1. Read the newspaper article ‘Miners Rescued from Chilean Mine’ in the Resource Material.

Read the account in ‘The Penny Review’

In Victorian times, mining accidents were frequent, often resulting in many deaths. However, this article, which appeared in a magazine called ‘The Penny Review’, tells of the successful rescue of eleven miners trapped in a collapsed mine.

Extraordinary Rescue

On a Monday morning whilst the miners were in the coal mine underneath, a sudden collapse of the earth took place owing to the roof supports that were much too weak to support the enormous weight above. Eleven men were at work below and the tunnels were instantly filled with the falling earth and rock; consequently all hope of escape was cut off and the men’s lights extinguished by the violent blast of air that followed.

The alarm was given and spread like wildfire through all the surrounding villages. Thousands were seen rushing to the spot – fathers, mothers, wives and children – their dreadful cries adding to the misery of the scene. All work was suspended, all workmen assembling to offer assistance. The fate of the men buried in the mine was unknown: whether the collapse had buried them alive, or whether they could exist without food or fresh air until their rescue could be effected.

It was agreed that the only hope of saving the men was driving a new hole through the earth, through the solid coal and into the farther end of the mine. This was work of great labour and difficulty as near 100 yards of solid coal needed to be cut through. Working gangs were formed and this frantic work was instantly commenced by men cutting away with their picks, others clearing away the coal – each man immediately having his place taken by fresh hands when he began to tire. The hole became a tunnel and day and night the work proceeded with increasing desperation, though hope of saving the men diminished with every day that passed.

On the following Sunday morning, one week from the collapse, a rumour spread that the men working in the tunnel had heard sounds from within, like the distant tapping of hammers. All now was increased activity. All rescuers were now labouring with strong hopes of saving some of their fellow-miners. By the afternoon, voices could be heard and later that day the tunnel broke through to where the miners were trapped. The news was instantly communicated to the assembled crowd above and there was a joyous burst of feeling at this announcement. Ten men and one boy were found, alive indeed, but in the very last stage of exhaustion. It appeared that the trapped miners had taken a meal with them and had caught a little water in their caps, but this was their only sustenance during the time that they were trapped.

After a short interval, they were gradually brought out, enveloped in blankets, each carried to the surface by a sturdy miner. They were instantly put into coaches and conveyed to their homes. Following this extraordinary rescue, they all ultimately recovered.

To answer the following questions you must use both texts.

Using information from both texts, explain briefly in your own words what happened when news of the mining accidents became known.