The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-20
SAVED By A BIG GRAY RAT.
Prof. ChurohilPs Thrilling Experience
in a Gazing Arizona Mine.
From the New York Sun.

In Gazing Arizona Mine.
From the New York Sun
you were asking about that stuffed
rat in my ROOM" said Prof Churchill,
the mining expert. "The story concerns
an experience that made my hair curl. /
was once retained to report upon the
workings of mine called the Little
| Whoop Up, in Southern Arizona. On an
adjoining claim was another mine called
| the Atlas. A dispute arose. The Atlas
| people claimed that the lower tunnel of
| the Whoop Up had been bored into their
! ground and half million in ore had been
taken out. The first thing TO do was to
make survey of the Whoop Up, and of
! course, the Whoop Up people objected.
| Finally an order for the survey was Sc
cured from the-court and DIR, John r.
| Parks and were sent to make the sur
/ Vey. There are tricks in all trades and the
! Whoop Up superintendent knew a few.
7 When we reached the mine he said that
| the tunnel we wished TO explore was in a
! dangerous condition. There had been a
/ cave, the timbers were rotten, and so on.
| 1t meant 10 tol chance that we would
| be'crushed if we tried it. OF course, we
classed him as liar, though he turped
| out to be right
| I'VE worked our way IN the tunnel until
we ran against a jam of fallen timbers,
! which were sound and were plainly ar
ranged to stop our progress. Parks went
back for an ak, while l worked at the roof
| With pick to dislod9e the center pieces.
/ succeeded and had climbed half way
! over into the other side of the tunnel when
there came a terrific crash of loose ore
! from the roof 1t fell on both sides of the
| tim bers, pinning me in hole which would
have been grave right there but for a
few sticks, which held the mass of ore
above. The place was barely large enough
| to move in, and | knew ii was certain
death in few hours unless Parks could
4 dig me out. Even then | believed l was
| gone, for did not know how much ore
| had fallen. In few minutes the air got
heavy, and my eyes began to feel drowsy,
! and it seemed like the roof and sides of
! the hole were closing in on me This ops
preston and drewsiness increased until |
| was forced to hammer the sides of the
place with my fists and head TO keep
! awake. Still not a sound could hear
! from the outside, and only the slow
crumbling of ore from above. The
foul air was getting into my
brain, and l think l was actually
insane with the fearful dread of being
buried alive. Anyhow, l remember drop
| ping to the floor of the hole, and giving a
| few faint shouts which echoed back into
my ears 1 had given up all hope and
was almost swooning when I heard a
strange scraping sound above me. l
yelled, but received no answer. and then
threw my body against the walls
and tried to pick out the ore from be-
tween the lodged timbers. Still came the
queer, scraping noise which seemed to
come nearer and nearer and sounded not
unlike the steady grinding of saw. 1t
seemed to last for hours, though it could
hardly have been a minute when bit of
earth dropped to my feet from the upper
end of the wall, and along with it came
a big gray mine rat, who saved my life,
for he left clear hole for his trail, and
through it came breath of fresh air that
| gave life to me. The fellow had bored
his way from the shaft side of the cave.
l stayed there two hours after that until
Parks found the cave, got help, and got
me out without breaking the air hole.
caught the gray rat, too, and kept him
well fed until he died, and wouldn't take
| lot Of money for his skin now"