The Alaska citizen. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1910-1917, 1914-12-21
CLIMBS FROM
SHAT 7 To AID
INJURED man
MANlEY MANHOOD FALLS 40
FEET, BUT is EXPECTED
TO LIVE.

Few men there are who fall to the
bottom of 40 foot shaft and live
to tell the tale. but that was the
experience of Manley Mayhood on
Cleary creek last week. However,
Mr.. Mayhood is not yet able to tell
the story of how he fell as he is in
a comatose condition at ST. Mat
thew's hospital. According to DR..
NJ. F. Hall who is in charge of
the case. there are no bones brok-
en- and no internal injuries. as far
as can be ascertained. In fact, Mr..
Mayhood does not seem to be able
to realize that he was hurt.
Almost on a par with Mr. May
hoods luck in escaping instant
death from his fall, was the persis-
vent heroism displayed by John
Parquette, in climbing out of the
shaft. 1t took him nearly seven
hours to make the climb with the
aid of nothing but his pocket knife
steam point and an old piece of
board. but he finally reached the
surface and secured the necessary
aid to hoist Mayhood out
Mr.. Parquette's climb was a fight
for life for both himself and his part
ner Imprisoned in the bottom
of 40 foot shaft with a man who
to all intents and purposes. was
dead, and with no one in call. it
was climb or perish miserably from
hunger and exposure. The accident
happened on Number below, Cleary
creek, last Tuesday afternoon, about
2:30 o'clock
ctr ic f~l10
"Mayhood and I were working in
an old shaft nearly 40 feet deep.
For the first 20 feet down. the hole
is very narrow but was sloughed
out in the bottom until in some
places, it is nearly 20 feet in dia-
meter. We had started to drift
away from the shaft and were hoist
ing the dirt with a windlass.
"Mayhood was hosting as usual
that afternoon. and I had gone back
into the drift to fill another bucket
Suddenly l heard noise as of a
heavy body falling. Looking out
into the shaft, saw the bucketful
Of dirt land on the bottom When I
cot out where it was, looked up
and saw that Marley was falling
down the shaft and l quickly grab
bed the full bucket and pulled it
to place where he would not hit it,
II believe that Manley must have
"ausht himself on the cable as he
came down. or else was somewhat
stopped in his fall by the small
ness of the shaft, for the first 90
feet
Il saw that | was up against
bad proposition unless l could man
age to get out by the aid of the
cable. the end of which was still
tied to the bucket which had fallen.
| managed to get nearly up to the
narrow part of the shaft with it
when it came off the windlass
drum, and | went back to the bot
tom. then tried the climb with
the point and piece of board, using
my pocket knife to make holes in
the sides Of the shaft with which
to brace my equipment
AT that, | fell back several times,
but finally reached the top at 9
o'clock that night l went imme-
diately in search of help and reach
ed the Igloo Inn at Cleary City, just
after DR.. Hall had gone from there
However, we were able to stop him
and bring him back"
DR.. Hall states that, in his opin-
ion, Mayhood is now we'll on the
way to recovery. The only injury
discovered to date is that to the
brain, the young man having been
| unconscious most of the time since
he accident occurred.