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A GRISLY SECRET
BURIED IN THE ASHES OF A BURNED-OUT FARMHOUSE...
SO ALL THESE MEN WHO CAME TO VISIT HER--
ALL SHE REALLY WANTED WAS THEIR MONEY.
THE REMAINS OF A LEGENDARY CREATURE
THAT'S SAID TO HAUNT THE SEAS...
THEY'D NEVER SEEN A CREATURE LIKE THIS IN THEIR ENTIRE LIVES.
AND AN UNDERGROUND RESCUE THAT DEFIES BELIEF.
AND THEY LITERALLY THOUGHT THIS WAS THE END.
I'M DON WILDMAN.
JOIN ME ON A JOURNEY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
AS WE GO DEEP INTO THE VAULTS
OF THE NATION'S MOST REVERED INSTITUTIONS,
UNEARTHING WONDROUS TREASURES FROM THE PAST,
EXTRAORDINARY ARTIFACTS,
AND BIZARRE RELICS,
(gunshot)
(animal growling)
THESE ARE THE MYSTERIES AT THE MUSEUM.
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
Captioned by Closed Captioning Services, Inc.
(Don) BEYOND THE GLEAMING MONUMENTS OF WASHINGTON, D.C.,
LIES AN INSTITUTION
DEDICATED TO SECRETS OF STATECRAFT--
THE INTERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM.
THE COLLECTION FEATURES STEALTH GADGETS
AND METHODS OF DISGUISE.
AMONGST THE INGENIOUS TOOLS OF DECEPTION
LIES AN OBJECT THAT APPEARS DECIDEDLY ORDINARY.
IT CAN BE FOUND IN PLAIN SIGHT
IN NEIGHBORHOODS ACROSS AMERICA.
THIS IS A STANDARD-ISSUE
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE MAILBOX.
BUT ACCORDING TO MUSEUM HISTORIAN
AND FORMER CIA AGENT MARK STOUT,
THIS MAILBOX IS ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY.
THIS MAILBOX IS AT THE HEART
OF ONE OF THE MOST DAMAGING SPY CASES IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
WHAT ROLE DID THIS OBJECT PLAY
IN A DEADLY GAME OF GREED, BETRAYAL,
AND TREASON?
1985--
THE COLD WAR BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES
AND THE SOVIET UNION GRINDS ON.
WITH EACH NATION STRIVING FOR THE UPPER HAND,
THE CIA AND THE KGB
BOTH EMPLOY A COMPLEX WEB OF AGENTS AND INFORMANTS
TO KEEP TABS ON THE OTHER SIDE.
THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE, OF COURSE, FOR WATCHING, UH, EACH OTHER
FOR THREATS TO NATIONAL SECURITY,
BUT THEY LITERALLY ALSO SPENT A LOT OF TIME
SPYING TO STEAL EACH OTHER'S SECRETS.
ONE SECRET WEAPON
IN THE ARSENAL OF AMERICAN STATECRAFT
IS SERGEI MOTORIN.
A YOUNG MAJOR IN THE KGB,
MOTORIN PASSES CRITICAL SOVIET INTELLIGENCE TO THE U.S.
IN EXCHANGE FOR CASH PAYOUTS.
BUT IN AUGUST, 1985,
MOTORIN IS SUDDENLY ARRESTED IN MOSCOW
AND ACCUSED OF SELLING SOVIET STATE SECRETS.
HE IS TRIED AND SUMMARILY EXECUTED.
MOTORIN'S UNEXPECTED DEATH SENDS SHOCKWAVES
THROUGH THE AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.
BUT THE LOSS OF THE VALUABLE MOTORIN
IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT.
THE CIA IS ONE BY ONE LOSING
ITS SOURCES INSIDE THE SOVIET UNION.
OVER THE NEXT YEAR,
THE CIA's EYES AND EARS IN THE SOVIET UNION
ALMOST COMPLETELY DISAPPEAR.
THE AGENCY KNOWS SOMETHING IS WRONG,
AND THEY BEGIN INVESTIGATING
WHETHER THE SOVIETS ARE LISTENING IN
ON THEIR COMMUNICATIONS.
BUT FINDING NOTHING THAT CAN EXPLAIN THE LOSS
OF SO MANY INFORMANTS, THEY START TO SUSPECT
THAT THERE IS A MOLE IN THEIR MIDST.
SO THE CIA TEAMS UP
WITH THE FBI's COUNTERINTELLIGENCE DIVISION
AND LAUNCHES A TOP-SECRET SPY HUNT
FOR A TRAITOR WITHIN THEIR OWN RANKS.
IN THE LATE COLD WAR,
VERY FEW AMERICANS SPIED FOR IDEOLOGICAL REASONS.
THEY SPIED FOR MONEY.
THE CIA STARTS DIGGING INTO THE FINANCES
OF CIA OFFICERS WHO MAY HAVE UNEXPLAINED AFFLUENCE,
AND ONE GUY, ONE NAME KEEPS COMING UP.
HIS NAME--ALDRICH AMES,
AN AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE ANALYST
WHO SPECIALIZES IN THE SOVIET UNION.
AMES APPEARS TO BE LIVING
WELL BEYOND HIS MEANS.
THIS MAN IS MAKING SOMETHING ON THE ORDER
OF $60,000 A YEAR,
BUT HE'S BOUGHT A HOUSE IN ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA,
IN CASH, FOR $540,000.
HE'S HAD ONE JAGUAR AND THEN ANOTHER JAGUAR
AND THEN A THIRD JAGUAR.
INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE
THAT AMES IS SELLING AMERICAN SECRETS
TO THE SOVIET UNION FOR CASH.
BUT TO CONFIRM THEIR SUSPICIONS,
THEY MUST CATCH AMES RED-HANDED.
BY MARCH, 1993,
A FULL-SCALE INVESTIGATION
FOCUSES SOLELY ON AMES.
THEY SEARCH HIS OFFICE.
THEY PUT A BEACON ON HIS CAR.
THEY TAP HIS PHONES.
UH, LATER, THEY GO THROUGH HIS TRASH.
AND SOON, THEY CATCH THE BREAK THEY'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR.
THEY HEAR HIM AND HIS WIFE ROSARIO
DISCUSSING OPERATIONAL MATTERS PERTAINING TO ESPIONAGE.
WHEN THEY HEAR AMES TELLING HIS WIFE
ABOUT MEETINGS WITH SOVIET AGENTS,
INVESTIGATORS FINALLY HAVE THEIR SMOKING GUN.
ON THE MORNING OF FEBRUARY 21, 1994,
FBI AGENTS ARREST AMES
OUTSIDE HIS RESIDENCE.
