Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-21
FOOD, LIGHT, LOVE AND LIFE
RESTORED TO RESCUED MEN

!; fairly into the arms of his wife and tw
! children.
| Endearing words for her husban,
poured from the joyful womans lips
| Then she turned and kissed the feet o
the man who had brought him out The
she pulled her children down, and thew
! too. kissed the feet Of their father
| reScuers.
| Pigati while being revived brought GU
with smile a letter he had written OF
a piece of brown paper on the fourth da.
there was no hope OF escape. The Iette
was addressed to his wife, and freel,
translated from the Italian, reads:
This is the fourth day that we hav,
been down here. That's what think, bu
our watches stopped.
Il am writing in the dark because W,
have been eating the wax from our safet,
lamps.
Il also have eaten a plug of tobacco
some bark and some Of my shoe. l coul(
only chew it.
Il hope you can read this. I am moi
afraid to die.
''Oh. Holy Virgin, have mercy on me
think my time has come
You know what my property is We
worked for it together and it is all yours
This Is my will and you must keep 1t.
You have been a good wife. May the
Holy Virgin guard you. I hope this
reaches you some time and you car
read it,
1T has been very quiet down here.
WONDER what has become Of our comrades
Goodbye, until heaven shall bring u:
together. JOE PIGATI."
Fights and Faints.
One Of the most dramatic Incidents Of
the day was furnished by Mrs Crescent
whose husband was one Of the first to be
rescued. Tearing, punching and pulling
she burst her way through two lines OF
soldiers. threw aside a. deputy sheriff
and pulled the soldier from his post at the
car door. She fell limp into her husbands
arms, weeping and helpless.
William Heinz's wife was at home wher
news that rescues had been made, but nc
names were then known. She saw hel
sisters In distress rush past her house
but was compelled to remain at the bed
side Of her baby, who was suffering from
pneumonia.
But her forced detention at home oc.
casioned her little delay from receiving
the news Of her husbands return to
the land of the living. The cry Heinz is
up was among the first that electrified
the stricken community.
How such news travelled can hardly
be explained. But almost as soon as the
cry was raised at the pit it came like
music to the ears of the woman who
earthly inferno. o
Lost His Dinner Pail.
George Siemitz, another of the rescued
answered the clamorouS greetings of his
friends with an explanation Of the incl
dent uppermost in his mind-the loss OF
his dinner pail. When the fire broke
out Siemitz rushed for the shaft, but
was driven back. He fell over a pros
trate mule. losing the dinner pail which
later became of more value to him than
ing the week.
Another man who was brought to the
surface very solemnly requested that
his wife be kept from the car.
I've been away seven days. l think l
can apologize better to her at home.''
Eddy's Letter to Wife.
George Eddy, a hero among heroes,
made shift to write few words of cour-
age to his wife. The letter follows:
November IA.
Dear Wife and Children: write these
few lines to you. and I think it will be
for the last time.
II have tried to get out twice, but was
drove back There seems to be no hope
for US.
II came down this shaft yesterday to
help to save the mems lives. 1 hope the
men l got out was saved.
We'll. Lizzie. If am found dead take
me TO bury me in Streator and move
back. Keep Esther and Clarence and
Jimmie together as much as you can.
Il hope they will not forget their
father.
so I will bid you all goodbye, and
God bless you all. GEORGE EDDY"
On the reverse side Of this letter, writ
ten on leaf torn from notebook, was
the following from Walter Waite:
November a.
1--WE, the undersigned, do not blame any
one for the accident that happened to pen
US in here, and we believe that everybody
has done all in their power to relieve us.
With best wishes to all concerned"
The names of nineteen men were signed
to the note.