New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-04
Foreman Floats TO Nine
Wan Workmen Huddled
in GangWay.
DICKS OF RESCUERS
THEN BREAK THROUGH
n;,rer Pals Exhausted, Leader
Doled Out Lamp Fuel in
COaldale Chute.
-.,,ruatoTa. Tu,aa''

rpr -.f.-a-h 90 t. r. '.He
~.~assa. Penn Oct g. Entombed
.. vo-dar. when water and culm
s-.,. into tsc Foster tunnel Of the
f,,,eb Coal and Navigation Company
.co,,sa'e. nine miners were taken out
rr. This evening Though the men
Id ,-opchcd .n water most Of the
.~, and had subsisted partly on wax
.t,r vere in fair condition physically
.-I we're able % walk from the tunnel
=. bs ambulance. which took them TO
-. Panther Creek Valley Hospital
rol- Uumphr.es. foreman Of the
ro.,,r tunnel, constructed a raft at
.s,,s No. 26 this afternoon and loated
- chute 40. o. Anchoring, he
.aor.ss up the chute. and out Of the
s.,s,sss the voice Of Elmer Herring,
o,e Of the ertombed men, answered.
vrnpbr.cs .hen made his way up the
.,o,e and found the nine men IN the
-o-kev gancway. They greeted him
-,.s cheers an1 told him that all the
.f.s-,oor they had heard tht sounds Of
ss pieks Of the rcscuing party who
we're driving across the cut from chute
sto chute 27 and were getting nearer
and nearer.
Rescuers Break Through.
I'D bv Uumrhries. the men called
m. and ON answer came from behind
,ts barrier Of rock and dirt. The picks
hen beat vigorously. and in few min
ne, the rescuing party had broken
through The men. who had been dig
eng without rest for over four hours.
refgsing 20 be relieved. that they might
bs tho first 20 reach their comrades,
.trew their arms around the prisoners
and alternately che red and wept =,
The nine miners Eere able 20 Walk
through 20 Chute 26 and make their
vsy 10 the tunnel mouth, where
crowd Of almost $500 people, including
Tho wives, mothers and sisters OF some
n TIE reicued ner, had gathered. AT
ne sight Of the men walking between
their stalwart rcscuers great cheer
vent up. Women rushed 20 throw them
selves into the arms Of those Whom
hey had given up for dead.
The rescued men are Elmer Herring
who constituted himself leader; John
NeAndrew. Joseph Murphy, John Boner,
Charles Matoks. Dominick Hopcneck,
Joe Langonis, Dominick Lomncs and
Peter LghmIck.
The men say that when they heard
the water break through Chute p they
ran back into Chute p. Here, by the
lght Of their lamps. they watched the
water rise inch by inch. il submerged
hem 70 their armpits. and then, when
hey had about gwen up hope and had
committed their souls 10 Cod. II began
TO recede
Herring and several others had their
dinner pals with them. so Herring com
mandeered the food supply, as well as
three CAKES OF sunshine wax, which inc
men used r their lamps. The 1000
was doled out iu small portions, and
tten the rators were reduced 20 small
portions Of the wax. One light was
kept going until Tuesday. when Her
ing ordered that the little llumma-
lion supply Dc saved for an emergency.
This morning, when the PICK beats OF
ne rescu.rg party were family heard
a lamp was Us and the fame was Kept
going Until noon to-day.
The men sand that they were ln
water most Of the time and that they
drank only small portions OF II, as u
vas heavily impregnated with sulphur.
They said that their only fear was
black damp, bat that the air remained
pure during their Imprisonment
The rescue was accomplished after
'so hundred mine workers and COM
pany officials had battled for six days
against d.scouracng conditions IN tho
ehoked up gangway. Their task was
made more difficult by a three-foot
stream Of water which flowed from an
adjoining working and which could De
regulated only boy constant operation
Of many pumps.
Blasted 300 Feet Of Rock.
The rescuers 5lasted and tore away
more than three hundred feet Of solid
rock coal and tImbers that had been
seaged tightly into he gangway by
ne fall OF the roof
u was intensely cold I'm the little
pace where the men were discoveren.
ana ne rescucrs found the nine, twp
N whom are scarcely out Of thelr
'etns, curled up into a compact mass
=. retain the warmth Of their bodies.
All we're weakened by their $50 hours
" waiting and praying.
Vhe OF the men, John BonOnus, mas
oT many years held reputation for
enormous appetite and the size ~
ne dinner can that is required 70 con
nh his midday meal When the rush
OF water forced % the roof, Bononus,
',eording 90 the story Of his compau-
,as, ran with ,he others 10 chute No.
keeping a firm grip on the dinner
ms, with the wax. probably, is what
.'ed the men from starvation. ln the
en bononus had a large quantity II
read other articles Of food found in
os' miners cans, and the greater por-
~ o. roast chicken. All Of the
e,o was shared among his compan-
ny but the chicken was saved until
- After carefully taking of all the
"a, from the bones the men placed
s la''er back in the dinner pail for