Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1906-12-29
FACEDDEATHl5 DAYS
|. B. HICKS, The ENTOMBED
miner, RESCUED AT LAST.
His Follow Miners Worked Night and
Day Through 60 Feet Of Rock to
Reach Him-He Was Nearly Crazy
With Joy When He Came Out-He
Said "God Bless You ALL"

Bakersfield, Cal, Dec. 22.-Entombed
in the bowels of the earth beneath tons
of stone and dirt of a collapsed tunnel
of the Eastern Electrical Power COM
pany, l.. B. Hicks, the miner who for |
Is days faced DEATH was rescued at
II rs o'clock tonight by gang of his
fellow miners who have worked inces-
sanity to save him. For more than 80
feet, through rock, they burrowed in
the race against death.
Hicks was nearly crazy with Joy
when his rescuers drew his weakened
body from beneath the tram car, under
which he had been pinned since the
tunnel fell in, leaving him in darkness
and the plaything of a hooking death.
The hardened miners wept as Hicks
around the tunnel shaft had heard the
signal. Bakersfield was in a frenzy
of joy. Cannon doomed and the bells
in the churches tolled. Men and wom-
en- flocked to the streets and there ex-
changed congratulations.
Hicks was brought from his peril
Gus position at $50 this evening when
his rescuers completed a scaffolding
to prevent fall of boulders and dirt.
Hicks swayed like drunken man,
the sputtering lights of the miners
lamps half blinded him, and then a
realization came to him that he was
free. God bless you all for standing
by me-" was all that he could say,
but it was enough. There in the cav
ems of the earth, grim faced miners
wept and an intended cheer stuck in
their threats. Dr. Stinchfield placed
dark glasses over Hicks eyes, but
the miner said that he did not need
them as the light of the lamps did not
bother him. Hicks JOY on his release
was almost hysterical. He laughed and
cried by turns and DR.. Stinchfeld,
tearing a violent reaction, gave him a
mild sedative.
/. B. Hicks. the miner who was res
cued tonight, was entombed alive I'M
der 60 feet of debris Is days ago in
the tunnel of the Edison Electrical
Power company, IL miles northeast of
this city. Five of his fellow work
men were buried at the same time by
the cavoin of thousands of tons of
earth and rock. Hope of rescuing any
,, of the victims was abandoned, when
after three days the sound of tapping
on the water pipe in the shaft was
; heard. Instantly a response was sent
and the answering raps plainly proved
that at least one of the imprisoned
miners was alive.
The water pipe was cleared and
communication established through it
with the man at the bottom of the
shaft. He proved to be Hicks, former
, soldier and an expert miner, whose life
had been saved by a steel car under
+ which he was pinned. His five com
. panions were dead.
Fearing to dislodge the debris in the
, shaft, the rescuing party began work
on drift from the side of the hill, and
. work was not suspended day or night
Hicks was given milk through the pipe
and soon showed signs of renewed
+ vigor He said that during the three
days previous to his discovery he hai
= subsisted on a plug of chewing tobac
, co. Thereafter, during the long hour:
4 of his Imprisonment in closely crampe(
| quarters, he was kept well nourished
Every effort was made to keep hi,
v mind in a cheerful mood, so that /
e might not become unbalanced by hi
d surroundings. The stencil from the re
S mains of the dead miners was perceI
d tible at the surface of the ground an,
e was intense in close quarters wher
Hicks was confined. A phonograp,
was placed so that the lonely ma
could be entertained by music. He a
so was kept in close communicate
b with his friends, who sent words c
cheer to him.
Hicks rescue was a most Difficult
piece of work, and that it was az
complished at all is regarded as ma,