Thomas R. Tramontin, 23, laborer, rescued Edward L. Krainik, 22, laborer, from a cave-in in an excavation, Chisholm, Minnesota, May 23, 1938. The excavation was24 feet deep, 18 feet long, and three feet wide except for three feet from each end where there were similar excavations at right angles to it. One wall was of thick concrete and the other of rain-soaked clay and sand reinforced by horizontal planks and vertical boards, having open spaces between the planks and boards. Krainik stood on one of the planks, which gave way; and he fell to the bottom. The planks were loosened, the earthen wall was exposed between points eight and 15 feet above the bottom and for a width of eight feet, and part of the wall collapsed, Krainik being buried in an upright position in earth seven feet deep. From one of the end excavations a workman ran to Krainik and began to remove earth from him. No earth then was falling. Tramontin, by way of an end excavation, reached Krainik and began to shovel earth from him. He and the workman cleared Krainik’s head, and then the workman left the excavation. Tramontin continued to remove earth from around Krainik, some earth falling on him but not impeding his efforts. After a short time men held boards against the exposed wall, and no more earth fell. Tramontin asked three men to aid him; but only one of them relieved him for three minutes. After being in the excavation for 45 minutes, Tramontin freed Krainik, who was aided to the surface.
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