W. Randolph Flowers rescued Carey Boutwell from a well cave-in, New Brockton, Alabama, January 6, 1932. While Boutwell, 41, well digger, was at work at the bottom of a well 36 feet deep, the wall collapsed, and Boutwell was buried under three feet of sand. The sides of the well remained intact for 20 feet below the surface. Men refused to enter the well because they thought there was danger of additional collapsing, and some thought Boutwell was dead. Steadying himself by a rope, Flowers, 43, farmer, stood on a timber crib as the crib was lowered from the surface down to the sand above Boutwell. He climbed down in the crib eight feet to the sand and shoveled the sand and sent it to the top in a bucket. He worked rapidly, and as he was digging at one side, the crib tilted sharply and threatened to fall horizontally. Flowers then quickly dug at the other side, and the crib became upright. Flowers worked for more than two hours and removed the sand to Boutwell’s waist. The crib had then been lowered until the top was 22 feet below the surface and two feet lower than the overhanging intact walls. Flowers fastened a rope around Boutwell’s chest and tied another rope to himself, and both were pulled out of the well. Boutwell was revived. 32130-2667
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