HE PLEADS GUILTY TO ALL COUNTS OF TREASON
AND IS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON.
BUT HOW DID AMES MANAGE TO PULL OFF
YEARS OF HIGH-STAKES ESPIONAGE
COMPLETELY UNDETECTED?
FOR AMES, FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS
WITH HIS SOVIET HANDLERS WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO RISKY.
SO AMES AND THE SOVIETS DEVELOPED AN INGENIOUS PLAN
CENTERED AROUND AN OBJECT
LOCATED ON THE CORNER OF 37th AND R STREETS
IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON, D.C.--
A U.S. POSTAL SERVICE MAILBOX.
SO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS,
THIS MAILBOX WAS THE MAIN MEANS OF COMMUNICATION
BETWEEN HIM AND HIS SOVIET CASE OFFICER.
A HORIZONTAL CHALK MARK
ABOVE THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE LOGO
SIGNALED TO AMES' SOVIET HANDLER
THAT NEW INFORMATION AWAITED.
AND EVERY DAY, HIS HANDLER WOULD DRIVE BY THAT MAILBOX.
HE'D SEE THE MARK, AND HE'D KNOW
THERE'S SECRETS WAITING.
AMES WOULD THEN LEAVE THE CLASSIFIED MATERIALS
IN ONE OF SEVERAL SECRET DEAD DROP SITES
IN THE SURROUNDING WOODS.
THE INFORMATION AMES PROVIDED TO THE SOVIETS
COMPROMISED OVER 100 U.S. INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS
AND DIRECTLY LED TO THE DEATHS
OF OVER TEN CIA INFORMANTS.
AND FOR HIS TREACHERY,
HE WAS HANDSOMELY REWARDED.
ALDRITCH AMES IS THE AMERICAN SPY
WHO RECEIVED THE MOST MONEY FOR HIS ESPIONAGE,
SOMETHING ON THE ORDER OF $2.7 MILLION.
AMES IS CURRENTLY SERVING OUT HIS SENTENCE
AT ALLENWOOD PENITENTIARY IN PENNSYLVANIA.
AND THE MAILBOX, NO LONGER IN OFFICIAL USE,
SITS ON DISPLAY AT THE INTERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM
IN WASHINGTON, D.C.,
A MEMORIAL TO THE LIVES LOST
IN ONE OF THE MOST DAMAGING SPY CASES
IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
6 MILLION DIFFERENT ARTIFACTS, INCLUDING DINOSAURS
THAT ARE OVER 200 MILLION YEARS OLD--
THESE ARE AMONG THE WONDERS ON DISPLAY
AT THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
IN CLEVELAND, OHIO.
BUT ONE OF THE MUSEUM'S MOST POPULAR EXHIBITS
IS ACTUALLY A STUFFED DOG.
THIS ARTIFACT STANDS ABOUT 3 FEET TALL.
IT DOES POSSESS A TAIL,
WHICH MIGHT GIVE IT A LITTLE ADDITIONAL LENGTH.
AS THE MUSEUM'S DIRECTOR OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES,
HARVEY WEBSTER KNOWS
THIS ISN'T SOME RUN-OF-THE-MILL STUFFED POOCH.
THIS ARTIFACT IS ONE OF THE HEROES
OF NOME, ALASKA, IN THE WINTER OF 1925.
SO WHAT DID THIS TAXIDERMIED CANINE DO
TO BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL SYMBOL
OF HEROISM AND ENDURANCE?
NOME, ALASKA, 1925--
THIS REMOTE TOWN OF 1,400 PEOPLE
IS ALMOST TOTALLY CUT OFF FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
THE CLOSEST TRAIN STATION
IS OVER 600 MILES AWAY.
IT IS ICEBOUND SEVEN MONTHS OF THE YEAR.
AND DURING MUCH OF THAT TIME,
THE ONLY WAY TO GET THERE IS BY DOGSLED.
THE ONLY CONNECTION WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD
WAS THROUGH THE RADIO TELEGRAPH.
DARK, FREEZING, AND ISOLATED--
ONE OF THE WORST POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTS
FOR THE OUTBREAK OF A DEADLY DISEASE.
BUT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS
ON JANUARY 20th
WHEN THE CHILDREN OF NOME
START COMING DOWN WITH DIPHTHERIA,
AN EXTREMELY CONTAGIOUS
AND OFTEN FATAL INFECTION OF THE THROAT AND LUNGS.
THERE WAS HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN THAT WERE AT RISK.
THEY WOULD DIE THIS HORRIBLE, SUFFOCATING DEATH.
BUT NOME HAS ONLY ONE DOCTOR,
AND HE HAS NO ANTIDOTE FOR THE DISEASE.
WITHOUT THIS ESSENTIAL MEDICATION,
THREE CHILDREN DIE FROM DIPHTHERIA
IN LESS THAN FIVE DAYS.
SO A PLEA GOES OUT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD--
"WE ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF ANTITOXIN."
THE RESPONSE IS IMMEDIATE.
A HOSPITAL IN SEATTLE HAS THE MEDICINE.
BUT IN THE 1920s,
FLYING TO NOME IS OUT OF THE QUESTION.
THE PLANE'S ENGINES WOULD STALL
IN THE SUBZERO TEMPERATURES.
SO THE MEDICINE IS SENT VIA TRAIN
TO THE TOWN OF NENANA,
MORE THAN 600 MILES AWAY.
BUT THE QUESTION REMAINS,
HOW WILL THEY GET THE MEDICINE FROM NENANA TO NOME?
THEY FINALLY CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF, WELL,
WHAT ABOUT THE DOGSLED TEAMS?
(dogs barking)
BUT DR. WELCH NEEDS THE MEDICINE IMMEDIATELY,
AND THE RUGGED 674-MILE PATH
FROM NENANA TO NOME TAKES AT LEAST A MONTH.
BY ONE MONTH,
DR. WELCH IS FIGURING HE PROBABLY WOULD LOSE
MOST OF THOSE-- THE CHILDREN IN THE TOWN.
SO THEY CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF,
LET'S DO A RELAY.
21 TEAMS ARE ASSEMBLED ALONG THE ROUTE,
EACH WITH ABOUT TEN DOGS AND ONE DRIVER OR MUSHER.
EACH TEAM WILL RACE THE 20-POUND BOX OF MEDICINE
FOR ABOUT 30 MILES
BEFORE HANDING IT OFF TO THE NEXT TEAM.
ON JANUARY 27th,
SEVEN DAYS AFTER THE OUTBREAK IS DISCOVERED,
THE RELAY BEGINS.
