Year: 1879

BURIED ALIVE IN A WELL.


Last Friday, at noon, says the Ncilsvile
(Wis.) Rcpudticdn, well being dug at
\ the fair grounds caved in ut the bottom,
after it had reached depth of 11G feet


buryng William Selves, a workman, undcr
about thirteen feet of sand, measuring from,
his head, while he was in nearly au upright
position. The well had reached depth
OF ono hundred feet, when stratum OF
loose white sand was reached, which made
curbing necessary. An upright curbing
in sections four feet long was used. While
putting in the fourth section the caving in
OF the well took place, first crashing in the
lower section, Which was not finished, and
finsiasg Selves IN solid sand nsarly to 10, alsss,,
armpits. 1t was instantly followed by the
three sections above, which were crushed
in the centre. On seeing it start Selves
had instantly raised section of the curb.
ing over his head, bending backward, face
up, with the arm supporting the piece of
curbng stretched above his head In this
position the sand settled out him, com
pletely binding him except his head and
one arm, which he could move at that time.
The section Of curbing which he had raised
above his head created n vacuum which
Tor short time communicated with the
vacuum through the centre of the we'll
made by the coming together Of the barrel
like curbng. AS soon as possible a gas
pipe for the purpose Of pumping air to him
was inserted through the opening. Selves.
who then had one hand at liberty, placed
1T as near his mouth as the boards over him
would permit. Soon after this was accom-.
plished the sand settled solidly above him.
leaving only tho vacuum under the board
which soon filled so close as to imprison
the arm that had been at liberty and also
to render his head immovablc.


In this situation, plainly depicted by
himself in sepulchral tones through the air
tube and perfectly audible at the top of the
well, William Selves, then six hours with
out food and cramped and chilled by the
cold sand, he would hold on to life if there
were brave hearts enough above him to
undertake his release, Knowing full well
the danger to those who might attempt
it in a hurry. The task was to remove
from thirteen to eighteen feet of sand from
the bottom of well 116 feet deep, by put.
ting in new curbing while taking out the
Sapa az 4 and aaI dsbrs Of the old eurbng and to
tie vacuum above his face. Coupled with
this task was the appalling danger to the
workmen of fresh caving of the we'll, now
more Imminent than the first, for above
the ominous vacuum made by the caving
of the sand. hung the hundred feet of clay
wall with no support but it's own adhesion,
its natural foundation of sand being gone.
The bore through the clay being but twenty
seven inches in diameter, could not, for
lack Of both time and space, be curbed.


In the face Of these discouragcmcnts
were brave hearts enough found to work
night and day, never Stacking except for
short time on Saturday morning, when
for a time further attempts seemed suicidal,
by reason Of the cavng in Of small por-
ton of the clay wall But soon new pro-
cautions were devised, and the almost
hopeless work went on to its practical con-
clusion at O'Clock this Sunday morning,
when a friendly hand raised the plank and
brushed the sand from the now nearly un-
conscious face. lie had retained his mind
perfectly up to few minutes before, when
the tcndcrly cautious hands above him, in
spite Of their care, had SO disturbed the
sand as to cover his face, and interrupt the
supply cf air from the tube.


He returned to perfect consciousness in
few moments, and his head released, the
work went rapidly Oil, he himself helping
materially after his arms were released At
$50 o'clock, nearly forty hours after his


incarceration, William Selves stepped firm
ly from the mouth of his living grave, and
was received in the arms of his young wife
amid glad shouts Of the throng who had sc
long shared his suspense. His cxertions in
assisting to free himself bad given him the
use of his limbs again, and when he reached
the surface about all he seemed to need
was nourishmcnt, which he had not hat
since the Friday morning before, nearly
two days.


A CAREER OF DISSIPATION ENDED