Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-10-07
although Much Emaciated and
Weak from Long Fast, the
Nine Men Imprisoned a Week
Will Recover.
RESCUERS T0|lED HARD
We're Obliged to Blast and Tear
Away 800 Feet of Solid Rock
800 Men Worked for Six
Days-ThOse in Mine Lived on
Oil and Contents of One Pail.

Lansford, Pa. Oct. 3.-Nne mine work
IRIS entombed in the Foster Creek tunnel
IF the Lehigh Coal and Navigation COM
pany at Coaldale at noon Monday, were
iaken out alive at 4:25 O'Clock this after
noon. They We're found on top of a chute
In which they had crawlod to escape
q flood of water that had broken from
an abandoned working and caused more
than 300 feet of gangway roof to fall.
shutting off all means of escape. The
men in the hospital at Coaldale.
and reports from there tonight held
promise that all will recover None of
them, however. was in condition tonight
to tell of their narrowing experience
Two fellow mine workers, William Wat
kins and George Hollywood escaped from
the underground prison or Tuesday after
crawling through holes made in the fallen
rock and coal
The rescue was accomplished after 500
mine workers and company officials had
battled for six days against discouraging
conditions in the choked up gangway.
Their task was made more difficult by
three foot stream of water which
flowed from an adjoining working and
which could he regulated only by con-
slant operation of many pumps
After blasting and tearing away
more than 800 feet of solid rock, coal
and timbers that had been wedged
tightly into the gangway by the fall
of roof rescue forces early to-day
reached an open space back of chute
"a, down which the stream of water
was poured from the undermined
source. Once more their work was
oh I'D h,- Of
deeper flow of water and a wooden
platform resembling n large raft was
built above the surface of the water
and further progress was made to-
ward the chutes in which the men had
taken refuge.
At the top of chute No. %. down
which the coal from upper veins is
thrown to the loading cars, the pitful
group of huddled humanity was dis =
covered. 1t was intensely cold in the
little space and the rescuers found
the nine men. two of whom are
scarcely out of their teens, curled up
into n compact mass to retain the
warmth of their bodies. All We're
terribly weakened by their $50 hours
of waiting and praying. and with wan
faces uplifted and eyes blinking at
the strain of the unfamiliar lights.
the men in weak voices shouted greet
'ngs to their rescuers.
One of the men, John Bononus, has
,or many years held a reputation for
enormous appetite and the size Of the
dinner can that is required to contain
his mid day meal. When the rush of
water forced in the roof, Bononus. ac-
cordng to the story Of his companions,
ran with the others to chute No. q,
keeping a firm grip on the dinner pail.
This probably is what saved the men
from starvation. In the pail Bononus
had a large quantity of bread, other
articles of food found in most miners
cans, and the greater portion of roast
chicken. All of the food was shared
among his companions. but the chicken
was saved until last. Not knowing how
men partook Of their food in small
quantities and after carefully taking
off all the meat from the bones placed
The latter back in the dinner pail for a
reserve supply
More than As hours before their rescue,
as near as the men could determine
The reserve supply of chicken bones was
passed around, and then. according ia
the men who could talk, We're ground
between their teeth and partaken of in
small quantities. For the past two days
however they had been without food