Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-12-24

Wuue WOrklnG on tuuuei tuut wd1 building by the Edison Power company near Bakersfield on Dec. . the vertical walls of deep cut fell in on Hicks and i've fellow workmen.
 It was first thought that all had per ished under the hundreds of tons of rock and earth.
 Three days later tapping on the iron rail of the little tramway running through the drift gave the first intima- tlon that a man still alive was buried beneath the debris.
 A seventy foot pipe. two inches in diameter, was immediately forced through the debris. It reached the spot where Hicks was entombed A heavy dirt car had become wedged in the debris in such way as to keep the immense weight from crushing him.
 When Hicks pulled the wooden plug from the iron pipe and called to the men above him his voice sounded like one from the grave.
 Through the pipe the men working on top learned from Hicks that for sev- eral hours after the cave-in he had talked with his companions, but that they had become silent, and he believ- ed they were dead.
 By means of the pipe Hicks kept in communication with big force of res cuers at once organized. Milk was poured down the pipe. This was the only sustenance possible to give the man for nearly two weeks. During the first two days Hicks said he had existed on a plug of tobacco he had with him at the time of the cave-in. He had just exhausted this when the pipe was forced into the crevice in which he was pinned. Every day gal Ions of milk were poured down the pipe to keep him alive.
 It was thought ut first that his res- : cue would at the most be only mat ter of a few days, but as the work progressed it was seen that the task was a much more difficult one than was anticipated.
 In narrow space under the car there was just room for Hicks to lie down. His prison did not allow of the slightest freedom of movement, and for days the man lay on his back, not daring to move lest he might disturb the car overhead and bring down upon himself an avalanche of dirt that would mean his death.
 Through the pipe he himself directed the work of rescue. While the last steps were being taken in his rescue Superintendent Cone, who led the workers, called to Hicks and told him he was still on the payroll He said: i "You have been a most faithful man, Hicks. You have been on duty for hf- teen days and nights and never asked for day off. You have been drawing pay all the time."
 i For two days after the cave-in, in which i've of the miners companions were killed and in which he was sav- cd only because a small hand car kept tons of rock from crushing him, Hicks 1 thought he was dead.
 Darkness enveloped him, but 1t was not the darkness of night. All the thoughts that surged through his mind, all the pictures that fitted before his mental gaze, he thought were incidents of the other world. of which he thought that he was now member. Hicka said that his senses were benumbed but he felt a vague curiosity as to what would happen, believing he was | dead.
 How long he remained in that state the miner did not know, but after many hours of curious waiting he heard dripping noise. and that re called him partly to his senses. Grad ually he realized that he was alive and then finally the pipe brought him air and sustenance.