Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1894-09-29
SAVED BY A MINE RAT.
WHY TIM MoRRISsEY HAS q
STRANGE PET.
Imprlsoned IN Mine By a cave-in' ne
was Betrlended by the kod'h' "
which lie sent Message to fr'e"''
ON the Outside Dick In Glover.

4
story OF how his life VAS saved ~
one Of the mine rats. 4 squeeze
| had occurred in the second level OF
| the mine, 600 feet below the surface
and the top rock had killed two men,
| Bill Thomas aud Mike Phelan. Nor
rissey was sent down BY the superin'
tendont 10 investigate. lie went
down the shaft in carriage and
signalled To DO let oil al the second
level.
II was alone and nobody knew !
was ycin in the e, said Morrlssey
We'll. | went along the gangway,
chiripin' TO the rats, who followed
me as II glad TO see somebody. for
no one had been in since the crash
that killed the men When ! got 10
the rock crawled around and
finally found place big enough TO
creep through, and in went. comm
out in the chamber on the other
side. When came 10 the breast
forty foot away. | held my lamp and
began 10 examine the surrOandln' 3
Il was lookin at the top wall.
not more's ten foot away from the
breast. when suddenly down came a
mass OF rock with thunderiu' crash
that nearly stunned me. | realized
the horror OF the situation 10
minute knew was shut In that
chamber, quarter OF mile from
the shaft
There wasn't soul knew even
that | was ia there The possibility
OF suTocating rose Ia my mind. anu
made an eXaminati n There was
quite stream runnlH' across tho
bottom from the face OF the bteasi,
and this not chokiu up chesrGI me
with the thought that some air
would get ia Besides. soon dis,
covered that the mass WAS 50 tangled
up that It was likely that consider.
able air could got through 10, and
these things satisfied mo taa, |
wouldn't be smothered. After looklu'
about | found ! was henIcd into .
space not more'n twenty foot fuare.
! looked az my watch and touad ID
was ; o'clock. the hour the day shift
went ia above inc aud below
II fixed up kind OF seat near the
face OF the breast and Just above
the stream and sat down 20 think.
All the oil had was Ia the llt.le
lamp, and So. as | was doin' n0thln',
put II out. had a good supply 81
matches and "a good lunch In mr.
pail Whom the lamp was out YOU
can imagine, boys, how dark ID was
down there In that liviu' Gorlb And
the terror OF H.
Il thought OF vile and the babies,
and knew when night came and IL
didn't bring me that tho woman
would raise a CRY. or course. there
was the little hope that tho supsrin.
teudent would be- seen and that no
would recall hi. instructions 10 me
and send In an exploriu party on tho
second level But tho dag went in
the superintendent went 20 West
virginia on some business. 10 no
gone week
1T must have been fully three
hours that ! was settin' there thing.
in and thiukin when heard q little
noise close by. minute later
felt somcthin rubin agil' ono o
my legs put my hand down. and
true as you live it was rat
picked him up and held him tin I III
my lamp. lie seemed about AZ Gin
TO see rue as ! was 10 Sc him toll
you. lads, the companionshtp Of that
big rat at that time down IA that
lonely place, was Us sweet 20 mo ne
the comm Of an angel would have
been.
| smoothcd his back and fondled
him a. II he was ono Of M own
babies
"Suddenly an idea struck ma
Maybe the rat had come up from
somewhere low. Maybe had a run.
way to the lover level. That thought
cheered me. opened my lunch can
and gave him somethin b eat
Then took out a passbook | had In
my pocket and wrote this on ono M
the leaves I'm hcmmed in in Brep.
nan's chamber. second level Come
quick Morrissey' / rolled NV
message up into little bali, ana
with bit of thread | managsI ~
iasten 1t around the rats necl,
Ibon ! pette1 him aud even bisaod
him. and. going close 10 the brea.t
found little hole which THOUGHT
he might have come ont OF.
Then ! set him free. Boya
mover shall forget the wise look no
turned on me that instant. He
seemed to know what was wanted
! sat down again, blew out the lamp
and waited.
Say, lads. somehow my heart WA
lighter after the rat had gone
Somethin' told me hew ould save mo
What with thinkin' OF home ANA thc
babies, and hopin' that somebodv
would find the note the rat took ont
tho hours passed By until | grow
hungry. ! lit my lamp ap'in ana
ato very sparin'ly. glanced ~
my watch and found that IL VIVA
nearly 3 o'clock / had been ia tbat
horrible place nine hours. That
startled me. | began to lose hon.
rs to the result OF the rats mission
d. 1t was terrible. boys terriblet
lit my pipe. blew out nv lamn
and settled back in my old scat AGAIN
10 might have been nm hou,. 49,