The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-11-15

J utes. When I arrived at tho bottom
OF the shaft the last cage had reached
the top and was about to descend. l
shouted as the signal bell was ring
Ing and two mon broke their way 10
me and dragged me to the cage
then lost consciousness When l 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. man.
| aged 10 reach the shaft and was car
red with ME to safety.
a tobacco pouch vas the means OF
saving the lifes of John Phillips and
! Edward Surrock miners In the second
vein. Phillips. on his way TO the shaft.
] found Surrock lying on the track In
the main entry way He dragged his
oomrade until he himself was almost
overcome by the smoke.
! With miners intuition he search
! ed for something to cover his nose
and mouth The only thing available
was the small sack In which he car
ried tobacco Placing one end in his
mouth he pulled the rest over his
nose and fastened it about his head
with the string BY crawling with his
! head close TO the rail he struggled
| toward the shaft, dragging his almost
| llfeleSS comrade with him.
One of the heroic incidents OF the
, rescue work WAS the saving OF John
McGill and his young son. They left
the place where they were working
when the alarm WAS given Before
half the journey WAS completed the
boy began 10 grow dizzy. Clasping
his fathers hand he sank to his knees,
exclaiming. PA, ! am dying. Leave
me and save yourself, II you can"
Although greatly weakened himself
the father raised 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-
sciousness, he yelled for help. and his
cries were heard. RescuerS bore them
to the cage.
Eleven OF tho twelve boarderS at
the house of Mrs George White were
lost The only survivor was an in
valid, who on Monday returned from
the hospital and was unable TO report
for work on Saturday
One pitiful case is that of the Love
family Mrs. John Love is not only
left widow but four sons are be.
licved to have perished
A canvass of what is known as
Long Row a street which has on
one side row OF thirty-three cot.
tRees Identical in appearance, has re.
vealed that only two men In all the
houses arc numbered among the liv-
Ing. Each of the thIrty~three families
has from to Anad
The story of the thirteen heroes
who went down TO their death in tho
blazing shaft of the Cherry mine and
OF the one man who came back, scar
red by fire and blacKened by smoke,
TO tell the ghaStly story, Is being re-
lated today In all It's details. Stand.
Ing out above the others is the story
of DR.. l.. B. Howe. the man who
came back" the only one of the heroic
fourteen who survived to tell what
happened Seven times before the 9TH
er rescuers began to go down I'm the
burning shaft he went down alone in
a lit. Each time he brought to the
surface his quota of saved Twenty.
five miners owe their lives to him
Today his hands are badly burned.
but he shows no other scar When
asked to describe his experience. he
merely shrugged his shoulders and
said:
Il couldn't have done anything else
than | did. 1t is not worth talking
about. Besides, | am too busy To talk
today"
The disaster brought to light many
unnamed heroes. Among these was
a miner who, when fighting his way
through the binding smoke, stumbled
across the body of a little "trappcr"
boy. who had been overcome at his
post at one of the trap doors that con.
trolls the air supply
Finding that life still existed. he
picked up the boy and placing him
upon his shoulders, staggered on un-
til he met one of the rescuers. Both
the miner and the boy reached the
surface.
All The state mine inspectors from
the ten districts comprising the coal
fields arrived today Thomas Hudson
OF GalYa, in whose district the Ill
fated mine is situated was the first
tn arrive. He was closely followed
by Peter McAllister of Streator, who
has many friends who were killed in
the disaster. Hudson and McAllister
joined in declaring the equipment of
the mine the most modern and eff
oient In the state. They also said
the oniclals and suDcrintcndents had
instituted and operated a thorough
system of safety measures. When
asked regarding the blame for the
fire. Hudson said
From what | have learned, can
only say that carelessness-crimi
caTelessness on the part of some men
working In the second vein level is
responsible.
'"rhe mine was equipped with all
modern safety devices and was we'll
planned made recent Inspectiont
and found everything i'm the best of
shape | found that all state regula.
tions were being obeyed Officials
and managers are apparently not hit
by the tragedy. Blame rests directly
upon the shoulders of the men them
selves"
When it was discovered that there
remained chance to rescue alive per.
maps score of miners in the safety
row in the third vein, hurried arrange.
mentS Tor getting air currents Into that
section OF the mine were made How.
ara Hason personally directed the
Shipment from his Rockwell mine.
east OF La Sale. of large fan to
replace the one destroyed by fire. The
ian and equipment were loaded into
freight cars and taken Is miles To
Cherry in two hours. The mine com.
pany and the Chicago, Milwaukee and
ST, Paul road have announced that
they VIII pay all funeral expenses In