The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1909-12-02

simultaneously, from so throats. went
up the cry: They're alive"
Suddenly Capt. Hall threw up his
hand
Men" he shouted. you'll kill these
men If you try to touch them now.
Stand back, for they're saved. We
know we can't stop you; stand back"
The words had an instant effect.
Then a man on one Of the cots lifted
his mask of canvas and looked out at
the crowd with a weak grin. That
gave a touch of humor to the situa-
ton and the crisis was over.
Wives Meet Husbands.
After the men had been taken to
the hospital there came pause, and
then the relatives of the saved men
were called in.
Twenty-one men came out OF the
mine alive because science beat the
brute forces of the earth Two of the
twenty-one men-George Eddy and
Walter Waite-are the heroes of the
rescue. Without their intelligence and
kill the 19 men with them must have
?erished. Eddy Is the assistant man
ager of the mine He is a mining en-.
gineer. and a good one Walter Waite,
the second vein examiner, knows all
the intricacies of the st. Paul mine
as well as the average man knows
he topography of his own back yard
When the general alarm of fire was
given two men dashed toward the
main shaft. They found the way
barred by fire and turned back. Com
ing up behind them they found 19
men. They stopped them and told
them that hope of escape by way OF
the shaft was out of the question.
They said that II they would follow
their orders they might save their
lives. To Waite and Eddy the leader
ship Of the group was the natural
thing and the 10 agreed to obey their
orders
Form Government.
The whole party then ran to a dis.
tant gallery of the mine in which the
air was found to be comparatively
pure. The two commanders ordered
the men TO knead mine dust with wa.
ter found in the floor of the drift. and
make rough bricks. with these a wall
was built up that shut off the gallery
from the rest of the mine, and eff.
fectively kept off the black damp.
Then a vein OF coal was pierced by
Eddy and Waite, who knew that in
every coal vein water can be found. A
regular system of policing was estab-
ished, little state was formed in a
closed mine gallery 800 feet under the
crest of the earth.
The food was divided so as to pre-
won't any one person from starving
while his companions had anything Of
their meager store to spare. A similar
provision was made with the water
When the food was all gone, the two
leaders, by prayer and words of good
cheer, strove to keep their courage
up. At last, at the end Of seven days
of untold privation, the crisis came.
The men had almost lost hope. One
of their number, VIII for hours had
been showing signs of insanity, ran
to the life-saving wall and beat a part
of II down. His companions were too
weak to restrain him. He ran out
into the darkness perhaps 100 feet
and then the black damp seized him.
He staggered and fell dead.
Build UP Wall Again.
With infinite effort the men who
were left built up the wall again.
When 1t was finished they again sat
down and waited with every sense
acute, in the darkness for some sign
that might give them hope. Hour
after hour passed by and no sign of a
rescue came. At last a conference
was held and it was decided to make
a dash for liberty.
small hole was cut In the wall
and eight men, headed by David
Waite, passed through. They advanced
through the dreaded black damp zons
with beating hearts. Nothing could
be seen. No sound could be heard.
Suddenly at the farther end of the
corridor came the rattle OF footsteps
and the fash OF light 1t was the
rescuers from above They had al
last cut through the heavy fall of Goa
that choked the passage from the
main shaft. The miners were saved.
Des Moines Lad Hangs Self.