A small piece in the news. A man fell 190 feet into an abandoned mineshaft in Jersey Valley, Nevada. A camera showed the man injured, but alive. Rescue workers tried to rappel down but the 100 year old shaft crumbled around them. The rescue was called off. A day passed. The camera showed no further movement. The man was given last rites, and declared dead.
Look at a photo of Jersey Valley. You might be tempted to poke around these old buildings just as he was. The Bureau of Land Management has identified 50,000 shafts in Nevada deemed "treacherous". This one was not even on the list.
There is too much we don't know about this story. Was he conscious? Was he aware? How long did he really linger? What was it like? I can't get it out of my mind. The old West lure of the ghost town. The harsh reality of death.
No comments:
Post a Comment