The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1955-09-01

was 1alllng IN. GQSeh hSoAu. =
roaring coming from the old Dig
gings in the northern part of the
mine and raced back towards
Gatoweoff, Savage, Pierson and MS
son. William who were working with
others. Just then the pillars OF coal
left to support the mine reef began
piving away and chunks of coal from
the reef began to fall and fly across
the mine in every direction. Ihey
would have cut man in two mao
+bav hit him. None could get back
to warn four working further on
The mine was falling SO rapidly IN
that direction that the way already
was blocked.
The little group of miners ran 70
the exit stumbling against talien
coal Their lights were Jared out
and they went on in the darkness
finally they saw daylight through an
air hole ahead. Soon they founo
themselves outside on an entrance
platform. ~.
There count of noses by the
mine operators revealed that James
fDuck) Menear, John Hopper, James
Isrrison, George Ress, George Rob
;nson. William Edgell Sr, William
Green, Uriah McGee, Timothy Lyons
G. w. Simmons, Patrick Savage
Hiram Larrison, Franklin Ress' WI,
liam Miller, James Savage and
Thomas Edgell were outside the mine
safe. The latter six were boys. That
left William Edgell Jr., 20; James
Pierson, 81; James Gatewood, ";
and Edward Savage, 16, unaccounted
for and apparently trapped IN the
mine.
Owned by Stephen H. Guthrie ana
lanes Owens Jr. the Blue ROCK
working was a strip mine in the
angle of Blue Rock Run and tne
Muskingum River
At that point the coal was Of ex-
cellent quality and the vein was
about four feet thick-designated IN
mining jargon as "curly." Former
owners had greedily taken out 100
much coal and in many OF the rooms'
some 40 feet square, had left TOO
small and too few supporting pillars
These. with inadequate timberlng,
were not enough to hold up the ree1
itself weighted down by a hill 22o
feet high. That was lot OF weight
The entrance to the mine was a
shaft from the side of a hill and
sloped gradually downwards. 10
reach the entombed men it was
necessary for the rescuers to burrow
through more than 400 feet Of dirt
and rock only three men working at
time-one to do the digging, an
other to receive the dirt and rock
and the third to carry it out of the
tunnel.
Thus in little relays they delved
for more than two weeks, miners,
merchants, ministers, farmers ana
others from the countryside for miles
around. sweating, tiring and laboring
day and night, discouraged and all
most hopeless but never stopping.
The women kept busy cooking meals
and serving coffee to the workers
Relatives of the trapped miners
never left the place nor gave up
hope though few others could expect
to find the men still alive.
The crash had occurred at IL a. n.'
Friday, April 25, and it was IL p. M
Friday, May when the first of the
imprisoned men was brought out OF
the mine. The four had been there
Ia DAYS and IL hours without food,
water, light or warmth of any kind
All were unconscious but still were
living.
Soon artificial respiration and
medical care had them all breathing
and within hours all apparently were
as good as ever.
The survivors related that inside
the mine they knew that they were
trapped and that there was no es-
cape. Pierson suggested that they
go back and select room in which
best to die and that was what they
did. There they waited for death
not rescue, and spent the time eating
imaginery meals and big slices OF
nonexistant apple pie. Once they
had something real to eat when two
dinners left behind by the escaped
miners were found-four pieces OF
bread, two buttered; four slices OF
fried bacon; two boiled eggs and
two split pickles. Then came
/ 0bls,xsn.n