THIS IS AS DANGEROUS CONDITIONS
AS YOU COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE.
WIND CHILLS COULD BE IN EXCESS OF 100 BELOW ZERO.
IN THE FIRST 5 DAYS, 19 RELAY TEAMS
BRAVELY DRIVE THROUGH 600-SOME MILES
OF GALE-FORCE WINDS.
THEN THE ANTITOXIN IS HANDED
TO THE SECOND-TO-LAST TEAM
LED BY GUNNAR KAASEN
AND HIS INEXPERIENCED LEAD DOG BALTO.
THE OTHER MUSHERS DON'T THINK BALTO IS UP TO THE TASK
OF SAFELY AND SWIFTLY LEADING HIS TEAM
ACROSS THE TREACHEROUS TERRAIN,
BUT KAASEN DOES.
AFTER RACING THROUGH WHIPPING ICE
AND SUBZERO TEMPERATURES, THEY'RE WITHIN 40 MILES
OF DELIVERING THE ANTIDOTE TO NOME
WHEN DISASTER STRIKES.
AN ENORMOUS GUST OF WIND SENDS THE SLED
CRASHING INTO THE FREEZING SNOW.
AND THEN WHEN HE LOOKED AT THE SLED, THE BOX WAS GONE.
THIS IS THE BOX CONTAINING THE ANTITOXIN.
WITH THE PRECIOUS ANTIDOTE SEEMINGLY LOST,
KAASEN FUMBLES IN THE DARK
IN 40-BELOW-ZERO TEMPERATURES.
WILL HE FIND THE ANTIDOTE,
OR WILL THE CHILDREN OF NOME BE SENTENCED TO AN EARLY GRAVE?
♪♪
IT'S JANUARY, 1925.
IN REMOTE NOME, ALASKA, HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN
HAVE CONTRACTED A FATAL ILLNESS CALLED DIPHTHERIA.
THE ONLY KNOWN ANTIDOTE
IS MORE THAN 600 MILES AWAY.
A TEAM OF DOGSLEDS RACES ACROSS THE FROZEN TUNDRA
TO DELIVER THE LIFE-SAVING MEDICATION,
BUT CAN THEY MAKE IT IN TIME?
WHILE RACING THROUGH FREEZING WILDERNESS
WITH THE PRECIOUS ANTIDOTE,
THE DOGSLED TEAM LED BY BALTO
(dog whining)
TOSSING THE BOX OF MEDICINE
INTO THE FROZEN NIGHTTIME SNOW.
THE LEADER OF THE SLED TEAM, GUNNAR KAASEN,
FUMBLES IN THE DARK,
GRASPING BLINDLY WITH HIS FINGERS,
TRYING TO FIND THE BOX.
YOU'RE WITHIN 40 MILES OF DELIVERING IT TO THE DOCTOR,
AND NOW YOU'VE JUST LOST IT.
I WOULD IMAGINE HIM JUST AS PANICKED
AND AS DESPERATE AS A MAN CAN BE.
JUST WHEN HE THINKS THE ENTIRE RELAY HAS FAILED,
SOMEHOW, AGAINST ALL ODDS,
IN THE FROZEN DARKNESS
KAASEN FINDS THE ANTITOXIN.
NOW KAASEN AND HIS LEAD DOG BALTO
RACE TO THEIR FINAL DESTINATION,
A PLACE CALLED POINT SAFETY.
THERE, THE FINAL RELAY TEAM WILL BE WAITING FOR THEM.
BUT WHEN THEY ARRIVE AT 2:00 A.M.,
THE LAST TEAM IN THE RELAY IS ASLEEP.
THEY HADN'T EXPECTED KAASEN AND BALTO'S TEAM
TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE BLIZZARD THAT NIGHT.
SO KAASEN MAKES A SPLIT-SECOND DECISION.
HE AND BALTO WILL PULL A DOUBLE SHIFT.
THREE HOURS LATER,
AT 5:30 A.M. ON FEBRUARY 2nd,
KAASEN AND BALTO COMPLETE THEIR 53-MILE JOURNEY,
ARRIVING IN NOME WITH THE LIFESAVING SERUM.
HE FINDS THE HOSPITAL AND POUNDS ON THE DOOR.
HE HANDS OFF THE BOX OF SERUM.
THEN HE GOES BACK TO THE DOGS,
AND REPUTEDLY HE SAID,
"DAMN FINE DOG. DAMN FINE DOG."
INSTEAD OF ONE MONTH,
IT HAS TAKEN THE RELAY TEAM
ONLY FIVE AND A HALF DAYS
TO REACH NOME.
WITHIN 12 DAYS OF THE INITIAL OUTBREAK,
THE ARRIVAL OF THE MEDICINE STOPS THE SPREAD OF DIPHTHERIA,
AND DR. WELCH DECLARES THE EPIDEMIC
UNDER CONTROL.
IN THE WEEKS TO COME,
PARADES IN BALTO'S HONOR
TAKE PLACE ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
TODAY, AN ANNUAL IDITAROD TRAIL SLED DOG RACE
IS HELD TO COMMEMORATE THE ROLE THAT SLED DOGS LIKE BALTO
SERVED IN THE SETTLEMENT OF ALASKA.
LATER IN HIS LIFE, THE CITY OF CLEVELAND
OPENS ITS ARMS TO BALTO AND HIS TEAM,
LETTING THEM LIVE OUT THEIR LIVES
IN THE CLEVELAND ZOO.
UPON HIS DEATH IN 1933,
BALTO IS STUFFED
SO THAT HIS BODY MIGHT REMAIN ON DISPLAY
AT THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY,
WHERE CHILDREN OF ALL AGES COULD BE TOLD
THE HEROIC TALE OF THE SLED DOGS
WHO RISKED THEIR LIVES
SO THAT ALASKAN CHILDREN WOULD NOT LOSE THEIRS.
LA PORTE, INDIANA, OFFERS A PICTURESQUE TABLEAU
OF MIDDLE AMERICA.
ORIGINALLY SETTLED BY PIONEERS,
THE TOWN'S COLORFUL PAST IS ON DISPLAY
AT THE LA PORTE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM.
BUT LOCAL HISTORIAN BRUCE JOHNSON
SAYS THAT BEHIND THESE QUAINT SCENES
LURKS A DARK MYSTERY,
A MYSTERY TIED TO THIS SIMPLE WHEELBARROW.
THIS PARTICULAR WHEELBARROW
WAS USED IN A VERY GRIM, GRUESOME WAY.
RUSTED THROUGH WITH AGE,
WELL WORN FROM YEARS OF USE,
THIS IS NO ORDINARY PIECE OF FARM EQUIPMENT.
