Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-02-17
Glimpse Body Collins


Sand Cave. the brace Of workers
who had waged an unequal combat
with the natural forces of the earth,
saw that what they had fought so
hard for had been lost.
Collins was dead.
But they win reclaim his body. to
restore it again to the rugged hills
he roamed as a youth and explored
as man:
THANK God, they've found him."
This was Lee Collins single state
ment after his boy had been found.
A terse statement, signed by the
three men who had led scores of
others in the long fight, told Of the
result and paid q tribute to their as
sistants.
After describing the break through
the roof of Sand Cave and the pre-
liminary investigation of it by AL
bert Marshall, the statement said:
His game little partner. Ed Bren-
ner, of Cincinnati, whose work has
been very conspicuous and Of untold
value by reason of his small stature
and great strength and iron nerve,
went down head foremost into this
hazardous pit and with a light close
ly examined the face and position of
the man who we understood is Floyd
Collins, and called up to Mr.. Carmi-
chael, five feet above him. that the
man was cold and apparently dead"
The bulletine was signed by Bril-
gadier General II. H. Denhardt, H. T.
Carmichael, and NJ. E. S. Posey.
DIR. William Hazlett, Of Chicago,
and DR.. c. E. Francis, of Bowling
Green, KY, announced later that
from information they had obtained
Collins had been dead more than "a
hours.
Collins was trapped by a falling
boulder in Sand Cave at ten o'clock
Friday morning, Jan. 80. His plight
was discovered "a hours later and
then began a great fight against ma
ture to rescue him.
eartbreaking dsappoint m
these workers encountered repeat
eddy as nature dumped one hazard
after another into their paths.
At last, however, miners perse-
verance won and the limestone roof
sof Sand Cave collapsed under the
weight of the miners and dropped
them into the natural passage, be-
tween where Collins was trapped and
squeeze" which closed the natural
passage some ten days ago. But
their indomitable struggle to save
him was in vain.
1t will take many hours to release
his body from the grip of rock wise.
Physicians were unable to reach his
body but Mike Bremen of Cincin-
natl. applied their medical tests and
found the rescuers came at least "a
hours too late.
There, his eyes sunken, Collins lay.
Bremen plunged head first into the
narrow crevice, made the hasty eX-
animation and so reported to the
physicians who announced the fight
lad been lost.
The man they had worked so hard
and so long to save had paid with his
life for his search for the earth's
underground treasures.
II. II. Carmichael, who had been
in charge of the heroic volunteers,
expressed his admiration Of the I'M
selfish and unceasing labor Of the
men from the lowliest Waterboy TO
the man who was about to receive
his ABB degree" He said this eX-
perience had strengthened his faith
in human nature and that he had
found the men were . percent pure
gold"
After twenty odd years of con-
struction work I have never seen a
group of unorganized men do work
so well and quickly" said Mr.. Car
michael.
These volunteer laborers. ranging
from small boys to old men. have
each given every ounce Of his
strength to his duty" he added.
1.-The shaft work was started a
week ago last Thursday at 1880
in the afternoon and only five ounces
of dynamite was used in driving the
shaft a depth Of 60 feet. 1t was
all done by pick and shovel.
Late today miners continued 10
timber up the later and enlarge the
passageway TO Collins. SO that his
body could be removed. Officials
Continued on Page s-CoI. D.