Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-06-22
WITTED HERO

AHALF WITTED HERO
"ralLns ~ remarkable escapes" TO-
marked tho drummer. "I tHIuk ] know
very few On beat that oi which Tho hero
WA. moor. half wiitod 1911 Smith. whom /
met loo ON appalling mining disaster ln
scotland IO ur ll year. ago AZ that limo
was doing my yearly round 10 tho man
uf,eiurInr towns in England i1 got % line
ON Tho newest th.ug in clrpuis aud ran
north Co Glasgow Co visit SOME friends.
THr district for wi'uanrHuud iam'riy hon.
eysYuhru with cl1Inlupa ono forenoon
tb. startling Information reached tNn city
that thorc bod hgon nn explosion Doe one oi
tho bits Mt HlnutyrH. "a Village sHNcn ur
,.Nf mliu- AWAY. and curiosity drew mo
tEifH.r don't hullryu l'l ever forget
Che awful spectacle. over goo mon wrr'
srfHmIUt. great NOluwus Z smoke shot up
through thr r.t mouth nud che wlyg. and
mother. stood hv us uulr as they dhrrd,
wanInf and vringlng thoir hands for the
doomed mon below.
aE..eup PARTIES warc qulrkIy mndc up,
bHf they wrru uFIyru back repeatedly by
tbr binding choking fumes That brIchcd
frrm tho pic mouth. The rrius NJ thN
women were h.Irtr.nilnr %. they ontront.
ed thu rescue wuy 90 p1 down. A.
uuIrsiv n4 human hands and human ho1rt-
could dnitn iuu was placed in position
.rF tNp rlrp lowered over The deadly shl't
slI tHt men. Injured us they wUru t1 dan.
gaf shAus hack BILLY smith pushed hls
way through them. llrwus q liE strong
i,uLy follow. sluggIsh'y good uuiurul and
known 100 tao village ns thn man who
didn't know much iln hal wandered
into tho village hplf u dUfru yunr. h.fnr,
with 10 dirty. lImrluE uur ut Dol. hUUls.
When hr Wa askri Dis name. hu snid 10
was only Hiiy=u1fhIns more Sp they
stuck smith 90 tbo Billy because % wns
easy and rugged hlm out wlthn iull name.
"Huud tlo pup ho said quietly "nud
l.t ue rar doom" An elderly WON.
nu who bad thrco SONS in tho rIt blessed
h.m with the tears streaming down Der
checks. while ths men stood back nIaahtu
and half ashamed Billy was lowered
quickly. and in . few mumcnts-it fDumud
ike AN eternity Co. tho wliiiuy women
nHIyr=hp sisnnlri fbr the cage Co Do
brought up 10 carried three men and u
hoy. blickcuod. choking hut uuhurt.
"A fcw " tho rescue party wont down
with tho cage urHlu Tor thu FhNit was
clearer now, and moro NJ tho untumhUd
minors were quickly sent 90 che top Then
tho horrors Of tho scene began 60 prrsCut
themselves. There had bcCn 10 grnt up.
haiyal lu tho mines by tho force ut tho exc
ul1slon aud tho passages wcro horclc.sly
rh1krd up with tons u fallen coal and dee
bis Moro mon won't 60 tho ru.rur They
dug their picks into tho awful wall IN
front Of them urged on by the energy IT
despair Night frll. hut stlll thu mDu1iu
nous ring % the picks struck through th'
mine. which oven now was tho tomb ui
many a strong man struck down iu hl'
primo Presently sort ~ opening was
made into tho stubborn wall of coal which
blocked up the way and % mnn nrm pro-
trudrd Tho victim was quickly dug uul
and conveyed 90 tho pie mouth. Hr VIZ
beyond ali human help. DO was not hndll
mAuglrd. he had simply been Uhlkui o.
death hy tho Ere damp. His widow had
lowered oil the day near the pie and in %.
llnckucss Of tho night tho iliCkurlug llght
II the lamps shud icycrishly on her wal
flcr They had been married only % munil
and sho was ON her way 10 the pie viii
hrr husband dinner when the ruNr OF th
explosion r,achod her ears. Tho dead mat
was toudrrly laid ~ hor fcpt. SHE iuuI
herself on tho body, kissed tho poor black
ened face and plt'cd the limp, liylDs
hands ns sho cried outs Speak Co On,
joint For Gods sake speak 10 NOR
AS the rrscurrs In tho mine dug fnrihc
into the opening they had made tho dundl
lro damp rushed through and drove then
back The fatal fumes pursued them, nn
they hurriodly gave the signal 10 hr draw
up TN tho pit could be- cleared " th0 l0u
air. only half witt.d Billy smith n
NAMED. You .rc he did not know much
lie Hung himself ON the damp ground an
lay there for hour, helpless and hu
conscious
ely aud by hls dun intelligence col
him ~ tho buried miner. iu their Twin
tomb beyond. lio took up pick nu
dug, dug. dug slowly ~ first, bat suu
God given feeling within him prlmptr
him 90 pOrsIsteutly work, For sysu
hours De- dug un tlll the ring col. hls pIr
rHarhul tLn rutumhud mon. swu.fHr iuI
tlc never stFua. mortal ,nra They tn
trlgoi their picks and dug through %
black wall 90 moot thU,r rfgurr Sui
denly ~ tull through and hulu was Iu
largo enough flr mans body 90 un
through Day was breaking no tho d
mouth WHOM thu very, wfutrlud wni0hH
tlrru were startled Go rgrHiyo signal {
thu cage 10 wBs uu.usly lowered 90
came zap presently wish - rrgwsnmn cd
lection " limbs that had boon torn ,
dead bodies md living mon,
Suddenly somebody 300 tnncfuWd erie
'whrru.s BILLY smith" Nobody Enn
mud two good uptufni miners y1luntrrr
60 su down thr shaft Go suu n hu bad ho'
hurt Boo tHr miur. Ihuy searched p'
uuciuHly enough. flr they did not fu
I4sp that hy had been lril hHh.nd. but
faint moan reached thnlr r1rs from nmu
tHu debris. which bad hll0n near tho Do,
fHnt NlH haHu h1ff"rud No. fHr fNn r"srHn