Charles A. Stamper, 20, clerk, assisted in an attempt to save William P. Marion, 36, and Bailey G. Hall, 23, miners, from suffocation, Gratz, Kentucky, September 16, 1914. The head house at the top of the shaft of a lead mine burned down, and burning timbers fell down the shaft. Marion and Hall were overcome on a level 400 feet below the surface. There were no ladders or stairs in the shaft. The superintendent of the mine asked for volunteers to accompany him down the shaft. Stamper, although warned not to descend, was the only one of about 200 men present who would agree to do so. Stamper and the superintendent stood on a small wooden platform to which a rope was attached and were lowered by men in a level 100 feet below the surface. They found Marion and Hall apparently dead but carried Marion to the shaft. Stamper then saw that the superintendent was affected, and the superintendent admitted that he was ill. They took their places on the platform, and as they were raised, the superintendent lost consciousness and had to be held by Stamper. The superintendent remained unconscious for eight hours. Stamper was sick and dizzy when he emerged from the shaft, but he soon recovered. The bodies of Marion and Hall were removed from the mine two days later. 14773-1374
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