Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-26
IN THE FACE OF DEATH
Entombed Miners Often Show q Wonderful
Display Of Nerve.
Laugh and Sing when Escape Seems
Impossible - Foot Ball Amid
Strange Surroundings.
FL IN CaSseH's Saturday Journal.

Fn IN CasseH's Saturday Journal
A mining story vould be considered in
complete without a narrowing description
OF the naro's sufferings during an UNDER
ground cata strcphe. People expect it, ana
never doubt that the ensations of the i'm
rrisoned miIer are accurately pictured.
But those who have had experience in RESI-
cung Golfers from living tombs know that
the men do not always act in the sentiment
tai mannar attributed to them. On the con-
tIaKy. not a few of them face their horrible
Geat.i smilingly. refusing to give way to
warn regrets and tears. When a great mass
of coal fell in northern pit, completely
b''' ANS up the side passages. twenty men
ans h,ys were trapped in remote Part of
thr workings. To dig these unfortunate
felHaws out relief party worked madly:
h. { the coal was hard, and at the close of
tn first day the fearful women st the pit
br w were still waiting for news. Another
dat passed without good things. and 1t was
hun mins souIi3 filtered through the frown-
ink blockad. of coal. They're aliver'
shrieked one of the party. "and singing
h, INNS to show their faith
After that all worked with redoubied en-
ergy. straining their ears meanwhile to
c; tch the chanting Of the underground
choir 1t soon became evident, however.
ttat the mirers were not singing at all.
dren and the familiar cry of Ducks off,.
was clearly heard by the anxious rescuers.
Two more hours of superhuman effort fol-
10 Ted. and then the black partition gave
WY. revealing the pale and haggard miners
| In the very act of playing a game dear to
tins Golfers heart. Hello lads. we didn't
expect to see ye,' laughed one of Them
STOPPING 10 replace the lump Of coal which
stop an hev game wi US afore we go
hack And the half-famished men and
boys actually insisted on finishing the game
before they would allow themselves to be
taken to the shaft
After very similar accident in another
C,ltiery the relief party did not get through
the coal In time to be of service, and five
sturdy miners were found dead behind the
crual barrier That they had died coolly
aIC fearlessly, though, was beyond ques-
ton, for on the damp floor were scores of
little marbles made from compressed coal
dust and two of the men were lying at fun
length. with their fists screwed up ready to
iil'p. Their wan faces smiled even in
death. and this touching proof of their I'M
falling optimism brought tears to the eyes
OF every one who entered the pit
Falls of coal and floods are terrible
catastrophes, but the average collier fears
an explosion of firedamp most of all One
occurred not very long ago in a little
Midland pit. and fifteen good men and true
were smut on from the cage by tons upon
tens Of coal. The anxious crowd at the pit
mouth waited until the foul gas had been
cleared from the cutting, and then began
their work of rescue. with little hope of
saving their mates from the suffocating
fumes of the hredamp. Progress was
rapid. however, and before long the relief
party got into the narrow passage. Here
they saw a sight which fairly made them
gasp, for the fifteen golfers were on the
floor. some of them dead, and others sit
ting up ard unconcernedly singing comic
songs A little further on was foot ball.
imDrovised from the GOLFERS shirts and
caps and bearing unmistakable signs of
recent and rough usage. We thoWt, as
long rs we'd got to dee, we'd dee kickin',"
explained one Of the survivors. 80 We rig
ged IN d foot ball an punched 1t abart in
dark. George theer fell dahn dead as
he wor scorin' goal, but we went on play
ing to pass time on, and then t gas cleared
on bit" Only four of that brave bevy of
miners came out of the pit alive. but they
assured their questioners that the others
had laughed and sung in the very face of
death.