an old well in the rear OF the
Federal building, with small gas pipe
giving him barely enough air to sus-
tain @ts., James SHUTS, son of MT. AID
4 Mr.s. B. A. SHIFTS, 429 North Court
Il street, was rescued from the very
taws ay3 death by his fellow workmen
81 2 O'clock this afternoon. The cave
in aAEne AT exactly 1880 this morh'
ing and three hours and one-haif al
Gnos4 10 q minute he was dragged to
the sarface, weak but not unconscious,
with deep cut in the top of his head
and his face cut and bleeding lie
| was Immediately placed in the amh'l-
lance and hurried to his home where
physicians are determining the extent
Of his injuries. They express but ut
tie doubt as to his recovery. His
father met him as he was being car
ried to the ambulance and the plucky
youth reached forth his hand as best
he might to shake hands.
Shouts Greet His Rescue.
! When his fellow workmen pulled
him to the surface by means of rope,
great shout broke forth from the
| hundreds of people gathered on the
| buildings and embankments around
| the we'll. Many thought he was dead
as they could not conceive how he
could survive those three long hours
with but little air and the heavy
stones crushing his body. The shout
was repeated over and over and did
not cease until he was placed in the
ambulance and on the way to his
home.
The youth was at work in the bot
tom of the old we'll, some thirty feet
deep when the cave-in came. He was
drilling q hole through the interven-
ing earth to the new we'll several feet
away when he felt part of the old
rock give away. Ed McNabb was
working with him but was assisting
him from the top of the well. SHUTS
started for the top and had gotten I'll
most half way out when the crash
came. He was buried with just lew
feet Of rock and earth on top of him
and his fellow workmen succeeded in
getting almost to him when the Sec
ond crash of stones and earth came,
putting him several feet more below
the debris Warren Armour, who
helped to dig him out, managed to
work a gas pipe down near mis- face
just before the second cave-in and per-
haps saved his life by this most tor
| tunate act. When the wcrkmen set to
J work to remove the second cave.In, It
was thought that his chances weI e
very small. Frantically they worked
and finally made way below the ell
| trance of the WELL Others siezed
shovels and picks and removed ting
bank of earth standing beside the
we'll that it too, might not cave in, up
on him. @"
: Men Go Into Well.
Warren Armour and Charles Harris
volunteered to go down into the well
l when it was farther than the men
could reach. Although there was dan
ger Of another cave-in, they took their
! chances and set to work. Buckets
were brought into play and attached
to long ropes, they were soon bring
| ing up the rocks and dirt. For al
most three long house these men load
ed the buckets and gradually made
their way downward. Soon they were
able to hear SHUTS and the word was
passed that he was alive, unbelievable
as 1t was.
/ Physicians Use Oxygen.
Several physicians were on the
scene and as the time wore on and the
young man was not reached, they be-
! came alarmed for his safety. They
thought the air he was getting
through the gas pipe was insufficient
to sustain life. Oxygen was brought
into use and several tanks full was
! forced down through the pipe. At
times SHUTS asked for more, his call
coming family through the debris.
! Finally reach him.
| About 1 O'Clock Armour and Harris
reached him, unearthing his back and
hips first. He was lying face down.
ward with his feet mashed up in under
him. At this juncture Armour, who
had been working since before II
o'clock, asked for drink Of water and
the youth, still unable to move mus
Gle, told him not to stop for that but
dig away. Progress was now a little
slower as the earth around his body
must be moved with care. Suits was
cautioned to lay quietly because it was
thought that his first desire when he
knew that he was almost out would
be to struggle and exhaust what little
strength he had lett. He complied