BURIED ALIVE FOR 45 DAYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2818, 18 March 1908, Page 96

BURIED ALIVE FOR 45 DAYS.

AMAZING EXPERIENCE OF THREE MEN IN A MINE. The three miners who were buried "n the Alpha shaft of the Giroux mine at Ely, Nevada, through the collapse of the supports on December 4, were rescued on January 10, after being entombed for 45 days. The men, whose names are A. D. Bailey, F. G. Brown, and Fred Macdonald, are apparently none the worse for their amazing experience. When brought to the sur- I, face with their eyes bandaged to protect them from the strong light, they laughed and joked with their friends. Brown and j Macdonald have both put on weight, as I they hay« had nothing to do but eat and I sleep. Macdonald describes his experience j as an ideal rest cure, and says tne only i thing lacking was a little more light. j Gangs of men have worked incessantly since the day of the accident clearing away ' the tons of earth and wreckage which choked the upper part of the Alpha sliaft. ' I Ureat care was necessary in order to - avoid a further collapse and thus suffocate the imprisoned men, who were ia a level 1000 ft below the surface. ' Bailey says that the first intimation 6f"~' danger received by him and his two comrades was when the pumping station afc the bottom of the shaft became filled with dust. The men were nearly choked, and the temperature rose to lOOdeg. Realising what had happened, the men took such j planks as they could find to cover the end of a 6-in pipe, which was the only means of communication with the surface, and ■ through which they received their only I 6UPply of fresh air. The telephone wire i connecting the lower levels with the surj face was broken, but after some hours 1 communication was established by means of the pipe. Afterwards they connected I the telephone with the electric pump j cables, whereafter communication was I much easier. The first attempt ol the rescuers to send compressed air into the shaft nearly > ! smothered the victims, because it was sent through a steam pipe, which had been broken. The bottom of the shaft waa | nlled with dust. Bailey shouted through { the pipe, "Shut off that steam." After- ! wards a regular supply of air sufficient to . ventilate the entire level was sent through the 6in pipe, and the shaft was cooled. Attempts to send down water and food failed at first, but the prisoners were finally supplied by means of sections of iron piping with closed ends. The secions were filled with condensed foods and water, and leached their destination ' safely. Perhaps the most interesting example of the ingenuity displayed by the rescuers was in the matter of supplying bedding. It was obviously impossible to send blankets through a oin pipe. The men below suffered great discomfort until some genius conceived the idea of cutting the blankets into strips 4in wide, which were then lowered separately, with needles and thread. Tlie prisoners sewed the strips together, and eventually they possessed two warm blankets apiece, which enabled them to I sleep comfortably. The men were supplied with matches, tobacco, candles, whisky, soap, and other articles. Relays of watchers were already on duty at the surface end of the pipe, and kept up the spirits of the prisoners by telling them humorous stories. Frequently a phonograph was attached to the end of the telephone, and the men enjoyed a concert. Bailey's wife spent most of her time at the telephone, talking with her husband. On Christmas morning she brought their I two young children to the telephone to wish him a merry Christmas. The extraordinary plight of the men aroused interest throughout all the mining towns in Nevada and even in adjoining States. Tlie men when rescued wer« hailed with frenzied enthusiasm.