IT'S PART OF ONE OF THE MOST INFAMOUS CRIME SPREES
IN INDIANA HISTORY.
WHAT HORRIBLE SECRETS
DOES THIS WHEELBARROW CARRY?
1908--
A SOUTH DAKOTA MAN NAMED ASLE HELGELEIN
ARRIVES IN LA PORTE, INDIANA.
ASLE HELGELEIN HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR HIS BROTHER,
WHO HAD COME TO LA PORTE,
HAD BEEN MISSING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.
ASLE GOES TO THE LAST KNOWN ADDRESS
FOR HIS BROTHER ANDREW--
A FARMHOUSE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN.
BUT INSTEAD OF A REUNION,
ASLE FACES A CHILLING SIGHT.
THE ENTIRE FARMHOUSE
HAS BURNED TO THE GROUND.
(Bruce) THEY FOUND THE BODIES OF THREE CHILDREN
LAYING SIDE BY SIDE,
AND THEN THEY FOUND THE BODY OF A WOMAN.
BUT IT WAS VERY UNUSUAL,
BECAUSE THERE WAS NO HEAD WITH THIS PARTICULAR BODY.
INVESTIGATORS CONCLUDE
THAT THEY HAVE FOUND THE FARM'S OWNER,
48-YEAR-OLD BELLE GUNNESS,
AND HER THREE CHILDREN.
BUT ASLE FINDS NO SIGNS OF HIS BROTHER
AND KEEPS DIGGING FOR ANSWERS.
HE TALKED TO THE HIRED MEN AT THE FARM
AND STARTED DIGGING.
AND HE WENT DOWN ABOUT 3 FEET
AND FOUND A BODY.
AND ASLE RECOGNIZED HIS BROTHER ANDREW RIGHT AWAY.
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL THEY UNEARTHED.
EVENTUALLY, THEY FOUND ALL TOGETHER 13 BODIES.
WHO WERE THESE PEOPLE?
AND HOW DID THEY END UP BURIED ON THIS FARM?
THE STORY BEGINS IN 1881.
BRYNHILD STORSET,
A YOUNG WOMAN FROM A SMALL NORWEGIAN TOWN,
IMMIGRATES TO CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,
AND TAKES ON THE NAME "BELLE."
SHE MARRIED A MAN NAMED MADS SORENSON,
AND TOGETHER, THEY OWNED A CONFECTIONARY STORE
IN CHICAGO.
FOR A WHILE, BELLE APPEARS TO BE LIVING
THE AMERICAN DREAM--
A FAMILY, A COMFORTABLE HOME,
AND A NEW BUSINESS.
BUT TRAGEDY STRIKES.
TWO OF HER CHILDREN DIE
FROM WHAT APPEARS TO BE ACUTE COLITIS,
AN INFLAMMATORY DISEASE OF THE INTESTINES
WITH SYMPTOMS SUSPICIOUSLY SIMILAR TO POISONING.
THEN HER HUSBAND MADS ALSO DIES.
WHILE ONE OF HIS DOCTORS BELIEVES
THAT MADS DIED OF HEART FAILURE,
ANOTHER CONTENDS HE WAS POISONED.
BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE IN CHICAGO
FOUND THIS VERY UNUSUAL,
AND BELLE WAS FEELING VERY UNCOMFORTABLE
LIVING IN CHICAGO AT THIS POINT,
SHE DECIDED TO MOVE TO LA PORTE IN NOVEMBER OF 1901.
IN LA PORTE, SHE BUYS A FARM
AND STARTS HER LIFE ANEW.
SHE GETS REMARRIED TO A LOCAL FARMER
NAMED PETER GUNNESS.
BUT IT ISN'T LONG
BEFORE THE GRIM REAPER STRIKES AGAIN.
THEY WERE ONLY MARRIED ABOUT ONE WEEK,
AND JENNY GUNNESS, HIS YOUNGEST DAUGHTER,
DIED MYSTERIOUSLY AT THE HOUSE.
EIGHT MONTHS LATER,
IN DECEMBER OF 1902,
PETER GUNNESS ALSO DIES
IN A BIZARRE HOUSEHOLD ACCIDENT.
HE WAS GETTING HIS SHOES,
AND WHILE PUTTING THEM ON, ACCORDING TO BELLE,
HE BUMPED THE STOVE,
AND A SAUSAGE GRINDER THAT WAS ON THE SHELF BEHIND HIM
FELL AND HIT HIM ON THE HEAD.
WIDOWED ONCE AGAIN,
BELLE PUTS AN AD IN THE PAPER.
THESE ADS STATED THAT A WOMAN
WITH A LARGE AND BEAUTIFULLY LOCATED FARM
IS WILLING TO, UH, MAKE A PARTNERSHIP WITH MEN
WHO WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BECOMING A PARTNER IN HER FARM.
ASLE'S BROTHER,
THE SOUTH DAKOTA FARMER ANDREW HELGELEIN,
RESPONDED TO THIS AD AND MOVED TO LA PORTE.
AND THAT'S THE LAST HIS FAMILY EVER SAW OF HIM...
UNTIL HIS BODY WAS MYSTERIOUSLY UNCOVERED BY ASLE
14 FEET BELOW THE GROUND.
COULD BELLE GUNNESS BE A DEADLY SEDUCTRESS
AND A SERIAL KILLER?
AND IF SO,
WHY WOULD SHE KILL MEMBERS OF HER OWN FAMILY?
THE LA PORTE POLICE DISCOVER A SHOCKING PATTERN,
WHAT APPEARS TO BE A COLD, CALCULATING PLAN
TO *** FOR PROFIT.
WHILE BELLE WAS LIVING IN CHICAGO,
SHE FIRST LEARNED ABOUT INSURANCE.
BELLE HAD TAKEN OUT NOT JUST ONE,
BUT TWO LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES ON HER FIRST HUSBAND.
SHE WENT ON TO COLLECT A HANDSOME INSURANCE PAYOUT
FOR THE DEATH OF HER SECOND HUSBAND,
PETER GUNNESS, AS WELL.
BUT WHO WERE THE OTHER 12 PEOPLE
FOUND BURIED ON HER FARM?
SOME OF THEM ARE IDENTIFIED
AS OTHER KNOWN SUITORS OF BELLE'S.
AS IT TURNS OUT,
ANDREW HELGELEIN MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THE FIRST MAN
TO RESPOND TO ONE OF BELLE'S ADS
OR TO DIE BY HER HAND.
