Year: 1877

Cleveland Herald.


Sunday morning it was published in the
Herald, upon authority of personal dispatch
to q relative in this oity, that Henry Rouch,
German resident of Painesville, had been
buried alive in we'll fifty feet deep. Mr.
Rouch went into the well of Stephen Matthews
at o'clock Saturday morning, and when near
the bottom, forty-two feet, the well caved in,
buryipg him ont of sight, the depth of sand
and stone above him being about thirty feet.
The news quickly spread through town, and in
q few minutes the labor of excavating the
earth and stone was commenced by all the
force that could work, Hundreds of men were
On the ground, 80 that each gang at work
would be relieved every half hour. Np one
Expected to find Mr.. Rouch alive, but still the
'8work progressed increasingly till midnight,
when his voice was heard announcing that he
was min j1red! 1t was yet an hour aud bali
before he was released from his prison, but
cup of coffee was lowered to him, and he drank
y It with apparent relish He was hauled up
to the surface about 1:30 Sunday morning,
amid the rel ejoicing cheers of as least two hun
j dred people. Although he ate his breakfast
Sunday morning usual, he felt somewhat
fatigued, IS man naturally might after be-
ing buried alive, forty feet under ground, and
remaining there in an uncomfortable and un.
changeable position for eighteen and one-hslt
4 hours!


Mr.. Rouch told "a reporter something of his
feelings while in the we'll. He said that Wnen
7 he reached the bottem he stepprd out of the
bucket and looked around. He still retained
the rope by which the bucket bad been let
down in his hand, and was about to signal to
his companion at the top to let down his TOOLS
Il when he looked up and saw the sides OF the
we'll coming in upon him. He had just time
to shrek once, when the light was shut ont
from hi m by the falling debris which settled
down close around him. although struck up
on the head with heavy stone he still retain
ed consciousness and managed in some way TO
# get air enough to breathe. From the should
ers down he was in some way protected from
the falling earth, aud his limbs were left free.
But he dared rot move finger for fear that
the earth would settle in around him and suho'
cate him. Upon bis back was large stone
and also on his head both of which probably
kept the dirt from closing tightly around his
head. He heard his friends working for him
even when they took away the first stones
81 Three hours before they reached him he could
hear them talking of his death and arrange
ments for his funeral


Once when they left the work to go and gel
some ,planks to brace up the excavation ht
thought they had given him up, aud he q
once began to pray with all his might tina
they might not leave him. He was ia contin


nal fear that they might give him up for deat
and not dig any longer, or that the eartt
might cave in tightly around and smother him
= or that they would strike him with thei


shovels. When they came near enough 81
that he could make them hear, he directed
their work, and when they got him, insisted


upon walking home, but was at last persuaded


to get into the buggy, When he reached hi


house, however, his strained nerves gave way


and he tainted. The chief question was hoV


given in answer to it. One being that the rop


by which he was let down making passSg


through the sand let down air, W bile anothe
ls that the sand was very light and mike
with heavy stone sufficient air filtered throug


to sustain life.