The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-11
THE MINER AS A HERO
BY EARLE HARRISON.

"A suppose at the present time, no class
 of men is being more widely dis
 M cussed than the coal miner for since the recent great strike, he has become of more or less interest to us all. When the product of his labor is checked. a widespread trouble is men, aced and general alarm felt.
 When we read of the disastrous effects caused by shortage of coal the essential element of industry, our thoughts na- turally turn to the nsner whom we consider the direct cause of the trouble. We wonder why he will allow a nation to suffer, to gain his demand for higher wages when In the past he successfully lived on the rate then paid him. It is with the miner, as with all labor; he has the sense of equality and wants his earnings to be in keeping with the scale upon which the commodities of life are fixed. From the knowledge I gained of him at the time of the terrible mine disaster at Coal Creek, Tenn, last May, when more than two hundred miners lost their lives, I can confidently say that he is neither selfish nor unjust, but on the contrary, is type of generosity and fairness. He Is man who Will forsake a friend, and would risk his life for that of a comrade. His work, although dangerous and laborous, has no terrors for him and 1t is a rarity when he fails to report for duty. He goes down into the earth, leaving. sun shine and pure air behind him. and when ~ 7 .a- he returns darkness has covered the out
 side world. Yet with all these hard ships he is happy and cheerful ana makes a loving husband and devoted Ia ther He does not shirk his Work, nor does he squander his money, and when his union's order come to strike 1t ic a matter of principal with him to obey He Is loyal to his employer, and as long as equity reigns, he will en- deavor to serve him conscientiously. Bravery and fidelity largely constitute his character and evidence themselves not only in his daily life, but more es- pecially in times of emergency. It is in the latter I wish to picture him. when his character as a man, and not that Of a mere human machine is demonstrated. I arrived at Coal Creek, small vil- lage situated in the mountains of east Tennessee, some fifty miles north Of Knoxville the day after the accident, my duty calling me there to make photo- graphs and get descriptions for the pa- pers.
 The mine in which the explosion oc- cured, is about three miles from Coal Creek and as there was no means avail able for my reaching 1t. except walk ing, I started out on foot l had not proceeded far before sad sights met my eye as small bands of miners, just rom their work of rescue, came .tolllnS along | faf 1a0fT m. rades between them. Touching as were these sights, even more impressive were those l saw on reaching. the mine. Here were hundreds of anxious mothers, sis- ters, wives and daughters, each one picture of sadness and despair, grouped around the entrance to the mine, await ing the appearance of the rescuers, who were searching for the victims.
 In th j work is where the heroic char | acter ,f the miner dispiayes itself.
 A number of them from an adjoining mine volunteered In the work of rescue, and ventured in, blind to the danger of other explosions or of being overcome by gas.
 Just as I arrived a tall rescuer came from the dark passage, bearing in his arms q limp mass. and instantly there
 was n general motion as the crowd surg ed forward to identify the body There
 was piercing scream as some woman recognized the body as her husband, and still sadder grew the sight when she frantically knelt by his side and loving ly kissed the brow of him who had lost his life in his efforts to provide for her and their children the comforts of home.
 But the brave man who had just brought this body to it's loving mate rested but a second, then re-entered the mine to continue his gruesome work. Next came out a party of rescuers, fairly overcome by gas and foul air, one of them too weak to walk alone. Scarce ly had they emerged when others who had just arrived, eager to assist siezed the lighted lamps from their caps and placing them on their own heads. were lost from sight in the darkness of the mine.
 Fathers, brothers and some of the vic tims were among the rescuers, and only true heroism could prompt one of these to lay down his own dead to the care of others, and regardless of his own sor- row, turn away to resume his rescue work.
 And what did he find? Not alone the lifeless bodies of toilers like himself, but another lesson In herosm that can not but appeal to every heart AS entry after entry was opened, the same in- pressve story of bravery met his eye. Here calmly lay the poor fellows, who but few short hours before, had gone to their work full of life and hope. Some of them without "a moments warning, were hurled into eternity while others, entombed in cold. dark chambers, heavy
 with foul air and gases, watched the 1 fickering lights of their lamps go out | one by one as the deadly fumes gath cred around them. And like their lamps l the flame. of their life grew weaker and weaker. until, with, one last flicker, 1t was gone leaving them to darkness, and | to death
 , Grouped together in one Of these cham