SO ALL THESE MEN WHO CAME TO VISIT HER
THINKING THEY WERE GONNA HAVE A WONDERFUL LIFE
ON HER FARM IN LA PORTE, INDIANA--
ALL SHE REALLY WANTED WAS THEIR MONEY.
AND WHEN IT CAME TO DISPOSING OF THE BODIES OF HER VICTIMS,
SHE MAY HAVE USED THIS WHEELBARROW.
WHO KNOWS? PROBABLY ALL 13 OF THE VICTIMS
OR MAYBE EVEN MORE THAN THAT
WERE TAKEN IN THIS CART TO BE BURIED.
BUT THE QUESTION STILL REMAINS--
IF BELLE GUNNESS COMMITTED THESE HEINOUS CRIMES,
THEN HOW DID SHE END UP CHARRED AND HEADLESS
ON HER OWN FARM?
♪♪
(Don) WHEN 13 BODIES
ARE DISCOVERED BENEATH A BURNED-OUT FARM IN INDIANA,
POLICE SUSPECT THE MURDERER IS THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY,
A WOMAN NAMED BELLE GUNNESS.
BUT IS THIS WELL-TO-DO LANDLADY
REALLY A SERIAL KILLER?
POLICE RETURN TO THE HEADLESS BODY
AND COME TO A STUNNING REALIZATION.
THE CORPSE IS TOO SMALL TO BE THAT OF BELLE GUNNESS,
WHO WEIGHED IN
AT AROUND 200 POUNDS.
MOST PEOPLE, I THINK,
BELIEVED THAT BELLE GUNNESS HAD ESCAPED,
AND SHE GOT AWAY WITH ALL THE MONEY.
IN THE END,
THE HEADLESS WOMAN IS NEVER IDENTIFIED.
BUT NOW THE HORRIFYING PIECES OF THE PUZZLE
FALL INTO PLACE.
INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE THAT BELLE GUNNESS
STARTED THE FIRE, FAKED HER OWN DEATH,
AND VANISHED.
AND THE DATE AND DETAILS OF HER DEATH
REMAIN UNKNOWN.
TODAY, THIS ANTIQUE WHEELBARROW,
ON DISPLAY
AT THE LA PORTE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM,
IS A REMINDER OF THE INFAMOUS SERIAL KILLER
AND THE DARK SECRETS SHE TOOK TO HER GRAVE.
THE OCEAN HAS FASCINATED MAN SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME,
AND THE SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY
IN SAN DIEGO
IS DEDICATED TO STUDYING THIS WONDROUS SOURCE
OF PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE.
THE INSTITUTION'S GOAL,
EXPLAINS SENIOR SCIENTIST H.J. WALKER,
IS TO EXPAND OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SEA
BY CATALOGING THE CREATURES THAT MAKE IT THEIR HOME.
(H.J.) HERE IN THE MARINE VERTEBRATE COLLECTION
AT SCRIPPS, WE HAVE 2 MILLION SPECIMENS
REPRESENTING ABOUT 20% OF ALL THE WORLD'S SPECIES.
AND THERE IS ONE CREATURE IN THE COLLECTION
WITH REMARKABLE FEATURES LIKE NO OTHER
THAT HAS BAFFLED MEN FOR CENTURIES.
THE SPECIMEN IS ABOUT 3 FEET LONG,
MAYBE 2 1/2 FEET HIGH.
IT HAS AN ENORMOUS EYE.
THIS IS THE PARTIALLY DECOMPOSED HEAD
OF A MONSTROUS FISH.
THIS SPECIMEN IS SO AMAZING,
BECAUSE IT'S ONE OF THE LARGEST SPECIMENS EVER SEEN.
THE DIMENSIONS OF THE HEAD ALONE
SUGGEST IT WAS ATTACHED TO A CREATURE
OF ENORMOUS LENGTH.
IT CONJURES UP NOTIONS OF A CENTURIES-OLD MARINE MYTH
THAT STRUCK FEAR IN THE HEARTS OF SAILORS.
WHAT MONSTROUS SEA BEAST IS THIS?
1817, CAPE ANN, MASSACHUSETTS--
OFF THE COAST OF THIS FISHING COMMUNITY,
A MAN NAMED LONSON NASH
SPIES SOMETHING REMARKABLE.
LONSON NASH SEES AN UNUSUAL CREATURE IN THE WATER.
HE'S NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE.
THE BLACK FORM
IS AT LEAST 50 FEET LONG
AND EXHIBITS BIZARRE MOVEMENTS.
IT WAS MOVING AT A FAIRLY RAPID PACE,
OBVIOUSLY HORIZONTALLY,
BUT HE ALSO WITNESSED IT MOVING VERTICALLY.
AND AS MYSTERIOUSLY AS IT APPEARS,
IT VANISHES.
NASH IS CONVINCED THAT HE KNOWS WHAT THIS CREATURE IS,
A LEGENDARY MONSTER OF THE DEEP--
THE SEA SERPENT.
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO,
SEA SERPENTS WERE THOUGHT TO BE SO DANGEROUS
THAT THEY WOULD KILL PEOPLE.
SAILORS WOULD EVEN MARK ON MAPS
WHERE THEY HAD SIGHTED SEA SERPENTS,
TELLING OTHER SAILORS, DON'T GO THERE.
NASH DOCUMENTS HIS TERRIFYING ENCOUNTER
AND PUBLISHES IT IN A LOCAL PAMPHLET.
AND WHEN HE DID THAT, EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY
READ ALL ABOUT IT AND HAD NO DOUBT
THAT WHAT HE SAW WAS ACTUALLY THE TRUTH.
AS WORD OF NASH'S SIGHTING SPREADS,
OTHERS CLAIM TO HAVE WITNESSED
THE SAME BIZARRE CREATURE,
AND SOON, THE CURIOUS DESCEND ON CAPE ANN.
(H.J.) SO IN THE SUMMER OF 1817,
THE MEDIA STARTED TO SHOW UP.
SCIENTISTS STARTED TO SHOW UP
TO INVESTIGATE.
THEY EVEN GAVE A NAME TO THIS FISH...
THE CAPE ANN CREATURE.
BUT THE PHENOMENA
IS NOT LIMITED TO THE WATERS OFF CAPE ANN.
BERMUDA, IRELAND, SCOTLAND, ENGLAND--
ALL THESE KINDS OF SIGHTINGS
WERE ABOUT THE SAME KIND OF A CREATURE.
BUT THE MASSIVE BEAST IS NEVER CAPTURED.
