The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-05-26
kHALF WITTED HERO

! was dltDg my yearly round or the man
ufactur:ng towns In England to get a line
on the newest thing In carpets and ran
north to Glasgow TO visit some friends.
The district for miles around Is fairly hon
eycombed with coal mines. One forenoon
the startling information reached the city
that there had been an explosion In one OF
the pits at Blantyre, village seven or
eight miles away, and curiosity drew me
thither don't believe I'll ever forget
the awful spectacle Over 600 men were
entombed. great volumes of smoke shot up
through the pit mouth, and the wives and
mothers stood by as near as they dared
weeping and wringing their hands for the
doomed men below.
Rescue parties were quickly made up
but they were driven back repeatedly by
the binding, choking fumes that belched
from the pit mouth The cries of the
women were heartrending as they entreat-
ed the rescue party TO go down. As
quickly as human hands and human hearts
could do IL fan was placed In position
and the cage lowered over the deadly shaft.
| Still the men, Injured as they were to dan
eor, shrank back Billy Smith pushed his
| way through them He was a big, strong,
| lanky fellow, sluggishly good natured and
known I'm the village as the man who
| didn't know much. He had wandered
into the village half dozen years before,
with dirty limping cur at his heels.
When he was asked his name, he said IL
was only Billy-nothing more So they
stuck Smith TO the Billy because it was
easy and rugged him out with full name.
"Haud the pup" he said quietly, land
| let me gaze doom" An elderly WON
an who had three sons In the pit blessed
| him with the tears streaming down her
| cheeks, while the men stood back abashed
| and half ashamed Billy was lowered
| quickly, and in few moments-it seemed
| like an eternity to the wailing women
| above-he signaled for the cage TO be
| brought up IL carried three men and a
boy, blackened, choking, but unhurt.
| "A few of the rescue party went down
with the cage again, for the shaft was
clearer now, and more OF the entombed
miners were quickly sent to the top. Then
the horrors of the scene began to present
| themselves There had been a great up
| beaval In the mines by the force OF the ex-
plosion and the passages were hopelessly
choked up with tons of fallen coal and de-
bris More men went to the rescue. They
dug their picks into the awful wall In
front of them. urged on by the energy OF
despair Night fell, but still the monoto
nous ring OF the picks struck through the
mine, which even now was the tomb oil
many a strong man struck down In his
prime Presently sort of opening was
made into the stubborn wall of coal which
blocked up the way and a mans arm pro
truded The victim was quickly dug out
and conveyed 10 the pit mouth. He wa
beyond all human help. He was not badl,
mangled he had simply been choked Il
death by the fire damp His widow hat
| lowered all the day near the pit and in tn
| black ness of the night the Pickering light
of the lamps shed feverishly on her wal
| face They had been married only mont
and she was on her way TO the pit witt
her husbands dinner when the roar of tn
explosion reached her ears. The dead maj
was tendery laid at her feet. She hunl
herself on the body, kissed the poor black
| ened face and patted the limp, lifeles
hands as she cried out; Speak to me
joint For God sake speak TO mel
AS the rescuers in the mine dug farthe
| into the opening they had made the deadl
fire damp rushed through and drove then
back The fatal fumes pursued them, AM
they hurriedly gave the signal to be draw
up till the pit could be cleared OF the fou
I air. Only half witted Billy Smith re
manned You see he did not know much
He flung himself on the damp ground an
lay there for hours helpless and hal
conscious.
by aud by his dull intelligence toll
him of the buried miners in their livin
tomb beyond. He took up pick an
! dug. dug. dug, slowly at first, but som
. i God given feeling within him prompte
him to persistently work For seve
/ 4. ha rfnn NJ his pfQ
reached the entombed men. Sweeter mt
, | sic never struck mortal ears. They. TOT
seized their picks and dug through tf
, black wall to meet their rescuer. SUI
, denly It fell through, and a hole was LEI
large enough for mans body TO pa
; through. Day was breaking at the p
mouth when the very. wretched watcher
there were startled to receive signal Il
the cage IL was quickly lowered an
came up presently with grewsome CO
} lection of limbs that had been torn
; dead bodies and living men.
"The work of rescue now went brave
| on, and the awful extent Of the calami'
was soon discovered A dozen or so mo-
miners were dug out alive, and as eat
pitload reached the mouth the rescue
miners were seized by their friends an
hurried off to the village public hous
Soon the sounds of revelry swept down
9 the pit mouth, where wornout, broke
/ | hearted women stood waiting for the
dead and strong men sobbed for their boy
The dead miners were drawn up the sha
In a pitiable state Some had had the
arms or legs torn of, others had lost the
! heads, while more had their faces so blac
ened that the scorched skin peeled of at
4 touch.
a suddenly somebody In the crowd erie
$ | Where's Billy Smith, Nobody kne'
4 ] and two good natured miners volunteer
!, TO go down the shaft to see II he had be-
!, hurt I'm the mine. They searched pc
functorily enough. for they did not su
pose that he had been left behind. But
faint moan reached their ears from amol
: the debris, which had fallen near the he
y that had been battered in for the rescue
d | the entombed miners. They cleared Z
rubbish away quickly and pulled out
man Yes, It was Billy. He had dug J
own grave He was hauled to the top al
laid down. Brandy was poured down
throat. and by and by he opened his eye
i 'whaur's my dogp he family choked OF
Somebody brought the cur TO him and la
+ 1t In his arms He Rugged it closely, a
then, with smile on his blackent
| + scorched face. he quietly died. Billy W
a | q man who did not know very much, y
see. He simply knew enough To die
others. Exchange.
Soft Auswer.