The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-22

We crawled over our own barrier ant
started. We did not know where W,
we're ana were always falling owe
things like mules. So on that accouni
I we walked about ten feet apart so a.
to not fall on each other.
THE last fall in nearly blocked the
passage and we had to worm our way
| through a long aperture scarcely biz
enough to hold us. We were dread.
fully weak for we had breathed much
| poison. Then we saw the rescuers
who had come down. There was nc
cheering We just sat down and let
them take care of us. THAI was all.
Nobody had voice enough to cheer
and hardly enough to talk"
Wrote to His Wife.
George Eddy. hero among the
heroes, who escaped from the ST.
Paul mine, in the darkness and de-
spair of his position managed to write
few words of courage to his wife.
The letter follows:
November IA.
these few lines to you, and think it
will be for the last time. / have
tried to get out twice. but was drove
back. There seems to be no hope for
US. I came down this shaft yesterday
to help to save the mems lives. I
hope the men I got out was saved.
Well, Lizzie. if I am found dead take
me to bury me in Streator and move
back Keep Esther and Clarence and
Jimmie together as much as you can.
hope they win not forget their
father so 1 will bid you all gcod-by
and God bless you ali.
fsigned) GEORGE EDDY.
To the Public.
, On the reverse side of this letter
was the following from Walter Waite:
November 1--we. the undersigned,
90 not blame anyone for the accident
that happened to pen us in here. and
we believe that everybody has done all
in their power to relieve us. With best
wishes to all concerned. (SigneO
Frank Waite. John Brown, Thomas
White, John LoTimer. Jack Higate, Sal
vatore Hfgate, Lawrence Frederick, Q.
Antonore. Frank zanarini, leopold
Demond. Bonfelo Ruggardi, George
ShinTits, Jro. Shimits, William Cleiland,
Frank Bieraski. Frank Preraski. Joe
Beronas, George Eddy, Walter Waite.
From survivors who were seen, the
highest praise for fortitude and leader
ship is accorded William Clelland.
Twice daily, Clelland, who is a stanch
church man, conducted religious SER
vices. his favorite hymn, the words of
which even some of the foreigners
picked up, parrot-Ike' was abide With
Me-"
Twice daily. Clelland likewise deliver
ing on the faltering men.
Keep up your hearts. lads. God is
with us. Don't despair. Others have
been shut off from the light of day
as we are and in Gods good time came
out alive is the way one of his ser
mons is quoted. ''The Lord is with us.
even here, and great is His mercy"
Then followed the Lords prayer, In
variably.
A Mule Lived Through 1t.
Imprisoned with the miners was a
live mule, which owing to Slavish
is still alive.
When C!elland and Lorimer started
cut out to find more water, the depar-
ture which led to their ultimate deliv-
cry, dozen or more men remained
temporarily behind
If we don't succeed in getting water
Kill the mule" was the orders.
At these instructions Lithuanians held
up their hands in horror. for they had
q superstition that. if on such an ex-
tremity they sought to prelong their
own lives even at the sacrifice of a |
dumb brute, they would surely die.
Rather than take this chance they
speedily followed the trail of those Who
had started to obtain water.
George Semmerich's inexperienced eff |
forts TO make the contents of his lunch |
pail last as long as possible threw |
nght on the extremities to which the |
- aSOA4Oio "SIG LOT IOOG.
Semmerich's pail contained four slices
u bread. one piece of pie and a huge
sill pickle. Semmerich's estimate of |
low long this food would last proved |
Noefully wrong, for. deducting what he |
gave to others 1t had all disappeared |
within "a hours.
Fortunately the prisoners still had a |
oract1cally unimpaired plug of tobacco.
from this they extracted all the nour- |
shment possible and swallowed the |
lu1d. This diet kept each mans stom-
zen In so feverish condition that for
hree days that the supply lasted he ex-
practically no pangs of hun
ger. The leather band of his cap was
lext pressed into service as a substi- |
ute for the tobacco and as a destroyer
II appetite served quite as well as to-
>acco His gloves followed.
1T wasn't very sustaining" said Sem
ner1ch. end 1 got pretty weak, but
t was better than being hungry all the
ime."
A Rescuer's Story.
One of the leaders of the rescuing
rang was David E. Powell, mine super
ntendent Of Braceville. Ill. Powell, a
all, muscular, rudy checked old man
WITH iron gray hair, went on duty at
CLOCK in the morning. His story fol-
ows:
I'VE were going along what is known
IS the second south entry, or gallery,
nd were passing a gallery shooting off
rom this, known as the second west. |
Vhen, stopping for a moment, 1 heard
ONE pounding and what seemed to me
Ike faint voice. I turend to the
elbows and said: Listen, 1 thought /
ieard voice then. Maybe it is some
+ the fellows still alive
we listened again and what ap-
cared to be the voice and the pound
ng continued. At that we started at
brisk pace to. where we thought the
men were and found there an oh |
truction. Before we had the obstruc-
ion down we knew for certain live
nen were behind it, for we called and
alked to them repeatedly. One of the
nen behind the obstruction hap
'ened to be an italian who used 70