The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1918-07-18
BURIED ALIVE IN
WELL FOR HOURS
FRIENDS WORK HARD TO ExTRl.
CATE FROM PERIL
Harry Haskell is Recovered Aiive
After Eight Hours Under Tons
of Rock

Forbes. July IL Buried alive for
seven and n half hours under tons Of
North Dakota hardheads, at the bot
tom of a 30-foot well. and rescued at
through. with a few minor bruises
about the head and back. but with
every chance for speedy recovery is
an experience which comes near to-
being one of the most miraculous es-
capes from death ever recorded. but
such is the experience of Harry Has.
kell, employee of Luther Leet on the
Weaver farm, five miles north of
Forbes, on Tuesday afternoon of this
week.
More than wonderful is the coin
cidence of the accident having left the
young man in a position such that he
could use his right hand and arm
under debris and find a small stone at
hand with which he could signal to
those above ground by rapping on the
water pipe running from the bottom
of the we'll up to the pump. But for
this signaling it. is probable that it
would have been days before the res
cue work would have been completed,
as the general opinion was that he
had been instantly crushed to death,
but when it was known that life still
remained, volunteer workers there
were in plenty to assist in removing
the mass of stones. two being kept at
work in the well. while three and four
handled windlass for drawing up
the large bucket as it was filled. and
number more were on duty empty
ing and cleaning the bucket as it ar
rived at the top. The men in the we'll
worked in 20 minute TO half-hour
shifts. bare hands their only tools,
and after the first alarm and the ar
rival of the large crowd, there were
plenty of volunteers ready for work
at all times and the work of rescue
progressed rapidly.
The accident happened at $3.50 y. m,
Tuesday, Haskell being one of tho
three men engaged in cleaning and
repairing an old we'll dug on the
Weaver Farm. The well was of the
old dug" type. about feet across
and 80 feet deep. and fared in at top
and bottom. 1t was dug in 1884, and
curbed with "nigger-heads At the
beginning of operations the we'll con-
tained about or 10 feet of water, and
about four feet of this had been re-
moved when some of the rock consti.
tuting the curb became loose
Haskell was down in the well filling
the bailing pail attached to a wind.
lass, and after sending up some of the
loosened rock, felt the curb beginning
to give way at his back. He made a
desperate attempt to climb up the
pipe but the cavern. starting at the
bottom caught him and the whole
! curb loosened and engulfed him. He
made little headway in the climb, be.
ing only three or four feet from the
bottom when liberated
His companions rushed to the house
for help-or rather to carry the sad
news of his death, as it was consid-
cred an absolute certainty that the
man was dead-and returned with
several others who were engaged
about the place, including Mr. Leet.
When they returned they found the
we'll filled to within five feet of the
top with loosened curbing. Imagine
the surprise of Mr.. Leet upon appro.
aching the we'll to hear the imprisoned
man tapping on the water pipe with
stone The small force available be.
gan the rescue work Immediately, tele.
phoning to town for assistance. Auto
mobiles were requisitioned and all
speed laws were defied by willing and
energetic workers in getting to the
scene and soon small army of en-.
thusiastic rescuers were giving their
best service in the labor of liberatine,
the victim of the accident.
Th work Of rescue was carried on
increasingly until 11:O5 p. M, at which
time Haskell was brought up, having
been imprisoned seven hours and
thirty-five minutes under tons of rock
at the bottom of thirty-foot we'll.
conscious and aside from few minor
contusions on the head and back, not
seriously injured Most remarkable
is the fact of the mans having not
lost consciousness during the whole
time of rescue, and the fact that after
the workers had reached to within 8
or 10 feet he conversed with them, rec
ognizing them by their voices, called
them by name and begged continually,
For Gods sake, get this rock of my
head"
Harry Haskell is a farm laborer, "a
years old and has been employed in
the service of Mr.. Leet for the past
| two years. His parents and brother
live on a farm near Winner, S. d.
Harry is in the next call of the draft
from Dickey county and was to have
left for service in the next contingent
] scheduled to leave Glendale July %.