The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-11-15
FOUR HUNDRED MEN
IMPRISONED IN MINE
May BE SAVED ALIVE

/ bending closely to the rail struggled
on.
Il escaped death by just three min
utes. When | arrived at the bottom
of the shaft the last cage was about
to ascend. shouted as the signal
bell was ringing and two men broke
their way to me and dragged me to
| the cage. then lost consciousness
and when | came to | was safely on
top.
My buddy had followed closely all
| the way out and encouraged by the
light held by the cage man, managed
to reach the shaft and was carried
with me to safety
Tobacco Sack Saves Lives.
A tobacco sack was the means OF
saving the lives of John Phillips and
Edward Suffolk, miners in the second
vein. Phillips on his way to the shaft
found Surrock lying on the track in
the main entry, He dragged the form
of his comrade until he himself was
almost overcome by the smoke.
He searched for something to cover
his nose and mouth. The only thing
available was a small sack in which
he had tobacco. Implying it he put
lone end to his mouth and pulled the
Irest Of it over his nose and fastened
lit about his head with the string. BY
ri NTH Il al 20 he
rail. he struggled toward the shaft
dragging his almost lifeless comrade
with him.
One of the pathetic incidents of the
rescue work. was the saving of John
McGil and his young son. They left
the place where they were working
when the alarm was given and before
half the journey was completed the
boy began to grow dizzy. Clasping
his fathers hand he sank to his
knees, exclaiming weakly:
Saved His Son.
Although greatly weakened the
father took the now unconscious son
and taking off his belt, strapped the
boy on his back and struggled on
Within sight of the shaft he stag
gered and fell Before losing con
seriousness, he yelled for help and his
cries were heard. The rescuers pick
ed up the two forms and bore them to
the cage and they were hoisted to the
surface
Late tonight it was decided to open
the main shaft in the morning and to
send explorers into the mine in the
regular cage.
w. w. Taylor, general superintend-
ent of the mines of the St Paul com
pany, is pathetic figpre AS he
stood today watching the movements
to open the mine he made helpful sug-
gestions, Deeply affected he some
times sobbed aloud. He said ohe
mine was the safest built in this
country and that the catastrophe
could have happened in no other way
than as it did
Thousands Attracted.
Thousands of persons came 10
Cherry today from Streator, Mendo-
ia, Ladd, Spring Valley, LaSalle,
Ottawa and other towns on special
trains.
The story of thirteen heroes who
went to death in the blazing shaft |
and of one man who came back,
scared by fire and blackened by
smoke to tell the CHASTITY story, is
being related here today in all its
details and forms one of the most
thrilling narratives in the history of
mining in this country.
Or. Howe, Hero.
Standing out above all the others
is the story of DR.. l.. B. Howe, the |
only one of the heroic fourteen who
survives to tell what happened
Seven times before other rescuers
began to 60 down into the burning
shaft he went down alone in lift and
each time brought to the surface his
quota Of the saved. twenty-five min.
ers owe their lives to him.
Today his hands are badly burned,
but he shows no other scars. When
asked to describe his experiences he
said:
1T is not worth talking about. Be
sides | am very busy today.
The disaster brought out tonight |
many unnamed heroes. Among these
was miner. who, while fighting his
way through the binding smoke, |
stumbled acros the body of a trap
per- boy overcome at his post of
duty at one of the trap doors that |
controls the air supply.
The miner felt the boys heart, and
finding him still alive picked up the
form and staggered on
until he met one of the rescuers. It
is believed the miner and the boy |
reached the surface safely.
All the state mine inspectors from
ten districts comprising the coal
fields arrived today. Thomas Hud-