Description 47 Miners Escape via Air Shaft

"47 Miners Escape via Air Shaft

Forty-seven miners were rescued Tuesday night at Westville after a rock fall blocked the main entrance to the Drummond Mine. 

These men from the day shift were just coming off duty when the cave in occurred only 100 feet from the entrance. They were cut off. 

However, there was an air shaft in another part of the mine. This was large enough to permit three men to be taken up at a time in a bucket.

Fifteen minutes was required for each haul so that it was about six hours before the last man was safely on the surface. Relatives and friends were waiting to greet the men who had a late supper. 

The miners were laughing about all the fuss when they came up, but friends who first heard the news were reminded of other occasions when rescue operations had not been so simple."