The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1909-11-23
MINERS OUT OF
THE JAWS OF DEATH
Rescued After a Weeks En-
tombment at Cherry, III.
HAD BUILT A SAFETY WALL
Bodies Of the Dead Lay About in
Heaps Where the Weaker Ones
Had Succumbed to Gas and Hun
ger Combined.

Had Succumbed to Gas and Hun
ger Combined.
Cherry, Ill.-Out Of a black inferno
in the bowels Of the EARTH, where for
seven days they had fought against
choking vapors, darkness and starva-
ton, with nothing but native courage
and companionship to sustain them
against an almost hopeless situation,
more than twenty of the 375 men
who were entombed in the St. Paul
mine a week before were rescued
alive. Nearly LOO bodies were recov-
cred
All around the men recalled to life,
as it were, lay heaps of the weaker
who had succumbed 1t was a case
of the survival OF the fittest under
conditions possibly as bitter as the
human soul can endure
Hysteria and humor were inter-
mingled in the scenes incident to the
deliverance of the men, who had sat
during the slow passing hours and
days with death at their elbow, into
fresh air and into the arms of their
frantic families
In spite of their long burial and
the accepted belief that short time
under such conditions seems an age,
some of the men thought that 1t had
been only twenty-four hours since the
fire started.
Cut off by the flames in one of the
tunnels the men had rushed in terror
to the shaft, where escape was impos-
sible, and then back to a chamber at
the further end. Assembled here I'M
der the leadership of George Eddy,
one of the mine examiners, who was
below when the fire started, the en-
trapped men, painting with excitement
and fear, took counsel
Soon after they had arrived at the
chamber some rocks and dirt fell into
the passage, partly blocking it, This
fortuitous happening helped them to
carry out an idea they already had
The men under Eddy's direction be-
gan to add to the obstruction.
When the entrance had been closed
the men sa1 down to wait for deliver
ance or death. The hours passed and
they knew it must be night They
were aware that many of their COM
panions lay dead just beyond the bar
rier, and they realized that they might
soon join them. They listened for
sounds of rescue parties. They heard
nothing.
Soon grim thought entered their
minds. They had no water. Their
dinner pals had contained some food
but nothing to allay thirst This dis
covery almost took the courage out
of the stoutest heart But feeling
about in desperation along the walls
and floor of the black pit which held
them, they came upon damp place.
1t offered them chance and they be-
gan to dig. After a while water be-
gan to ooze into the black mass they
had removed. 1t was ever SO little
at first and was sopped up by the soil
as blotter absorbs ink Then as the
digging progressed it came little
faster, trickling, but never flowing.
1t was the noise the imprisoned min
crs made in their search for water
that guided the rescuers to them
The first method of resuscitating
the miners was to inject strychnine
into the blood This was to revive
the heart action. Then warm milk
was given.
AS soon as the rescued men recov-
cred somewhat from the exhaustion
they wanted to get to their homes
Buggies, carriages and other vehicles
were summoned. All around big
crowds greeted the miners The
wives of the rescued miners were not
permitted to see them, however, until
the physicians were sure they were
ready to leave the hospital car
When Pigati, one of the rescued
miners, was led to the dining car he
ran fairly into the arms of his wife
and two children. Endearing words
for her husband poured from the joy
full woman's lips, and then she turned
and kissed the feet of the men who
had brought him out. Then she
pulled her children down and they,
too, kissed the feet of their fathers
Eescuers.
One miner who wanted to return
and save others by going himself re-
covered promptly after he received
food and stimulants, and told spir-
tied story of his experiences.
I'VE all got into one of the cham
bers just off the second vein" he said.
"The boss, Mr. Eddy, put us to work
piling up coal and slack at the en-
trance of this chamber We knew
that our lives depended on preserving
the air and keeping out the smoke
and gases.
las we ran from the smoke and
the fire we had the presence of mind
to grab up every dinner pail in sight.
Tt was case of just sitting
around doing nothing. Some of the
boys told story and a few of us
managed to laugh. Then some one
else told a story and for while we
were high spirited and felt good
I'VE kept away from any talk
about dying. The main thing was to
keep up the nerve of everybody as
much as possible. After two or three
days. don't know how long-all
the food gave out. The next thing we
did was to go after the bark. Day
after day went by and we almost lost
hope of ever reaching daylight again.
At last the noise came from the main
shaft, and We regained our courage
because we knew aid was coming"