The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-04-21
TRAPPED men IMPLORE weary
RESCUERS TO SPEED EFFORTS:
RELEASE IS REPORTED NEAR
Pair Buried Alive Days Weep Broken.
Heartedly as Miners Work Madly
Against Time and Death.
Continued rom
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nolds shaft. Pneumatic drills as
well as blasting operations were
out of the question. The mine is in
such precarious condition that any
sudden vibration might cause a
cave-in that would kill not only
Robertson and Scadding, but a
score or more of rescue workers as
well
A toboggan stretcher was taken
into the shaft, to be used in drag
ging the two men to the surface
as soon as the miners could break
through.
Doctors, nurses and an ambulance
waited at the mouth of the pit.
Near them exhausted men slept on
the ground after having worked all
night in the shaft.
Mrs. Robertson, who burst into
tears when she talked to her hus-
band earlier in the day, also waited
at the shaft, watching all the prep
arations anxiously.
Amplifier Is Removed
Communication with the trapped
men was hampered when an am
plifier which had been placed at the
end of the miniature telephone cir
cult at the bottom of the tube had
to be pulled up. 1t made voices
from the surface echo in the under
ground chamber so thunderouSly
that they were almost indistinguiSh-
able and only added to the strain
on the men whose nerves already
were shattered.
Robertson's voice still could be
heard on the surface, however. In
termittently through the hours, in
tones often .hysterical, he had de-
manded reinsurance and had given
indications that he feared the res
cuers would kill him by blasting.
No longer would he believe those
on the surface who had told him
time and again that rescue was only
a matter Of an hour or two.
New crews of coal miners were
rushed here from Goldenville, 80
miles to the east, to relieve the ex-
hausted rescue workers.
Fall Exhausted at Shaft
They had worked all night in the
coal mines and still were black with
dust, but they went at once into the
depths of the dangerous Reynolds
shaft to take up the work of digging
out one rock at a time and passing
it back. Only one man could work
at time at the end of the shaft.
The men they relieved were too
exhausted to get to the clubhouse
and fell in heaps at the shaft head.
Officials could not waken them.
They just covered them with
blankets and let them sleep.
Cries Crush Optimism
The gravest fears were felt for the
physical and mental conditions Of
Scadding and Robertson. Some of
their strained talk suggested de-
lirium. Early today, DR.. Robertson
had proclaimed ecstatically that he
saw slivers of light when those on
IIlc SUI ldCC OCAlCNCo ~ 1lllpOoolblSs
For a short while, physicians and
officials had been greatly encour-
aged because at 4:30 a. m. Dr. Rob-
ertson reported that he and Scad-
ding had slept for two hours and
felt better" But when unintelligi-
BILE cries again came up from the
hole, followed by sobbing, optimism
vanished.
Medical authorities believed that
the men may have advanced cases
of pneumonia if rescued alive, and
that they might die of exposure after
rescue.
For seven days they had endured
hunger and the fortunes of thirst
and starvation in an inky-black
prison, unaware that day and night
men were working TO reach them,
certain that they were going to die
by the inch-by-inch agony of star
walton.
Dies of Hunger, Exposure
Then, early Sunday, diamond
drill sunk three inch pipe into
their prison. The voices of friends
and relatives assured them they
were going to be rescued. Food,
candles, flashlights, stimulants were
lowered to them. The comforts
and pleasures of the living seemed
very close to their tomb, and, al
most light-heartedly, they were
ready to endure little more.
During Sunday, Herman r. Ma
gill could endure no more and died
from hunger and exposure. Robert
son, surgeon and Magills intimate
friend, bore up bravely. even de-