The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-05-15
20 ANDERSON S. c., THURSDAY. MAY 15 1879.

"ro what do YOU attribute this acci
dent 2'
well, of my own knowledge, can't
say what was the cause"
"Do you know the pillars have been
robbed behind you 2"
working there, but from what know of
Hoskins & Tiffany have always consid.
cred them pretty good men. | don't
think they would take desperate chances
with the men. Of course, did not
know that the pillars were robbed"
AN INVESTIGATION.
"Do you know that the miners pro-
pose to subscribe to fund for the pur-
pose of seeing that full investigation
is made of this matter and the blame laid
where it should be put 2"
No; have not heard of it,
Many Voices-We have heard of it
and ne Will subscribe our share at any
time. The miners outside don't want to
get caught themselves for SOMEBODY'S
carclessness.
"Had any of you messages to leave to
your friends ?"
"No; l think not"
"Who did you see first to-day"
"We thought we heard somebody talk
ing. We had been fooled so many times
before when we hallooed, but we thought
we would try it once again, and we cried
hallOo, and then we heard Mr.. Smith say
to Nick. Rapson, we have found them
and they are alive He came right out
to us; and wasn't we glad. We then
went back and put out our fire and closed
our boarding house for the season. The
rats will have feast from the old mule
they are in sole possession now"
WILLIAM KENNEY'S STORY.
The Herald reporter found William
kenney at his homo in Sugar Notch at q
late hour, surrounded by numerous
crowd of sympathetic associates. He
was in good spirits generally, notwith-
standing agriping pain he complained of,
consequent upon too much indulgence in
good supper. He was the driver boy
whom Dennis Gallagher, the last miner
who left the mine, had warned to leave
the mine. He relates the story as fol-
lows:
AS was coming out along the lower
level gangway, about 500 yards from the
facing where the men were driving with
six loaded cars, was stopped by Mar
tin Lee and Pat Devany, who had gone
out to clear the track of fall that had
occurred before. This was about two
o'clock Wednesday morning 1 went
ahead and saw that the track was OBJ
structed by about twenty carloads of
roofing. l walked back and met Dennis
Gallagher and Bill Reece and another
man. Gallagher told the doortender to
run back and tel! the gangway men to
come out, that the mine was caving in."
told the men for "cod" to kneel down
and say their prayers, that they were all
gone up. They frightened me and l
have been scared worse since. / turned
back and took the mule where it was
solid. Then went back TO where we
kept our dinner pals, some way out of
the gangway. The men came up to me.
We agreed that weed better hurry up
and get out and made haste and ran.
While we were running toward the slope
it was falling before US and behind us, so
we turned back. One said, what are
we going to do?' One of the Green
boys said there must be an opening on
the back branch, and we started for that
place. We found that that was full and
we retraced our steps back to the main
gangway and tried to root our way
through the fall. We hooked our way
through that about fifteen yards, and
gave it up. Little pieces were falling all
around us. Then Ned Price hollered
out to us to 60 and kill the mule.
NO LAUGHING.
"You hadto laugh Mt that, didn'tyou?"
"There was no laughing then, tell you.
Then me and Johnny Green and Char
ley Hawkins and Johnny Clark went to
kill the mule while Barney Riley, Edward
Price and Pat Green went for oil. John
Green struck the mule with a hammer
and cut his head off with an axe. Then
we cut leg off and cut out piece and
fried 1t. 1t was savory that way, and so
we boiled piece. We ate it with good
relish. While we were eating we prayed
to God that we might get out. Then we
went on back bench and laid down on
an old door. We had little camp meet
ing there. We first tried to fry with one
lamp, but that wouldn't 20, so we started
a fire with very ittla wood, for fear that
it would injure the men that might be
trying to get US out.
PRAYERS ANSWERED.
"On Thursday, just after we had eaten
the first mule meat and had declared it
was good, as if in answer to our prayers,
We heard shot fired. Then we heard
other sounds, and we sometimes thought
!. was tho fall Of the roof, aud we all got
down and prayed that it was the rescu-
ing men. Charley Hawkins sang some
hva,ra. Again ne tried to make
our way through. the lower gangway, but
had to give that up again and come back
again. Saturday night we all felt in good
cheer, but on Sunday there was no shoot
ing, and we gave up all for lost. Char
ley Hawkins, the cook, then reduced
our rations so that our food would last
longer. Between ten and eleven O'Clock
on Sunday night we heard another shot.
We laid down and slept until this morn
ing, when Hawkins went to try the gas
and he found the gas was coming on us,
and the air was getting worse. Then we
went along the gangway to where the
cave had broken down, an old breaking,
to look for the course Of the first air.
"wE APE SAVED"
"Riley started to do something to the
air passage when we heard voice, and
we gave a jolly yell for we knew it was
help; and the answer came back, and we
knew we were saved. Then the rescuing
men came and saw what we were doing
and how we lived. We had our mule meat