The Globe-republican., 1909-11-25
70 men ARE RESCUED
BURIED ALIVE IN CHERRY MINE
SEVEN DAYS.
Desperate Effort Made to Reach Llv.
lng-Took Six Hours to
Bring Them "a
Surface.

Cherry, lll.-The gamut from deep
est despair to an hysteria Of hope was
run when twenty miners, entombed II
the St. Paul mine for a week, almost
to the hour, were brought to the sur
face alive.
The story Of their sufferings and the
heroism of their resourceful leaders
is one Of the most thrilling in all the
blackest history OF mining disasters
y Dawn broke with the bearers oil
stretchers moving from the pit mouth
10 the tent which served as a morgue,
with bodies swollen and scorched al
most beyond human semblance. Forty
Of them had been brought out and
most of them identified when the mar
velous report shot through the pro-
trate community:
They've found them alive! They've
found them alive"
In moment the morgue was de-
serted, scarcely to be revisited, while
the crowd, fairly insane with the great
hope which had sprung like miracu.
lous flame from the ashes of despair,
rushed to the pit.
All thought was of the men who
were alive. 1t took six hours to bring
the survivors to the surface. Mean
while the report spread that seventy
or more men were alive in far reach
OF the mine, cut off from escape by a
bank Of black damp between their bar
ricade and the main shaft.
Less optimistic notes were sounded
by others, but the women, with hope
born afresh, refused to believe any
thing but the best, and haunted the
mine far into the night, seizing frant-
ically at every straw Of encourage
ment offered.
Story of the Discovery.
Graphic descriptions of the discov-
cry OF the men from the viewpoint of
the rescuers was told by Father
James P. Heany, Of st. Mary's church,
Mendoza, III. Father Heany, wearing
a miners cap and a flaming torch,
was down in the mine with the rescue
party. He said:
"Just about two O'Clock, when we
were as near as I can tell, 300 feet
into the gallery from the hoisting
shaft, our party slackened up because
pile of debris was in the way.
Suddenly David Powell said: Listen,
boys, l thought l heard something
We were all silent. A faint pounding
as If coming through the thickness of
a wall was heard. My God,' said
Powell, I believe somebody Is alive
in there Some Of the men replied:
No; that is impossible
1--WE all listened Cor what seemed
TO be a full minute. Sure enough
there came the muffled pounding
sound that we heard before. Then
we were too rluch affected to speak.
We could not. believe our own senses.
Grabbing picks and axes our men be-
gan to tear down the loose pile OF
earth and rock.
Torches Make Weird Scene.
1T was a weird scene. The lights
Of our torches on our caps kept bob
bing up and down as we labored, fill
ng the place with moving shadows.
1.-TWO or three OF us climbed over
The dirt and yelled, are any of you
alive in there, boys?'
"An answer came back Yes Before
another word could be uttered the
men began pulling at the dirt again
and soon large gap appeared. We
yelled into the hole:
"How many Of your are alive in
here, boys?"
"In faint, husky tones, the men
,aled back, Yes, we are alive and you
yet we are hungry, too. Have you
,ot some lunch out there?'
"'God bless you, men, we will get
you out in a minute and give you all
he lunch you can eat. Be patient as
,ou can
Glistenins Eyes Show Up.
II couldn't see anything back In
here for the men were In total dark
less, SO l climbed back and prayed
hat God would make the number we
we're about to rescue from the living
rave as many as possible.
"By that time the hole was widened
nd dozen pair of glistening eyes,
Inning out from black faces, appear.
d in view.
zone of the men inside answered
'ack: Most of us are all right and
ceiling fine, but there Is one poor
elbow here-a Frenchman called
is almost gone and l am
fraid he will be dead In a few min.
ties II he doesn't get some fresh air. /
when the pile Of dirt finally tum.
led down some of the men were stag.
cred by the thrush Of air and the
Ights from our torches. For during
even days they had lived In total
arkness.