Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-11-04

Their lights were extInguished, and there
was not a match in the party. With death
awaiting them In one of its worst forms,
they cursed Jack Richards, and one of the
miners tried to find him In the dark 70
brain him with pick. TO ascertain wheth-
er any Of the gang had been killed by the
falling coal the name Of each one WAS call
ed by one of the miners. All responded
but Jack Richards. He was found dead,
half buried beneath the wall of rock and
coal. The miners gave themselves up TO
despair, as they did not dream 1t was pos
sible for any aid TO reach them from with
out, and to dig their way through mile
of rocky debris was task they knew was
hopeless. Among the imprisoned miners
was young man named Boyden. He was
a son of Alexander Boyden, the superin-
tendent of the mine, and, like his father,
was man of great nerve and courage. He
encouraged his Imperiled companions with
the assurance that the air in the mine
would not be poisoned by the gases for at
least two days, and that as long as the
horses body lasted they need not starve.
be said that his father would leave moth
ing undone 10 rescue all who were sbut in
the mine, and that, meantime, they them
SO yes could aid his efforts by digging out
to meet him. Only three picks could be
found, the others being buried beneath the
coal. With these the men went TO work
with will. Those who had no picks
worked with their hands in digging into
the barrier between them and their free
dom. The body of poor Jack Richards
was uncovered and laid tenderly in safe
place in the chamber. The horse seemed
understand the terror of the situation, and
gave voice 10 frequent piteous neighs.
The men worked for hours, many of
them working the flesh from their fingers
in the sharp coal. Some of them lost all
heart, and threw themselves upon the
damp floor of their underground prison
and bewailed their fate. Suddenly a ray OF
light broke through small opening in the
wall. Then lantern was pushed through,
followed by mans head. The man cried
out: =" Is there man here that is alive -
A glad shout from the miners was the re-
ply. The man pulled himself through the
opening into the chamber. 1t was Alex
ander Boyden, the superintendent. The
miners took him up in their arms, wept
tears of Joy, and kissed the man whom
they believed had come to deliver them.
Mr.. Boyden had found his way to the spot
where the miners were imprisoned by
crawling along narrow passage that had
been left in the falling coal and rock by the
lodging of roof timbers all along the way.
1t required struggle for hours TO make
the perilous journeyl He did not expect TO
find one man alive in the chamber, his
great desire being TO rescue the body of
his son, if possible, and save it from being
devoured by rats. He soon had the min
ers in readiness to follow him back toward
the mouth of the mine. He took the
dead body of Jack Richards on his back
and lead the way, and two hours after
ward the miners were in the arms of wives,
parents and sweethearts on top. Richards
had no relatives but a crippled s'ster, who
was dying with consumption. She died
the next day. The brother and son of the
narrator of this tragfcal incident and twelve
ether miners were never found. Three days
after the fall, mine boss Hosie, who had
been in distant part of the mine when
the roof caved in, emerged from its depths,
worn away to a skeleton. With his pick
he had dug his way for more than a mile
through an almost solid wall, without
taste of food or drop of water to strength
en- and sustain him.
This mine tragedy forms one of the fav
orite narratives of the old miners of this
region, and, after relating it TO inquiring
visitors, they never fail to warn them not
to whistle if they intend going down in a
minC