Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-03-03
4 Genuine Hero.

1he tire IN the mine n OSlre Civ, Kan,
broke out about midday. and. when first
discovered, the main slnf in the mine Was
IN blaze, with thrty-lwo men and bows
at work beyond and benclth the flames.
nearly forty feet below the level of tll4
earth. In 4 few minute, the whole pUpu-
iatlon of the place rushed to the scene, ;,n,;
4 thousand OF more men. women anu
chlldren-the relatives, friends, and neigh
bOr> OF tn" cntOmbed miners gath
cred at the mouth of the burning shaft
stupeiied with fear and anguish. All the
wells IN town hal run nearly dry, weeks
before ana scarcely enough water could
be secured to sublue the heat above ground.
much less to arrest the conflagration in
side the mine. Thus matters stood for
two awful hours, when 4 railroad engine
arrived with Il full tank, which was hur-
riedlv enptiel into the shaft. and a great
shout Of hope went up from the people
At this iuncture, Il man emerged. Ike
specter. from the blaze and smoke and
fell IN swoon at the very edge Of the
shaft. An hour later. two more men
cried up through the flames for help and a
ladder WAS lowered TO them. on which
they made their way TO the top and were
dragged forth alive, but burned AMI b.ak-
cnci beyond recognition. Three were
now saved. bat twenty mine others We're
still below, AMI the fire was not vet under
control. The terrified crowd stoo / agh4st
for q few minutes. and then. suddenly. Il
panic Of diSpair seemed to sciZ.. them the
stlflct mOanS Of the women AMI children
breaking out aiye>l, and the men drawing
back from the mine with Llanchel and
avtrtel faces. The slprcnc moment O..
the emergency had come, ana the one man
to meet it WAS there. His name WIS
William Marks. and he stepped 10 the
front with the p.ompnc>> ana the mod
c.tv OF true hero. Fasten rope
around me. and lei me down into the
shaft he said. The proposition WAS APP
pallin.. but down he went into the horri-
bic cavern. without another word. ana.
reaching bottom, frcc.l himself fnr his
search in the entries divrrging from the
main shaft, At almost thr first step n.o
the sitting darhnc>>. H. stumbled upon
the inanimate form of one of the miners
in 4 coal car. which he pushed 70 the en-
trance, secured the rope around the body.
called 10 those above 10 hoist away, anl.
in Il moment. the man WAS safe. Further
search soon revealed the whereabouts o.
the remaining twenty-eight, and slowly.
+ but surely. Marks plo.cd them TO the
mouth OF the mine ani delivered them
one hy one-manv inSenSihlc, bat all
alive-out of the JAWS Of death into the
hands of their wives and children. Then.
when the las one had been rescued. he
came himself To the surface, scorthed and
blinded. and nearly Suffocate.. and stood
there silently among the cheering towns
people the master of the Situat ion
Thus the peril was sylrmoun.cd withou,
anv sacrifice of life: bat the hcroisn was
there lil the same. The rescue of the
helpless miners, and the escape OF the man
who gave death scorn to save them, spoiled
the perfection of L tragedy; hut the de
stru>tion Of AL concerned coull not have
added to the radiance which belongs to
the unselii>h bravery of William Marks.
He was Il common working -man.-S..
Louis G,ohc.