The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-08-04
ENTOMBED MINER
IS STILL ALIVE
Drill Shaft Through Drift to Under
ground Prison of Joseph cIary
In Joplin Mine.

Joplin. Mo-, Aug. after trying fOI
forty.eight hours to reach JOSEPH
Clary, imprisoned in a mine near here
by care-in Sunday, the fourth at
tempt of reseuers 10 establish com
munication with him by means of a
drill shaft was successful yesterday
afternoon. From the depths Of the
drift, eighty-hye feet below the sur
face, floated feeble Hello in an
swer to the signals OF the rescuers.
When the workers announced that
the drill hole. FIVE inches in diameter,
at last had penetrated the drift, a
shout went up from the thousands who
had gathered about the mouth of the
mine. But the noise was followed by
the stiffness Of death when the drillers
signaled for quiet, that the man, II
alive, might be heard.
Hello there hello, hello,' a mai
shouted down the narrow shaft.
Several seconds elapsed when there
came the feeble answering hello. Food
and drink in a small can Immediately
were passed down and received by the
prisoner whose yoise betokened his
faint condition.
After the lapse Of a few minutes
clary cried out up the tube, Water
about three feet deep in some places
in drift / am on a high place and il
may not reach me If you hurry. The
air was getting bad / feel much bet
ter now"
Rescuers believe that Clary may yet
be taken out alive The seepage water
in the drifts rises slowly and with
food. water and little fresh air sup
piled by means of the drill shaft, it is
believed he will be safe until the larg-
er shaft now being dug is completed,
probably today.
Clary is 2S years old, the son of a
pioneer mine operator OF this city.
With three other miners he was in the
White Oak lead and zinc mine Sunday
when the walls of the shaft began to
slide The other three men, taking
warning, escaped before the cave-in,
but Clary was imprisoned. Aware of
The presence near Clary's position of a
drift. sheltered by a ledge Of rock,
mine officials Immediately began res,
cue work in the hope that he had TAX
en- refuge in there where he might live
several days.
While hundreds OF men and boys
worked in relays digging shaft, drill
ers busted themselves at the swifter
process OF drilling small shaft. AT
the first three attempts. the drill shaft
was detected by the ledge and the
men were becoming disheartened when
success came yesterday.
The large shaft being dug now hes
reached a depth OF more than fifty
feet. and diggers are working with re-
newed energy. The top of the drift is
seventy-eight feet below the surface
The fact that the ground is soft neces.
stating the use of "crihhing" makes
the work on the large shaft slow.
The face of Thomas Clary. father OF
the young man. was one great smile
when the shout of victory went up from
the drillers yesterday. He crowded
close to the small opening eager tc
hear the faintest sound from his son
Since Sunday morning, when the work
of rescue began. Clary has not left
the scene, save for an occasional mo
ment to get food and water. He TOLD
his family he never would leave the
place until his son was found dead
or alive
Clary's two brothers. both of then
miners, and his two sisters. both O
their husbands miners, were at the
mine when the drill struck the drift
yesterday. At the Clary home. which
IS in sight Of the mine. the younl
mans mother lies prostrated by grie
since the first news Of the caveir
reached her. Physicians who hat
feared for her life now say she will re
cover The news that her son lived
was conveyed TO her by her husband