THEN IN THE 1900s, SIGHTINGS TAPER OFF,
AND INTEREST IN THE CAPE ANN CREATURE WANES,
UNTIL ONE MORNING IN 1996,
WHEN TWO NAVY SEALS
JOGGING ALONG THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST
SEE SOMETHING THAT STOPS THEM DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS.
24 FEET LONG,
CRIMSON DORSAL FIN
ALONG THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF ITS BODY--
THEY'D NEVER SEEN A CREATURE LIKE THIS
IN THEIR ENTIRE LIVES.
HAS THE LEGENDARY SEA SERPENT RETURNED?
♪♪
STORIES OF UNDERWATER MONSTERS ARE AS OLD AS THE SEA.
BUT IN 1996,
NAVY SEALS DISCOVER SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY,
AN ENORMOUS SNAKELIKE CREATURE
NOW PRESERVED AT THE SCRIPPS INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY.
HAVE THESE MEN STUMBLED UPON THE BODY
OF A REAL-LIFE SEA SERPENT?
THE SEALS ARE STUNNED.
THEY'VE NEVER ENCOUNTERED ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE.
THEY TURN TO THE EXPERTS
AT THE NEARBY SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY,
AND MARINE VERTEBRATE EXPERT H.J. WALKER TAKES THE CALL.
WE GET A CALL FROM THE NAVY SEAL INSTRUCTOR.
HE DESCRIBED THE FISH.
I TOLD EVERYBODY AROUND ME IN THE LAB,
WE'RE GOING TO THE BEACH.
THE SCRIPPS TEAM RUSHES OFF
TO SEE THE REMARKABLE CREATURE.
AND THERE IT WAS, 24 FEET LONG, LYING ON THE BEACH.
WALKER AND HIS TEAM DETERMINE THAT THEY ARE STARING
AT ONE OF THE MOST ELUSIVE BEASTS OF THE SEA,
A CREATURE KNOWN AS THE OARFISH.
THE OARFISH IS NOT SEEN TOO OFTEN,
BECAUSE THEY LIVE IN A VERY DEEP PART OF THE OCEAN,
UH, USUALLY ABOUT 600 FEET OR SO
DOWN TO AROUND 3,000 FEET.
FLAT AND SILVER-COLORED
WITH LONG RED DORSAL FINS
THAT RUN THE LENGTH OF THEIR BODIES,
OARFISH CAN REPORTEDLY GROW TO 50 FEET.
WE ESTIMATE THAT THE 24-FOOT-LONG SPECIMEN
WITH THE NAVY SEALS--
THEY WERE ESTIMATING THAT IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 250, 300 POUNDS.
THIS MAMMOTH CREATURE,
THE LARGEST BONY FISH IN THE OCEAN,
REQUIRES 15 MEN
TO LIFT ITS SLIPPERY, SCALY BODY.
BUT WAS THE OARFISH ALSO THE INFAMOUS SEA SERPENT
SPOTTED BY LONSON NASH OFF THE COAST OF CAPE ANN?
THIS ANIMAL MORE THAN ANY OTHER CREATURE IN THE OCEAN,
FITS THE DESCRIPTION OF A SEA SERPENT.
IT'S GOT THIS REALLY LONG BODY.
IT SWIMS LIKE A SERPENT.
IT HAS THIS BEAUTIFUL DORSAL FIN ON TOP OF ITS BODY,
VERY STRANGE FEATURES THAT FISHES DON'T NORMALLY HAVE.
BUT WHILE THE OARFISH LOOKS LIKE A SEA SERPENT,
IS IT REALLY THE MAN-EATING KILLER MONSTER OF LEGEND?
(H.J.) OARFISH MAY LOOK SCARY,
BUT THERE'S NO REASON TO BE AFRAID AT ALL.
THESE FISH HAVE NO TEETH IN THEIR JAWS.
THEY CAN'T EVEN BITE YOU IF THEY WANTED TO.
THOUGH IT MAY HAVE INSPIRED INFLATED LEGENDS FOR CENTURIES,
THIS OARFISH SPECIMEN
AT THE SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY
IS A REMINDER THAT THE REAL CREATURES OF THE DEEP
ARE NOTHING SHORT OF EXTRAORDINARY.
A CONCESSION STAND SHAPED LIKE AN ELEPHANT,
GIANT CLOWN SHOES,
GILDED CARRIAGES
AND ORNATE ANIMAL CAGES--
THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE LARGER-THAN-LIFE RELICS
ON DISPLAY AT THE CIRCUS WORLD MUSEUM
IN BARABOO, WISCONSIN.
AS THE BIRTHPLACE AND LONGTIME HEADQUARTERS
OF THE RINGLING BROTHERS CIRCUS,
THIS MODEST TOWN HAS SEEN ITS SHARE OF HIGH-FLYING FEATS
AND TOPSY-TURVY HIGH JINKS.
BUT HERE IN THE ARCHIVES OF THE CIRCUS WORLD MUSEUM
IS A CHARRED SOUVENIR WITH A BURNING TALE,
YELLOWED AND SINGED AROUND THE EDGES.
WHAT MAKES THIS PARTICULAR ARTIFACT AMAZING
IS THAT IT SURVIVED AT ALL.
ACCORDING TO ARCHIVIST PETE SHRAKE,
THIS IS THE TATTERED REMNANT
OF A TRAGIC CIRCUS TALE,
A PIECE OF SHEET MUSIC THAT WAS NEVER PLAYED
ON ONE FATEFUL SUMMER DAY.
THE SHEET MUSIC WAS AT THE CENTER
OF ONE OF THE MOST HORRIFYING TRAGEDIES
IN AMERICAN CIRCUS HISTORY.
WHAT SPARKED THE DEADLIEST DISASTER
IN THE HISTORY OF THE CIRCUS?
1944-- THE COUNTRY IS IN THE THROES
OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
THE DRAFT HAS LEFT
THE RINGLING BROTHERS AND BARNUM & BAILEY CIRCUS
CRITICALLY SHORT OF MANPOWER.
BUT AMERICANS ARE SO DESPERATE FOR ENTERTAINMENT
THAT ACCORDING TO MUSEUM DIRECTOR STEVE FREESE,
(cheers and applause)
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT, OUR PRESIDENT AT THE TIME,
ASKS THE, UH, CIRCUS TO STAY ON THE ROAD
TO HELP WITH THE MORALE OF THE COUNTRY.
JULY 6th, HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT--
ON THIS HOT SUMMER AFTERNOON,
NEARLY 8,000 CIRCUS-GOERS ARE PACKED INTO THE BIG TOP.
YOU HAD MOTHERS TAKING THEIR CHILDREN
TO GO AND SEE THE CIRCUS.
