The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-04-21

there, the rescuers had expected they would be able to go almost directly to the 141-foot level where the dying men waited.
 No One Can Tell
 Because of the rock barrier, which they did not dare blast for fear of tearing loose tons of rock, Dwyer said they were trying to cut a pas- sage directly to the 141-foot level.
 No one knew how long that might take.
 Robertson's still surviving con- panion in the mine, Alfred Scad- ding of Toronto, told those at the surface that the doctors condition seemed only fair. But he thought they both could hang on to life for another 24 hours if necessary. But the new delay made the threat of pneumonia ever more grave.
 "Dr. Robertson and MT. Scad- ding have suffered such hardships that their condition must be se- rious," Dwyer said. But unless the rescue is unduly delayed, we are hopeful of bringing those two men out alive"
 More and more, it became a race against time and death. Physicians at the surface feared Dr. Robertson and Scadding could last only 10 or 12 hours longer.
 pr. Robertson, tortured and weak ening in mind and body, doubtless realized that, too. Through the lit- tie tube that is the only line of communication to the chamber within the mine, he asked for foun- tain pen and paper. It was low cred to him. Officials surmised he was writing out will but no word came from him.
 Mrs. Robertson Called
 At 9:20 a. m. call was sent for Mrs. Robertson to go imme- diately to the head of the tube, which was sunk after a diamond drill had cut an opening into the mine. An automobile was dis patched to bring her from the im- provised hospital a mile away, where she was resting.
 Communication with the trapped men was hampered when an ampli- fer which had been placed at the end Of the miniature telephone cir cult at the bottom of the tube had to be pulled up. It 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.
 Tones Hysterical
 RobertSon's voice still could be heard on the surface, however. h. termittently through the hours, in tones often hysterical, he had de- manded reassurances and had giv- en indications that he feared the rescuers 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, 30 miles to the east, to relieve the ex- hausted rescue workers.
 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 a time at the end of the shaft
 Rescucrs Exhausted
 The men they relieved were too exhausted to get to the bunkhouse and fell in heaps at the shaft head. Officials could not waken them. They just covered them with blan- kets and let them sleep.
 When Mrs. Robertson came to the tube, it developed that her husband had asked to speak to her. She put the head set of the receiving equip ment and lay down flat on the ground. Her side of the converse tion, which was confined to "yes" and mo-, had to be shouted down the pipe, owing to removal of the amplifier at the bottom.
 It was impossible to know what Robertson said during the 10-min- ute conversation, but officials said she had received encouraging news. She was weeping when she turned the head set back to the operator.
 Drill Second Hole
 As a precaution against possible further delays in rescue, engineers began to drill a second and larger