RESCUED MINERS

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 11, 8 October 1923, Page 6

RESCUED MINERS

RELATE THEIR EXPERIENCES "AWFUL TIME OF ANXIETY AND MISERY” By Tbmsgbafh—Press Association. CorYBiGHT. (Rec. October 6, 5.5 p.m.) London, October 5. Tlie “Daily Chronicle’s” special correspondent at Falkirk states in cold, drizzling rain groups of miners stood waiting to-day, near one of the shafts of the Redding colliery, where rescue operations are being continued with renewed vigour. The high hopes engendered by yesterday’* miraculous recovery or five men from a living death were damped by to-day’s recovery of the bodies of three victims who obviously had been dead for some days, apparently drowned. Nevertheless there is still a chance that other entombed miners will be rescued alive. When yesterday’s rescued miners first heard shots signifying that rescue parties were blasting, they counted by throwing stones into a tin. They saved oil by burning only one lamp at a time. Eventually all gave out and the men were left in complete darkness. One of the rescued men said: “We were not worried about hunger, but were anxious to get into touch with the rescuers and escape. Once the water rose to our waists, but we groped our way to higher workings. Our clothing was soaked, but we dried it as best we could. After the lights failed our tobacco gave out. and we sought solace by chewing the remnants of tobacco from our pipes. We even chewed match sticks, not through hunger, but to occupy ourselves. We also prayed.” . As a minister offered thanks m one of the rescued men’s homes the miner said: “We prayed too. We thought it was the usual thing to do. We were facing death and knew it.” John Miller, 25 years of age, who has a wife and a young baby, and who is one of the rescued men, said: “It was an awful time of anxiety and misery. The darkness and long silence were terrible to bear. We kept ourselves warm by huddling together. Owing to tKe slate floor, only the upper parts of our bodies remained warm.”— Cable Assn.