The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-01-09


He used to live in the pages o
"Grimms Fairy Tales" You re
member how he was subjected t,
she most trying experiences tina
sent other men into lunacy or TIT
grave, yet shlvered him not at all
When you grew up you thought thu
man could have no other existence
save in the imagination of the on'
who wrote of him. That man is
fact. He is a demonstrable, living
reality today. His name is Lindsa.
B. Hicks, the ex-entombed miner O.
the Edison Construction company
near Bakersfield.
II has been maintained that Hicks
feat Is not a record breaker; thai
others have stood longer fasts and
songer interment. 1t is not ques-
ton of endurance. 1t is not of will
Hicks feat must not be assailed on
that point only.
Last week that journalist who
flashed over the wires the yellow
tale OF his interview with Hicks; how
the bare mention of the army OF
rats that invaded his underground
room caused Hicks to shudder; how
one day Hicks, suffering from hal
Inclination in seeing grinning shapes
about him, would not now be sane
sut for the sharp reminder at the
time Of one of his comrades down
the feed pipe; that journalist drew
most vividly on his imagination. He
also utterly failed TO grasp the par
ticular unique sensational feature OF
the Edison mine disaster.
II was Wednesday that the trip to
the hospital at Camp Two was made.
One must stage eighteen miles from
Bakersfield; dangle two miles and a
half, thousand feet in mid air, in a
wooden skip not much bigger than
4 clothes basket; tramp four long
miles of wet, inky dark tunnel, IN
rubber boots many sizes too big and
many pounds too heavy must aero
bat UP one ladder and down another
over the fence of the fume at the
outlet of the tunnel; ana finally one
must climb a narrow, steep noun
tain path before one comes, yer,
much exhausted, TO comfortable
wooden shacks overlooking th'
treacherous but picturesque Rive
Kern.
san Franciscans, though, need no
80 exert themselves, for the two
weeks pampered underground dar
ling of the Edison Camp is now
pampered theatrical star. At pres
snt he is speeding on his way t.
fulfill an engagement in Los Angeles
In a week he will be at the Chute
and Iadcra Park. saw hin
Thursday night at Bakersfield whel
re came down from the hospital t
appear at Armory hall. From
theatrical standpoint the perform
aBce was a failure, as both Schmidt
his manager, and Harry Linville
assistant mining engineer of the Ed
iken company, his lecturer, were ne
to the business. And, too, Linvill
was having a bad case of stag
fright, growing more and more RAJ
ted till in the exhibit OF tools ui
ICED in the rescue he did not kno
which tool was which, and Hich
vss compelled TO coach him. Hicb
did so, calmly, deliberately, and III
eoncernedly He sat on the stag
In his tomb clothes, as cody as If h
had never known any other life b.
ths footlights.
II was never ratified in my life
he said TO me. Il never shuddere
in my life. ! have never shivered e,
sept from the cold. ! have hear
Of people embling because the
were afeard, and l have seen the
trembling, but I never did kno
what allied them. At the time {
.he earthquake l was a; Half Moo
Bay Everybody was afeared to slice
indoors | wasn't. / had a fiji
house ! slept in. But the other Pc
pie slept out on the street and wo
risd all the time 1t takes a veal
minded person to worry, unless ma.
be they are weak in health. l thin
people who lose in health might wo
ry. can imagine | might worl
now II l kind o come unhealthy"
But didn't you worry at all whe
you were buried?"
II might have worried all of thi
~ minutes. Not any more. can te
time within five minutes withoi
any watch. Ny grandfather was Il
same way. He would oftenest loo