The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-02-13
A Miracle Yntiecd.
h :RS1NG OF A coAL-MiSs AZ Usage CITY, KAN
sAs-TnIRTY-Two PERSONS IMPRISONED By
LIE q q ], rIrr ipmI

sAs-TnIRTY.Two PERSONS IMPRISONED BY
FIRE IN TUE BOWELS OF THE EARTH. !.
correspondence of the Kansas City Timcs.l
Usage Cry, KANSAS, February g. Usage
| City years since became TO Middle Kansas as
| Scranton to Pennsylvania and the great coal
| regions of the Keystone State. Here are
settled in life from GOO TO 800 strong, sturdy
men, who in the bowels of the earth delve
the day long. To-day the first fearful ru-
mors of fire-disuSter at the Usage Company
mine startled the entire town as it never was
before. Then, when in plain sight shot up
| the great lurid jet Of flime from the mouth
of the shaft, hearts for the moment stood
still, pulsaiion stopped as by Geath-blow.
| An instant later, and from every avenue,
| lane, and by.way there poured forth men,
women, and children !; the men with banch-
| ed faces, women screaming, and children;
frightened at what they koew not, clnging
to skirts. Business ceased as though the
lightning had struck commerce TO the very
earth. In ten minutes time thousand peo-
pie crowded about the mouth of the shaft,
forgetting the intensity of the cold, thinking
only Of the men buried thirty.eight feet
under ground, entomhed as it were in the
tomb down TO which they had gone but a
few hours before in full possession of life
and strength. Women, bareheaded, un-
shawled, rushing from their homes at the
signal note Of alarm, with no thought Of
self, surged about the outside of the circle
of men at the mouth Of the shaft, wringing
their hands in awful anguish, beseeching in
agonizing tone for some words of comfort,
Of hope and assurance that instead Of horri.
bly-disfs cured bodies there would again
come forth from the mines loved ones strong
in health as when they went down. But the
men, beat back from the shaft by the fierce
intensity of the heat, stood upon the icy
brink hopeless. Yet, with true pluck, these
men determined to fight the demon fire to
the very death.
The cry for water for time proved un-
awaiting, but soon ii commenced cOmibg from
AL Sdes-men, women, and children bring
ing from kitchen, chamber, aud store such
as could be carried by the pailfuk pltcherful,
bisiu'uI-a anything and everything, in fact,
that could he graSped by hand. As fast as
brought 10 the scene down it went with bar
rel upon barrel OF salt, the flames Kissing
back their defiance. For two hours was this
battle so uneven fought icrcely. and then
came the engine OF the AtchiSon, Topeka and
Santa Fe. her tank full to the brim. The en-
gineer waited not to be asked for the life
giving water, and with all haste possible it
was show cred down the shaft. Just at this
time, when the men above were pouring in
the water aud salt as rapidly as it could be
handled, there occurred an incident that no
man of ttlose present would have be-
Ieved could happen. Rising out of the
tlme and smoke, singed by ire, blackened by
.mokc. and saturated with water and salt,
Thomas K. Jones reached the edge of the
shaft, and there, at the very threshold OF lie,
would have sunk back to death had not eager
hands dragged him beyond the danger. For
4 second the crowd looked upon him, tben
upon the blIzing, smoking shaft. hardly be-
eieving their eyes that told them of this mans
coming alive from such place. The next
second and eager Questions fell from nervous
lips. What OF bis comrades: Might the
crowd have spoken as well TO man OF stone,
for JouCs lay in the arms Of his friends in Il
dead faint. How he escaped with his
| life through the awful ordeal by fire is
still looked upon as next 10 miracle. From
the mouth of the shaft to its foot there
ran q rude ladder. up and down which
| the miners passed when not using
the hoiStIpg-cart. To this ladder jones
iushed the moment he learned his peril, and
though the flames Scorched him aud the
smoke blinded and choked him the very
ladder itself on ira, lie reached the eartn
above, suffering no material harm. lie states
Tonight thai the water and salt cmptled
! down the Shaft so energclcally saved him.
! He declares that at about every step the
water and salt fell upon him just as the fire
and smoke almost sutiDcated, thus refreshing
and reviving him to one more effort. Uutil
I l.; hni l1ap nf n n
above for moment dreamed Of any one
coming up the ladder; and had they, Jones
! would have never reached life. as at the first
intimation OF his coming those above would
have ceased throwing water and salt, aud
smoke. Already have the miners nick
named him g SaIamander Jones.'
I Jones, even after recovering conscious
ness, could give no definite tidings of the
others, and It was not until fully az hour
after his rescue that anything of the fate of
his fellow. miners was learned. Finally the
! flames were got under such control as per-
united those above to get near enough to the
shaft 10 yell down, and in answer came the
assurance that two more ut least were Witnla
saving hand. The excitement at this time
! b. III : description the crowd surged about
. 1lJp sllstit tllIlbSI WIZ Fe"P' hSS
aS to who the two were, and it was with eX-
treme diff 'uty that the words from below
could be hpord. Satisfied that the TWO were
strong enough to retain their hold long
enough to be raised, ladder was fastened
10 the end of strong rope and lowered
| down. Oae ut time the men were
speedily run to the surface, their APP
pelrance beir 20 greeted with shouts of
! inv nbonCrb ia, Mt frpnl no etlppts nj smoke
they were able to answer some OF the qJeS-
lions showcred upon them, stating that tney
knew nothing OF any OF those below except
IN old man named kreebles. whom, after
almost sacrificing their own lives to save, they
bad To leave at The end Of one of the side
entries apparently dead. A frghttul tIem0r
shook all above. for the supposed death Of
the old man could not but be taken a. the in
deX OF the tate OF the others. The women,
who for the time being bad huShed their
cries and means. broke forth anew, and q
great pail seemed to fall over the throng that
but few minutes before felt 50 conf.
dent cf saving all. A panic seemed
10 seize them; and just then as
brave aud noble man as ever
was created in the image Of his Maker-Wil.
liam Marks by name announced his solemn
determination TO 20 down the shaft in search
OF Kreebles and the entire party. To stand
at the shaft and behold the vast volume of
smoke, so thick and dense that il could
almost be cut with knife, and tbiuk Of O
man voluntarily throwing himself into it
was appalling. But Marks, bora a hero,
cool, uptllnchng, and with superb courage,
ordered those near him 10 fasien rope
under his arms aud let him down to what 10
all seemed certain death. Launched out over
The awful vortex, but an instant and this
form was engulfed beneath the great sea Of