Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-12-19
Rescuers May Not Reach
Buried Human in
Two Days
Huge Boulder, Like Sword of Damo-
cles, Hangs Directly Above Him
and May Be DisIodged at
Slightest Shock
BY a staff Correspondent

BAKERSFIELD, Dec. 1S.-Today is
the twelfth since the great slide over
the Edison steel pipe conduit in Kern
river canyon crumbled down like a
mighty rainfall of dirt and stone, en-
tombing L. ,. Hicks and five of his
companions, yet today the chances for
his rescue seem simmer than ever.
The rescue party at Edison camp
is tonight at work in loose dirt and
decomposed granite. but few feet
from the buried miner, but despite
their proximity to him chances for safe
delivery seem as far removed as they
were two days ago Although but five
feet from the buried man the rescue
party is in quandary how to reach
him without disturbing the great rock
which hangs loosely over his head like
the sword of Damocles.
Tunneling in soft dirt which creeps
with every jar, in imminent danger of
losing their own lives near the treach-
erous slide into which they have pene-
trated, fearing to go forward because
of the loose boulders which threaten
Hicks from their loose fastenings in
the earth the brave band of rescuers
is almost helpless today.
Above the mouth of the shaft. where
communication has been maintained
with the buried miner for many days,
the faithful watchers are overcome by
the stencil of the dead bodies which
have begun to decay.
Added to this come the repeated wall
ings and pitiful meanings of the man
below, who has at last lost courage
and is, he says, overcome by extreme
cold.
over the mountain a dense fog hangs
which chills to the bone, and about lit
tie fires high officials and laborers
gather in their desperate grief Last
night was an appalling one. Hoping to
reach the man for whom they had
been laboring day and night, the res
cuers were confronted by the most crit
ical situation. over the pipe Hicks
walled pitifully, Get me out, get me
out" and all the efforts of the res
cuers to appease him were unaVailing.
1t is evident that the iron will of the
wonderful man is at last broken and
that if alive when he is taken from
the earth he will be a raving maniac.
Twelve Days Underground
Today is the twelfth since that man
of ironlike nerve first raised himself
upon his elbow in his burrow, a hum
dred feet straight toward the heart of
the mountain and found that he lived;
found that his eYelids raised and low
cred at his command, but that he could
see nothing, found that his fingers
twitched, at his biding. that wavering
streamlet of breath from his nostrils
caused the tiny specks of dirt to chase
each other across his face, tickling the
flesh till he became fairly crazed with
the agony.
History of the Burial
The tunnel for the great steel con-
duit caved in upon its six inhabitants
in the early morning hours of December
I. The men We're under the direction
of Foreman Anderson, who ordered cer-
tain timbers removed from the support
of the tunnel wall and like flash. a
mountain had fallen upon six human
beings, burYing them deep in its breast,
crushing them to it's stony bosom.
A man lives slowly when he is by
himself: Napoleon. alone in tiny cell
with only the rats for companions.
found joy in making patterns from the
straws of his pallet But he had light
(COntinned ON Page TwO.)