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Relatives Aid Volunteer Forces in Search While Anxious ly Awaiting Word From Depths of Shaft—Although Cut Off From All Means of Escape, Friends Contend Tat Man Is Yet Alive—Expect to Clear Opening of Debris Today. ITH the shaft of the White Oak mine, on the McGibbon land, one half mile east of Villa Heights, claged by tons of clay and rock and twisted, broken cribbing, the result of a cave-in, scores of miners are heroically worn in feverish haste to remove Joseph Clary, 32 years old,unmarried, and of the owners of the mine, who has been entombed in a mine drift since 7:46 o'clock Sunday morning. Although the rescuers have worked unceasingly since the ground sud denly sank Sunday morning and have not yet been able to communicate with Clary, it is believed by all that he is alive and will be removed in safety today. Unless Clary has been overcome by foul air, the rescuers are confi dent that he is well and that with sounds of the rescue work constantly reaching him he is patiently awaiting the moment when the last of the debris is removed and he is liberated from his earthly prison, Sink Drill Hole to Furnish Air. A drill hole is being sunk to penetrate the drift is which Clary is im prisoned for the purposes of furnishing him with fresh air, of communicat ing with him and of passing him nourishment. Another party of miners is clearing out the shaft in order that rescuers may descend into the mine. Without sleep or thought of their own fatigue the volunteer rescuers have worked without cessation during the forty hours which have passed since the shaft caved, and all have steadfastly refused to leave the mine, re gardless of the fact that other volunteers are willing and ready to take their places. Relatives. Aid in Rescue. Mrs. Thomas. Clary, aged moth er of the entombed miner, almost col lapsed when informed of the catas trophe Sunday morning, and from a window to her home in Villa Heights she anxiously awaits tidings of her son. Her condition is not regarded as critical. With faces set, and with lack of sleep beginning to show on their fea tures, Thomas Clary, father of the young man, and Frank and James Clary, brothers, are taking the lead in the rescue work, while Mrs. Myrtle Grafton and Mrs. W. H. Brookshire, sister of Clary, are among the most anxious spectators. Two drill holes have been sunk in vain efforts to locate the shaft where Clary is held prisoner and a third hole was begun late yesterday after noon At an early hour this morn ing the third hole had been sunk more than eighty feet and the rescu ers were momentarily expecting to communicate with Clary. At the same hour, the blocked shaft had been cleared to a depth of forty five feet, just half the distance to the level of the drift where Clary is en tombed. The cave-in occurred early Sunday morning just a few moments after Clary started to work in the ground. His brother-in-law, Maurice Grafton, and Guy Moore, a holsterman, were at work on the top of the ground. Tons of Debris Fal. Suddenly and without warning the ground around the shaft sank, crush ing the pole cribbing like toothpicks and precipitating tons of rock and clay into the shaft. “IT was looking down the shaft where Clary was at work filling a tub with water,’ said Moore. ‘‘Suddenly I saw the sha begin to cave and at the same moment I saw the sight on Clary’s hat disappear in the lower drift. Then came the second and big cave-in, and I saw no more, as the shaft was completely closed. “But I am positive that Clary reached the drift before the dirt fell down the shaft,’ Moore continued, “for the light disappeared in the drift where he was at work. I feel that he has plenty of air and will be res cued.” The White Oak shaft is 90 feet deep and has two drifts leading from it. The first is in soft ground at the 60-foot level and the second extends 47 feet south at the 90-foot level in hard ground. The mine is owned by Joseph Clary, James Clary and Graf ton. Grafton has remained at the mine since the ground caved and has taken an active part in all the rescue work which has been accomplished since. He is familiar with the shaft and drifts and expresses confidence that Clary is waiting in safety for the dirt to be removed. Disappears in Drift. Clary arrived at the mine at 7:30 o'clock Sunday morning and was im mediately lowered into the shaft to the bottom level by Guy Moore, the holsterman. His first act was to fill two tubs with water, which were pulled to the surface and dumped. At this point, Grafton arrived for the day's work. As the third tub of water was be ing hoisted from the ground, Moore and Grafton saw the shaft begin to cave at the 60-foot level and an in stant later thouight on Clary’s hat was seen to disappear into the lower drift. The first thought of the two men on top was to lower the tub in an at tempt to wedge the caved-in cribbing, but before they could put the plan into execution there was a crash and roar as the ground around about fell and entirely closed the shaft. Moore and Grafton ran for their lives, but returned to the top of the shaft almost instantly to ascertain the extent of the disaster. It was seen at a glance that Clary was se riously entombed, and they set about immediately to secure aid. News of the disaster spread to the vicinity like wildfire and in a few moments a score of volunteers were at the mine ready to risk their Hyves in carrying on rescue work. Many of those first to arrive have not left the scene since and some have even forgotten to sleep. It was seen that Clary could not be removed from the lower drift without many hours of hard work, and plans were at once formed to get in communication with the entombed man if possible and to force a pass age way to admit fresh air into the drift. Drill Misses Drift. A drill rig owned by RB ‘A. Rey nolds, a quarter of a mile from the mine, was procured, and at 1:06 o'clock Sunday afternoon the drill began penetrating a hole into the lower drift. At 11 o'clock Sunday night the hole was 90 feet deep, and it became evident that the location of the drift had been miscalculated and that the work had been in vain. Men shouted down the hole, how ever, in the hope that Clary might hear and respond. But only the echo of the shouts greeted the ears of the rescuers. Disappointed, but undismayed, the rescuers made new calculations, and at 2:26 o'clock yesterday morning the drill began biting into the earth at another location a few feet to the westward. The second hole was com pleted at 1 o'clock yesterday after noon, but again it was evident that the plan had failed and the drifl missed a second time. In less than an hour the drill was pounding a hole in a third location, nearer the shaft, and with good for tune it is expected that the hole will be completed by 8 o'clock this morn ing. Before the drill began its first work Sunday morning, however, volunteers were at work removing the twisted masses and red clay from the sham. Progress was slow at this task and a foot an hour was the greatest speed that could be made. arvey Thompson, a miner, who has had much experience in rescue work in this district, was summoned to the scene and took charge of op erations in sinking the shaft. His only plan was to remove the debris
Newspaper Details
Joplin Daily Globe
Joplin, Missouri, US
Tue, Aug 01, 1911
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Debbie P.
MO, USA 12 Aug 2026
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