The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-03
DIED TRYING TO SAVE
FELLOW WORKMAN

Hughey O'Neiu of Telluride died
hero. Yesterday. ONeiI was a sim
ple-hearted Irishman. who worked IN
the Smuggler- Union mine. He was
employed as engineer of the holster.
He could attach nc blame to hlmseh
for the fire that cost the lives oil so
many men and was imperilling many
others, but his heart ached for those
who were perhaps struggling with
death down in the blackness Of the
ninth level There was another thing
that appealed to him. The solemn
walls Of the wife, the sister and the
children that broke the still night air.
He ran about and asked if anything
was being done-Could anything be
done? But there was bare posi-
bility that he might at least help. He
would go down in the cage to the ninth
level He made known his intention
to Engineer Ccgar That man, an old
miner Injured to the dangers of mines,
told him not to go to certain death.
Enough brave men had already fought
against the inevitable He begged him
to desist for the sake of those near
and dear to him. But no one was 50
near and dear to Hughey O'Neill that
he could contemplate the wretched-
ness of the women and children whose
walls haunted him. The argument of
the engineer did not impress him.
What he wanted to know was if there
was a bare possibility that his visit
to the ninth level would save the life
of at least one man. The engineer was
forced to admit that there was pos
sibility.
O'NeiI hesitated no longer. He said
in his brusque way:
Let me down."
He stepped into the cage in which
many a morn, rosy-tipped with the ris-
ing sun, he had gone down with his
drills about him and, refreshed by
tired natures sweet restOreT was at
peace with all the world. The engt-
neer, before the cage went down, had
an understanding with ONein that if
no signal was given within two min
utes after the ninth level was reached,
the cage was to be hoisted.
Ready" said O'Neill in a voice that
showed no sign Of fear.
SWISH" sounded the great wheel as
it turned. and down the cage started
slowly then more rapidly. O'Neill dis
appeared into the darkness and smoke.
AS the daylight went out of his sight
his death-knell was sounded. The en-
gineer watched the gauge. Down went
the cage, humping and butting the
black hole as il descended.
At last the ninth level is reached.
Engineer Cogar holds his watch ner-
VOusly. He sees the minute hand go
round. Two minutes never seemed so
long before No signal. Another few
seconds pass and no signal He is sure
he has made no mistake. Again
''swish!' goes the engine wheel, Rld
the cage starts back. Men lean over
the black hole of death and look look
look for the first sign of the cage. Is
ONeiu in the cage or has he been suf-
located and is he lying gasping in the
thrOes of death on the fatal level? The
cage now neaTs the surface. 1t con-
tains a man-at least one man. There
are two. One is Hughey O'Neill and
the other the body Of a victim of the
poison in the ninth level.
"Hughey!" shouts the engineer.
There is no answer.
The hero of the Telluride disaster is
unconscious. But he has found and
brought UP with him a man whose
body is still warm and from whom the
last spark of life has not gone out.
1t is Joe Nelson, the husband of one of
the women whose cries had moved him
to the point of his terrible work of res
cue.
Nelson never saw the light of day
He expired soon after reaching the sur
face. O'Neill had done all that a hui
man could do to save the life of one of
his fellow men. The effort failed but
"
stand out in the record of mans hui
manity to man as long as brave hearts
beat and unselfshness lives.
When O'Nein was taken out of the
cage he was limp and unconscious. He
never regained consciousness sufficient
to tell his story.
The supposition is that when he
reached the ninth level he CROPPED about
in the darkness until he found the
body of Nelson, and then, himself at
the point of death, he dragged the dy-
ing man to the cage and got in with
him. Failing unconscious when his
task was done, he could not give the
promised signal The poisonous va
pors had already penetrated his sys-
tenn and the pallor of death was upon
him when he reached the sunlight.
All efforts to save him-and they
were all that mind and heart could de
vise-failed and on the following day
he died-DenVer Times