O. Ray Ward, 21, miner, saved David Brannon, 37, miner, from suffocation, Hymera, Indiana, July 31, 1914. Brannon was overcome by dynamite fumes on the bottom of a well 28 feet deep. A number of miners more robust than Ward were at the surface, but they would not go to Brannon’s rescue when asked. Ward said he would go and allowed himself to be lowered on a 12-foot ladder attached to a rope. He tied a rope to Brannon and ascended the ladder. After Brannon had been hoisted, the ladder was pulled to the top, and Ward left it. Ward experienced some trouble in breathing in the well and was weak when he emerged, but he was not seriously affected. Brannon was revived in a half-hour. 17393-1327
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