AS THE BAND STRIKES UP A TUNE,
ALL EYES ARE FIXED ON THE STARS OF THE SHOW--
THE BIG CATS.
BUT WHAT NO ONE REALIZES
IS THAT IN A FAR CORNER OF THE TENT,
TROUBLE IS BREWING.
THE CANVAS HAS CAUGHT FIRE.
AMONG THE FIRST TO ACT IS THE GROUND CREW.
THEY DO HAVE SOME BUCKETS OF WATER AT THEIR DISPOSAL,
BUT IT UNFORTUNATELY HAS NO EFFECT AT ALL
ON THE BLAZE.
BEFORE LONG,
FLAMES ARE LICKING THE SIDES OF THE TENT.
AND ONCE IT HITS THE ROOF OF THE TENT,
THEN THAT'S WHEN THE DISASTER TRULY OCCURS.
(Steve) AT THAT POINT, YOU HAVE ALL THE CENTER POLES
AND THE QUARTER POLES NOW STARTING TO FALL.
AS IT COLLAPSES, THE BLAZING BIG TOP
TRAPS HUNDREDS OF PANICKED CIRCUS-GOERS.
THERE ARE ACCOUNTS OF THIS TREMENDOUS SCREAMING AND WAILING
AS PEOPLE ARE BURNED ALIVE.
JUST TEN MINUTES AFTER THE FIRE BEGAN,
THE ENTIRE TENT LIES IN A SMOLDERING HEAP.
MORE THAN 160 MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN
ARE DEAD,
AND HUNDREDS MORE ARE SERIOUSLY INJURED.
ONLY A FEW ITEMS SURVIVE THE DEVASTATION,
AMONG THEM THIS PIECE OF SHEET MUSIC,
PAGES FROM A SONG THAT WOULD HAVE KICKED OFF
THE SHOW'S GRAND FINALE,
BUT IT WAS NEVER PLAYED.
IN THE AFTERMATH, STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS
COMBED THE SCENE FOR EVIDENCE
AS TO WHAT STARTED THE FIRE.
AND IN THE BURNT REMAINS OF THE BIG TOP
THEY DISCOVER THEIR FIRST BIG CLUE.
THE CANVAS WAS WATERPROOFED
WITH A MIXTURE OF PARAFFIN AND GASOLINE.
PARAFFIN AND GASOLINE
ARE A COMMON LOW-BUDGET WATERPROOFING METHOD
AT THE TIME, AND ONE THAT MAKES
AN INCREDIBLY FLAMMABLE COMBINATION
THAT ALIGHT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT OUT.
CIRCUS OFFICIALS USED THIS METHOD
WHEN WARTIME SHORTAGES KEPT THEM
FROM OBTAINING FIREPROOF CANVAS.
AND IT IS THE REASON
WHY THE FIRE SPREAD SO QUICKLY.
AS ACCUSATIONS FLY,
RINGLING BROTHERS IS BLAMED FOR THE FIRE,
AND FIVE CIRCUS EMPLOYEES ARE SENTENCED TO PRISON
FOR INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER.
IN THE END, THE CIRCUS ENDS UP PAYING
OVER $5 MILLION IN DAMAGES TO THE VICTIMS.
REELING FROM THE LOSS AND THE BAD PUBLICITY,
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH NEARLY SHUTS DOWN.
BUT ONE TROUBLING QUESTION REMAINS--
WHO OR WHAT SET OFF THE INFERNO IN THE FIRST PLACE?
♪♪
IT'S 1944.
(screaming)
KILLING HUNDREDS AND REDUCING THE AREA TO ASHES.
AMONG THE DEBRIS IS THIS CHARRED PIECE OF SHEET MUSIC
ON DISPLAY AT THE CIRCUS WORLD MUSEUM IN WISCONSIN.
SO WHO OR WHAT CAUSED THIS DEADLY INFERNO?
FOR YEARS, MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT THE HARTFORD CIRCUS FIRE
WAS A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT.
BUT 6 YEARS LATER, IN 1950,
A MAN NAMED ROBERT SEGEE COMES FORWARD
WITH A STARTLING CONFESSION.
ROBERT SEGEE WAS A TROUBLED EMPLOYEE
OF THE CIRCUS
AND HAD A DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIP
WITH ONE OF THE DEPARTMENT HEADS.
IT TURNS OUT THAT SEGEE HAD WORKED FOR THE CIRCUS
AT THE TIME OF THE HARTFORD FIRE.
TORTURED BY HIS CONSCIENCE, HE NOW POINTS THE FINGER
AT THE CULPRIT BEHIND THE FIRE--
HIMSELF.
BUT WHY DID SEGEE CHOOSE TO DESTROY SO MANY LIVES,
NOT TO MENTION HIS OWN LIVELIHOOD?
A BIZARRE TALE EMERGES FROM THE INTERROGATION.
HE STATES THAT HE HAS
A VISION OF A MAN,
KIND OF LIKE A HORNED INDIVIDUAL
WHO TELLS HIM TO SET THE FIRE.
ACCORDING TO SEGEE,
THIS SAME VISION HAUNTED HIS DREAMS FOR YEARS
AND DROVE HIM TO COMMIT COUNTLESS ACTS OF ARSON.
AND INVESTIGATORS SOON UNCOVER
A LONG TRAIL OF SUSPICIOUS FIRES LEFT IN SEGEE'S WAKE.
AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO MULTIPLE ARSON CHARGES,
SEGEE RECEIVES A 44-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE.
BUT HE LATER RECANTS HIS CONFESSION.
AND AFTER SERVING ONLY A FEW YEARS,
HE'S DECLARED A PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIC
AND COMMITTED TO A STATE HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE,
LEAVING IT UNCERTAIN
AS TO WHETHER SEGEE WAS THE REAL ARSONIST AT ALL,
SCANT SOLACE FOR THE TRAUMATIZED VICTIMS
OF THE FIRE.
(Steve) I DON'T THINK PEOPLE EVER GOT OVER THE TRAGEDY
THAT THEY WENT THROUGH ON JULY 6th.
I THINK THAT THEY WENT TO THEIR GRAVE
STILL HAVING NIGHTMARES ABOUT IT.
ALTHOUGH RINGLING BROTHERS
EVENTUALLY RECOVERS FROM THE DISASTER,
THE TRAGEDY CHANGES THE CIRCUS INDUSTRY.
NEW HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS ARE PUT IN PLACE,
AND A MILITARY-GRADE FIREPROOFING COMPOUND
IS MADE AVAILABLE TO ALL CIRCUSES.
