The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1932-09-22
Young Man Trapped
In a Well Cavein
BrOOten Farmer Released After
PerilOus Plight of More Than
Five Hours
(Brooten Review


VIM. Mastbergen, 21-year-old son
of Mr.. and Mrs. Peter Mastbergen,
had a narrowing experiences on
Wednesday of this week when he
was trapped by a cavern sixteen
feet below the surface of the
ground where he was pinned in and
forced to remain for five and one
half hours while neighboring
farmers and towns people dug and
shoveled frantically in an effort to
release him from his dangerous po-
sition. :"
The young man was helping to
repair a well on the Mastbergen
farm, about five miles south of
Brooten, when part of the brick
curbing gave way. He avoided the
first cavein by quick action but a
second one following Immediately,
caught him, and in a moment he
was completely buried with brick
and dirt. Members of the family
attracted the attention of George
Torison and Andrew Week. who
were passing on the highway near
by. The latter got into the pit and
managed to dig away about two
feet of earth covering the mans
head, thus saving him from suffo-
cation. but his arms and the rest
OF his body were so firmly pinned
by the pressure of the earth that
there was no chance of extricating
him. Word was sent to Brooten
and farmers attending an auction
sale at nearby farm were mott
fed. Help hurriedly arrived, and
it was decided to dig a deep trench
like hole to one side of the we'll
to a depth somewhat below the
level of the victim. who was in an
upright position, and tunnel into
the we'll. The procedure meant
hard as we'll as dangerous work,
with the possibility of further
caveins. The plan was carried out,
however, though not without many
misgivings as the work progressed
and at $3.50 P. NJ, after five and
one-half hours of steady digging
the young man was carried out, ap-
parently not great deal worse for
MS trying imprisonment.
During the course of the rescue
work, Bill TeBrake went down into
the well and remained with Mast
bergen, keeping the sand away
from his face. After a time ne
managed to free the imprisoned
mans arms and an attempt was
made to pull him out through the
top of the we'll with a stout rope
around his arm pits. Before this ex-
pertinent was tried a length of
steel culvert was lowered with
which to surround TeBrake and the
head and soulders of Mastber-
gen as a probationary measure.
But the pull of the rope proved
too great strain on Mastbergen
and the idea was abandoned in ia
vor of the original plan. "a
During the rescue work several
tons of sand, gravel and dirt were
shoveled away from its original
place by relays and husky and will
ing men who were determined to do
their best to release their neighbor
and friend as quickly as possible.
The last hour of work became a
delicate process and had to proceed
with care lest the pressure from
the opposite side of the well should
force the curbing and all into the
trench in which event all of the la
Dor would have gone for naught.
During the final stage of the res
cue only two men had room to
work, r. v. Nelson and DR.. Ryd-
burg, being selected for the task.
The crowd gathered around the
lamp-lit scene gave a cheer of re-
lief as the young man was eventu-
ally brought to the surface and car
ried into the house, where sand and
dirt was removed from his ears and
eyes, bruises attended to and his
condition otherwise made as COM
Portable as possible.
A great deal of credit is due
young Mastbergensfor the splendid
way in which he bore up under the
circumstances. His patience and
courage were admirable and doubt
less helped to shorten the time re-
quired for his release as well as
easing some of the tension upon
those who were effecting his deliv-
erance.
The accident occurred about
three o'clock in the afternoon.
When the cavein victim was finally
taken out a crowd of four to five
hundred people had assembled at
the farm.