Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-06-28
The Daily Short Story
BILLY SMITH.

There was an explosion in n mine.
Rescue parties We're made up. The
men shrank back from the cage. A
big. strong. Ianky fellow came forward.
He had wandered into the village half
a dozen years before, with Il dirty,
limping cur at his heels. When he WAS
asked his name, he said it was only
Billy, nothing more. So they stuck
Smith to the Billy because ii was easy
and rugged him out with a full name.
"Haud the pup" he said quietly,
'and let me gaze doom" An elderly wo-
man who had three sons in the pit
blessed him, with tears streaming
down her cheeks. while the men stood
back abashed and half ashamed. Billy
was lowered quickly. and in few mo-
ments-it seemed like an eternity 10 the
wailing women above-he signaled for
the cage to be brought up. 1t carried
three men and a boy, blackened. chok-
ing, 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 n great upheaval in the
mine by the force of the explosion
and the passages were hOpelessly
choked up with tons Of fallen coal and
debris. 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 monotonous ring OF the picks
struck through the mine. which even
now was the tomb Of many a strong
man struck down in his prime. Pres
emily a sort of opening was made into
the stubborn wall of coal which
blocked up the way and mans arm
protruded. The victim was quickly
dug out and conveyed to the pit mouth.
He was beyond all human help. He
was not badly mangled; he had simply
been choked TO death by the fire damp.
His widow had lowered all the day
near the pit and in the blackness Of
the night the pickering lights of the
lamps shed feverishly on her wan face.
They had been married only n month
and she was on her way to the pit with
her husbands dinner when the roar Of
the explosion reached her ears. The
dead man was tenderly laid at her feet
She flung herself on the body, kissed
the poor blackened face and patted the
limp, Iifeless hands as she cried out:
"Speak to me, joint For Gods sake
speak to mer'
As the rescuers I'm the mine dug far
ther into the opening they had made
the deadly fire damp rushed through
and drove them back. The fatal fumes
pursued them, and they hurriedly gave
the signal to be drawn up till the pit
could be cleared of the foul air. Only
half witted Billy Smith remained. You
see. he did not know much. He flung
himself on the damp ground and lay
there for hours, helpless and half con-
scious.
By and by his duh intelligence told
him of the buried miners in their living
tomb beyond. He took up pick and
ding. dug, dug, slowly at first, but some
q cd given feeling within him prompted
him to persistentIy work. For seven
hours he dug on till the ring OF his pick
reached the entombed men. Sweeter
music never struck mortal ears. They,
too, seized their picks and dug through
the black wall to meet their rescuer.
Suddenly It fell through, and hole
was left large enough for man. Dody
to pass through. Day was breaking at
the pit mouth when theweary, wretched
watchers there were startled to receive
a signal for the cage. 1t was quickly
and came up presently with
xrewsome collection of limbs that had
been torn of dead bodies and living men,
The work OF rescue now went brave
IL on, and the awful extent OF the ca
Iamity was soon discovered. A dozen
or so more miners were dug out alive,