TODAY, THIS SHEET MUSIC
IN WISCONSIN'S CIRCUS WORLD MUSEUM
STANDS AS A TESTAMENT TO THE HORRIFIC DAY
WHEN THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH WENT UP IN FLAMES.
WORKING DOWN IN THE COAL MINE--
FOR YEARS, THIS DANGEROUS AND BACKBREAKING JOB
HAS BEEN ONE OF THE ECONOMIC FOUNDATIONS
OF SOMERSET COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
SOMERSET HAS A VERY RICH MINING HISTORY.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY.
BUILT TO COMMEMORATE THE IMPORTANCE
OF MINING IN THE AREA
IS THE QUECREEK MINE EDUCATIONAL CENTER.
CENTER DIRECTOR BILL ARNOLD KNOWS
THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT ARTIFACT IN THE WHOLE BUILDING
MIGHT BE AN OLD YELLOW CAGE.
IT'S BASICALLY A 22-INCH-DIAMETER CYLINDER
ABOUT 9 FEET LONG,
AND IT'S GOT YELLOW MESH WIRE AROUND IT.
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS YELLOW STEEL CAGE?
AND WHAT PART DID IT PLAY IN AN EPIC FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL
250 FEET BELOW THE EARTH'S CRUST?
JULY 24, 2002,
9:00 P.M.--
NINE COAL MINERS ARE NEARING THE END OF THEIR SHIFT.
SUDDENLY, MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER
START RUSHING AT THEM, PINNING THEM AGAINST THE WALL
AS THEY HANG ON FOR THEIR LIVES.
AMAZINGLY, THEIR INITIAL THOUGHTS WERE
THE SAFETY OF OTHER MEN THAT WERE IN THE MINE WITH THEM.
THE NINE MEN KNOW
THAT THERE IS A SECOND GROUP OF MINERS WORKING BELOW THEM
WHO WILL DROWN IF THEY DON'T ESCAPE TO HIGHER GROUND.
THEY WENT TO THE PHONES, AND THEY BEGAN TO CALL
THE GUYS THAT WERE IN THE LOWEST PORTION OF THE MINES
AND BEGAN SCREAMING, "WE HIT WATER. GET OUT."
BUT JUST AS THE MINERS ARE IMPLORING THEIR COWORKERS
TO GET OUT, THE PHONE LINE GOES DEAD.
THEY HAVE NO IDEA
IF THEIR BUDDIES HEARD THEM.
ALL THEY CAN DO NOW IS TRY TO SAVE THEMSELVES.
BUT THEIR ESCAPE ROUTES ARE BLOCKED,
AND THE AVAILABLE SUPPLY OF OXYGEN
IS DWINDLING BY THE SECOND.
THEY WERE PANTING LIKE DOGS,
AND THEY LITERALLY THOUGHT THIS WAS THE END.
HUDDLING TOGETHER,
THE MINERS PREPARED TO DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH.
IS THERE ANY HOPE FOR THESE MEN,
OR ARE THEY FATED TO DROWN BENEATH THE ONRUSHING WATER?
♪♪
WHEN A COAL MINE RUPTURES
IN SOMERSET COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA,
NINE MEN ARE TRAPPED INSIDE.
MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER ARE FLOODING THE MINE,
AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT.
CAN THESE DESPERATE MEN BE SAVED?
THE MINERS HAVE NO IDEA
THAT THEIR COWORKERS SUCCESSFULLY ESCAPED
AND ARE NOW LEADING A GIGANTIC RESCUE EFFORT.
EXCAVATORS BEGAN TO SHOW UP WITH EQUIPMENT.
DRILLERS BEGAN TO SHOW UP WITH DRILL RIGS,
AND EVENTUALLY, THERE WERE SEVERAL HUNDRED PEOPLE HERE.
RESCUERS WORKED FURIOUSLY TO SAVE THE MINERS,
BUT THEY HAVE NO IDEA IF THEY'RE TOO LATE.
THEY LOWER A DRILL BIT INTO THE AREA
WHERE THEY BELIEVE THE MINERS ARE TRAPPED.
AND MIRACULOUSLY, IT REACHES THEM.
THEY BEGAN TO POUND ON THAT DRILL BIT.
IT WAS EXHILARATING TO KNOW THAT THERE WERE MEN ALIVE.
THE RESCUERS KNOW THERE IS NO TIME TO SPARE.
THEIR PLAN--
TO LOWER THE YELLOW STEEL CAPSULE
AND TRY TO LIFT THE MEN
ONE AT A TIME TO SAFETY.
THE CAPSULE WAS DROPPED DOWN
VERY TENTATIVELY THE FIRST TIME,
NOW KNOWING WHAT WE MIGHT FIND.
AND NINE TIMES WE WERE ABLE TO GET GUYS IN THAT CAPSULE
(applause)
THEY WERE COMPLETELY COVERED WITH COAL DIRT.
THE ONLY THING YOU COULD REALLY SEE ON THE MINERS
WAS THE WHITES OF THEIR EYES AND THEIR TEETH,
AND YOU COULD SEE QUITE A BIT OF THEIR TEETH,
BECAUSE THEY WERE SMILING.
THE MINERS ARE GREETED NOT ONLY BY HUNDREDS
OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY, BUT ALSO BY THE WATCHFUL EYES
OF AN ENTIRE COUNTRY'S PRESS CORPS.
THE GUYS TOLD US THAT THEY HAD NO IDEA
THAT THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE AND CAMERAS
FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.
BUT THE QUESTION REMAINED--
WHY DID ALL THAT WATER BURST ONTO THE MINERS?
THE MEN THOUGHT THEY WERE SAFELY EXCAVATING
300 FEET AWAY FROM A SUBTERRANEAN RESERVOIR.
WHAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WAS THE MAPS WEREN'T ACCURATE.
IN REALITY, THEY WERE ONLY 3 FEET AWAY,
AND THE WEIGHT OF THAT WATER PRESSING ON THE COAL SEAM
LITERALLY BLEW THROUGH INTO THIS MINE.
THE QUECREEK DISASTER LEADS TO SAFETY REFORMS
WITHIN AMERICA'S COAL MINES.
AND THE RESCUE CAPSULE HELD HERE
AT THE QUECREEK MINE EDUCATIONAL CENTER
IS A TRIBUTE TO THE NINE MEN
TRAPPED UNDERGROUND IN 2002
AND THE PEOPLE ABOVEGROUND
WORKING TO SAVE THEIR LIVES.
FROM CIRCUS FIRES TO SERIAL KILLERS,
CUNNING SPIES TO CLEVER CANINES...
I'M DON WILDMAN, AND THESE ARE THE MYSTERIES AT THE MUSEUM.