Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1875-03-11
A Kansas Hero.

The 'stickful' of information in the
Associated Press dispatches, concern
ing the recent coal mine fire at Usage
City, Kansas. conveys but stingy
idea of the horrors attending that
event, as related by the local papers.
The fire broke out about midday, and
when first discovered the main shaft
was in a blaze, with thirty-two men
and boys at work beyond and beneath
the flames. nearly forty feet below the
level of the earth. In few minutes
the whole population of the place
rushed to the scene, and thousand
or more men, women and children
the relatives, friends and neighbors of
the entombed miners--were gathered
at the mouth of the burning shaft,
stupefed with fear and anguish All
the wells in the town had run nearly
dry weeks before, and scarcely enough
water could be obtained to subdue the
heat above ground, much less to arrest
the confagration inside the mine
Thus matters stood for two awful
hours, when railroad engine arrived
with full tank, which was hurriedly
emptied into the shaft, and great
shout of hope went up from the peo-
pie. At this juncture a man emerged,
like spectre, from the blaze and
smoke, and fell in a swoon at the very
edge of the shaft. An hour later,
flames for help, and a ladder was low
cred to them, on which they made
their way to the top and were dragged
forth, alive, but burned and blackened
beyond recognition. Three were now
saved, but twenty mine others were
still below, and the fire was not yet
under control. The terrified crowd
stood aghast for few moments, and
then suddenly a panic of despair
seemed to seize them, the stified means
of the women and children breaking
out afresh, and the men drawing back
from the mine with blanched and avert
ed faces.
The supreme moment of the emer-
gency had arrived, and the one man
to meet it was there, thank God as
he always is. His name this time was
Marks-William Marks--and he step
ped to the front with the promptness
and modesty Of true hero. "Fasten
a rope around me and let me down in
to the shaft" he said. The proposi-
ton was appalling, but the quiet cour-
age Of the man tied every tongue and
stilled the agony of the tremulous
crowd like special providence. Down
he went into the horrible cavern,
without another word, and reaching
the bottom, freed himself for his
search in the entries diverging from
the main shaft At almost the first
step into the sitting darkness he STUN
bled upon the inanimate form of one
of the miners in a coal car, which he
pushed to the entrance, secured the
rope around the body, called to those
above to hoist away, and in moment
the man was safe. Further search
soon revealed the whereabouts of the
remaining twenty eight, and slowly
but surely Marks piloted them to the
mouth of the mine and delivered them,
one by one-out of the jaws of death
into the hands of their wives and
children. Then, when the last one
had been rescued he came himself tc
the surface, scorched and blinded, anC
nearly suffocated, and stood there 81
lently among the cheering townspeo
pie, the master of the situation
Thus the peril was surmountei
without any sacrifice of life; but thu
heroism was there all the same. Th,
rescue of the helpless miners, and tht
escape of the man who gave deatE
scorn to save them, spoiled the per
fection of a tragedy; but the destruc
ton of all concerned could not have
added to the radiance which belong
to the superb and unselfish bravery o
William Marks. He was only com
mon workman, facing a duty to hi
fellows; but he met that duty like
Roman monarch, and made grasshop
per Kansas splendid for one day with
his conquering courage. He proba
: bly, never heard of Cato pausing, swor'
in hand, to welcome death; or Clopa
, ira putting on a crown to make a roy
al ending; or even of Hays Jir
Bludso, or Harte's Flynn of Virgins
: He merely saw and,felt the imminen
l need of risking one life to redeer
t twenty-nine other lives, and cooll
g accepted the challenge. He was th
right man in the right place and {
the right time. May he live long an
y be happy.