The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-23
DEATH S PLAYTHIN
TAKEN FROM TOMB.
Continued From First Page.

they were griipped by boulders and
earth. On each side of me could feel
the earth and stone. just above my
head was the foot of one Of the men,
! could touch the shoe.
II seemed days in that fearful
silence and talked to myself to keep
from gong mad. thought Of myself
thirst and hunger prevailed. I tried
TO sleep, but the dreams were worse
than the fortunes of my Weakening
hours. called to my companions again
and again, but there was no answer,
Then I wondered how many feet Of
stone s! on and dirt lay between me and day
q pictured to myself the rescuing
party working madly to release the men a
caught in the wreckage below. Per-
maps They have given up any hope of
reaching any one behind that mass Of
earth and have stopped work, thought
i yelled In my agony, hoping that my
voice would reach those above me, but
there was no answering call. az
d. Seemed an Eternity.
"Only silence. Ny God, the silence
Of that place. NY breathing sounded
like the roar Of waves and when I
talked to. myself my voice was flung
back and forth in that narrow hole,
until it died away in q faint whisper.
Ihen | thought Of the signals and be-
gan tapping on a rail withta rock. God
knows how long it was It, seemed an
eternity Tor night and: day were the
same IN that hole of hell when l heard
cried and yelled until / tainted from
exhaustion. Iswassto be saved. "
Above my head I heard burrow-
ing like rat in plaster wallis and then
the gas pipe penetrated the chamber.
a voice called to me and asked me if
l plnched. myself, fearing that might
be dreaming. But I was not and then
cursed myself for ever thinking the
boys would not work thru heaven and
h hell in the hope Of saving tbudy's'
49, Haunted by Dead. 4,
"For many hours Il was happy in
the thought of rescue, and then came
the terrific thought that in; the work
Of rescue the boulder above might be
plunged down on my head. I yelled
thru the pipe to the men to be careful.
l. told them Of the heavy rock that lay
over my head half supported by broken
tlmbers and the tramcar.s Fear of death
game to me even stronger than at first.
Sometimes | imagined every moment
the pile of debris. would crush me to
death. Then I would be filled with hope
OF rescue. The pangs Of my first thirst
were lawful and it seemed at times as
If my throat would burst with the fever
"The milk that you fellows poured
do syer th bad iron PPaf was the best rum
~ heard the music box playing at
the end Of the tube, and can tell you
1T cheered me wonderfully. I thought
Of the good old times with the boys in
Bakersfield and wondered if they would
ever happen again. Then I ina gined
I could see. the faces Of my dead COM
Panions grinning at me. I yelled. to
the :. men above that Jim s foot had
moved and that 4 could see. dead men
laughing in every corner. ~ ~ ''* /.
eff fOld Red johnson had NOT yelled
down and Waliopl ny, head. off, I think
I would have goAe1 mad: - Old Red
brought me TO- myself, IT feared every!
moment that the }Ihen working above
me would ,loose sen" pfhaat boulder and
drop it down, upon, my chest and the
more I Thought Of It the more nervous
became. =. ..... n7:. > I
Plans sHot Old T1me.,' 7 ~ u =.
'tGlad to be freef Yes, and when I
get around again Ioll give the boys a
time. in old Bakersfield they won It for
get in year, perhaps 70 :, z...ss.r
. Hicks, DR.. Stinchfeld.. says, will be
entirely recovered within, a few days.
His physical condition is quite good
considering his confinement. but his
nerves are badly shaken. =, 49,, -.
j.. Hicks could have been rescued earlier
in the day: but his, friends were not
willing to permit him to take the chance
of crawling thru the: hole under thel
car which pinned him. Hicks himself
told the miners he feared the drifts of
gravel and rock might slip down with
slight -jolting. All day long bits of
sand and pebbles fell upon the impris-
oned miner and the rescuers were
forced for the fifth time to change
their plans. A tunnel was built out of
timber to the cavern where he was i'm
prisoned and afteriit had been strength
ened with scaffolding Hicks, who had
so heroically waited for rescue for over
two weeks, was drawn out to freedom
and life. 8 =, i a, ri ~. ) .ts.r.'' 4
. Not a wheel has. turned in the great
Edison plant since the tunnel cave-in,
and Bakersfield has given thought to
nothing else for two weeks but Hicks
rescue.