COLLIERY RESCUES.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 December 1923, Page 9

COLLIERY RESCUES.

REMARKABLE happenings. THE STORY OF JOHN BROWN. The drama+fic rescue of the miners of Redding from a living tomb, in which they had suffered privation for ■ u period of nine days, once more em- ! bhasises the remarkable powers of en- ! durapee of the men who go down the i pit shaft, declares a correspondent of the “Manchester Guardian.” Their long imprisonment, however, does not constitute a record. In 19G5 the disaster at the Courrieres Collieries in France destroyed 1,100 men and boys, and a number of those who had been entombed walked 20 days. These men had been enabled to sustain themselves with food of a kind obtainable in the caverns hewn out of the bowels of the earth, however unsavoury it may have been. That they lived in these dark and uninviting caverns for 20 days in itself was astonishing, and the whole world rang with the story of the rescue. But the mine held an even greater surprise, snd there was genuine amazement when, after the lapse of four more days, another of the miners was rescued, and in fairly good health despite his long imprisonment. Even the Courrieres story of rescue is not the most remarkable chapter in the annals of the coaling industry. Half n century ago Sir Archibald Geikie published in “Good Words” details of a remarkable rescue in the Girvan coalfield in 1835. A “crush” in the mine of ix.ilgra.mmic, near Dailly, on October 8, 1835, effectively entombed John Brown, who had reached the age of 66, but still followed the occupation of cnalgetting. His companions of the pit all feared that John had been crushed to death by the fall. The work of re-open-ing the pit was being prosecuted, and on the closing day of the month one of the workers in winnowing the air—which, as might be expected in those days, was badly fouled—struck against a wagon standing on the roadway, and the noise ho made was followed by a distinct groan. Almost overcome with superstitious fears the man brought along another workman, and one of them gathered up sufficient courage to make the demand. “If that’s your ain groan. John Brown, in the name o’ God gic anither.” Another groan was duly heard, and. creeping forward, the men found old John alive. Others soon came along, and stripping themselves iay with their naked bodies next to the aged collier in order that they might restore a little warmth to his hardy living frame. They succeeded so far that in a little while a scarcely audible whisper reached their ears, “Gie me a drink.” All they dared to do was to dip the sleeve of a coat in some water, and. with this they moistened John’s lips. He pushed the coat aside and told tiiem “no to mak' a fule o’ him.” Somewhat refreshed he again whispered. “Eh, boye, but ye’ve been lang o’ cornin’.” As John was being brougnt to the surface his master noticed that his beard had grown bristly anil that through the hairs white fungus had taken" root- Thus it was tha: after 23 days’ solitary confinement in the pit with no food and but little water, .Igljh Drown was once more rest'ng on his own bed. The shock was unfortunately too great for his body successfully to withstand, and 'lays later, that is on the evening o T ’ November 3, 1835, John Brown drew his last bn-ath