New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-24

In his latest benefaction Mr.. Carnegie has set
apart S5OOOCO0 to reward heroes. permanent com
mission has been established which is to give
money and medals whenever it believes an act Of
heroism justifes such git Should or
woman ale in the performance OF courageous
deed. those left without support to receive
financial assistance Orphaned children 10 be
educated Should the hero survive he is to be
honored with a purse or medal the commission
shall decide.
The world recognizes two kinds OF heroes. each
the a1tithesis. the negative. the paradox Of
the other. The one risks his life to kill the other
to rescue his fellow men In tho battlefield the
so!licr and the nurse brave shot and sd5E side bv
side. both Of them secrated 70 purposes called
heroic but as far apart as he'll and heaven The
general who overwheIrls hundred armies is
toed rs the hero OF his nation and made the sub
ject @; odes. oratons. paintings and statues The
mother who dies in rescuing her child from a 1laz-
ing tenement house. leaves memory to few. AMI
IS soon doomed TO oblivion.
Only for the heroes and heroiues Of peace are the
guerdous OF the Carnegie commission intended
Whenever heroism is DISPLAYED by man or woman
IN saving human life said NJ. Carnegie in his
letter concerning the project. the fund applies
The sea Is the scene Of heroic acts. and no
action is more heroic than that OF doctors and
nurses volunteering thcl- services in the case Of
epiiemi,s Railroad employees are remarkable for
heroism- All these and similar cases are ON
braccd."
In the records OF the Royal Humane Society of
England the Carnegie commission ray obtain
some idea Of what the scope OK its WORT will be-
No similar record IS kept in this country. This
ciety furnishes medals only to those who have
rescued persons from drowning and suffocation.
yet in year it honored 756 British subjects
Some time ago this society conferred medals
upon two young men who risked their lives
10 save couple Of black Kaf1r boys from De
Beers diamond mine in South Africa One of the
youths by the name of Brown. had been foot
ball player before he became miner and Brand.
the other. member OF the Diamond Fields
Horse. Of South Africa. Both were employed In a
mine Kimberly
1t CHANGED that Brown and Brand were about TO
go into the mine one day when they heard
screams and suddenly knocked down by
swarm Of kafirs who came tumbling and sprawl
ing OF the pit.
Mud rush. Mud rush. yelled one who could
speak English somewhat better than the rest OF
his black companions.
Both Brown and Brand had been long enough IN
the diamond mines to know what mud rush was.
Nothing causes such horror among the blacks as
this kind OF disaster. Unlike explosion food. the
mud rush gives warning to its victims With
a sound the black slime wells up from the floor
Of the mine. and. catching the miner in its miry
grasp. it crawls up his chest. slowly that he
may live hours before death finally buries him head
and all
Fortunately n Kafir had seen the first bubble OF
this mud rush and had spread general alarm.
however, il was discovered that there were two
Kafir boys employed helpers missing. For
eral hours no plan of rescue was possible because
the mud OoZed out OF the mouth OF the mine Ike
mucilage out of a bottles mouth. At the first
sign OF its subsistence. gang put to work
digging out the mire. and when afternoon, a
night and morning had passed the surface OF
the mud lay about foot below the roof OF the
mine.
mo use In trying TO save those Kaffr kids" said
rs.
dead"
But there is one place where the roof is extra
high" said Brown. Perhaps they have hid there.
where they could keep their heads above the mire-
They're dead all right. never you fear" said the
superintendent.
I'm going in TO find out anyway" said Brand
and the words were hardly spoken before Brown
clasped his hand and the two plunged into the
black river OF ooze. Too thin to support them
yet too thick to swim In. the young men could
only force their way ahead by scoOping out the
mud with their hands and walking on tiptoe. II
was impossible to carry light. that they could
only feel their way in the inly darkness. Now and
then the roof would descend far almost 10
reach the surface Of the mud. and here they were
only able to prevent sufrocation by blowing the
mud away from their noses. At another time the
mud suddenly began to rise, and they were hor-
rihed with the fear they about to be en-
quilted In another rush
There was answer to their shouts until they
reached a place whore the roof began to slope
upward. the place where the boys were II they
were still alive. Then low means met their ears.
moment later and the Kafir boys were in their
arms. They had only escaped death by clingtng
to a crag. and thus keeping their heads above the
river Of slime. Yet. with the subsistence Of the
stream they had OF knowing II IL nad
sunk enough TO permit them to wade out Ihey
were stin blinded by utter darkness BUT
Brown and Brand led them back to daylight ana
safety.
When the work was begun On the North Ass~