Rensselaer Union, Volume 2, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 August 1870 — Buried Allve in a Qnlcksand. [ARTICLE]

Buried Allve in a Qnlcksand.

This afternoon the citizens of Silver Lake were shocked by the intelligence that a man by the name of Price Roberta wu partially burled in a well on Big Soldier. In company with Dr. Wood and others of this place, we repaired to the acene of the disaster. The circumstances are aa folio wa: Mr. Elmore Randall engaged Mr. Roberts to dig him a well. When he had rank to the depth of twen-ty-five or thirty feet, he commenced curbing with rather frail material, using grapevines secured by boards* When at the depth of forty feet, having dug five feet below his curbing, he was urged by Mr. Randall and his friends to come out, but having struck water he was anxious to secure the Shortly afterwards Mr. Randall’s ears were startled by the cry for help, Seizing the windlass, they dragged him up about fifteen feet, when the treacherous curbing gave way. forcing him to one side ana under the bank, breaking his hold and entangling his legs in the curbing. Burled up to his chin, and with a fearful prospect of another slide every moment, Mr. Randall, with heroic fortitude, descended the well and commenced digging him out. Death was around him and above him—on all sides —yet he worked until he had got the land away to his waist. Weak and exhausted, he was pulled out. He mounted his horse and rode after help. When we reached the spot we found Mr. Roberts still alive, and giving directions to those above how to proceed. We constructed a curbing about twelve feet long, and let it down; but, owing to the curbing below, we could not get to the bottom within three feet. Moments were eternities with the poor fellow. The first to descend the curbing was a young man of the name of Johnson, who pulled the sand away from his face, and Mr. Randall went down with a hoe. Mr. Robert’s ap peal, “ Save me, Mr. Randall," and the response, “My God, Mr. Roberts, I will save you if I can I” struck deep into the hearts of those above. This noble youth worked until, fainting and exhausted, he was pulled up and placed on a bed, and restoratives given to him. An rienced well-digger was next to go down. He worked faithfully, but gave up all hope of getting him out. The sun had Set, and deep down in the darkness of that “chamber of death.” Mr. Roberts still continued to give directions. Dr. Ward went down with a lantern. A bottomless box was lowered, which the Doctor placed over his head to protect him from the quicksand. We were fulfilling other orders of the Doctor when he exclaimed, “He is gone!” Another slide completely covered him, and almost fastened the Doctor in. Every effort was nut forth to save him, but in vain. We returned home with the sad reflections that we had seen a fellow-being buried alive.— Kansas Journal.