Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-11-29
SURVIVOR OF CHERRY MINE DIS.
AsTER RELATES HITHERTO
UNTOLD INCIDENT.
TEN.YEAR-oLD BOY REscuEs
FATHER AND COMPANIONS
Brothers Clasp Hands at Mouth of
Shaft After Both Escape-Many Tel
esrams From Relatives Of Missing
Remain Unanswered-other News of
the Day.

Minneapolis, Nov. Gan astonish
ing story of child heroism, hitherto
overlooked in the excitement and grief
of the Cherry, Ill.,, mine disaster, was
told last night by Arnold Johnson, one
OF the survivors. Still nervous and with
the horrors which he witnessed indel-
IDLY impressed on his mind, he rested a
few hours at the home of his aunt. in
Minneapolis. His brother was with him.
They are on their way to the home Of
their father, Henry Johnson, at Will
mar MINI, Mrs. Lena Palmer. 1872
Fifth street S. is the aunt After
hearing from the lips of her nephew
the real story of the experience of one
she did not before the catastrophe
which will give Cherry, H., place
in the records of mine disasters.
Finds Brother Alive.
One of the hundreds of affecting
scenes at the mouth of the mine at
Cherry was the meeting of Julius john
son, 90 years old, and his brother Ar
mold, the survivor. The latter is but
IS year old. kilograms had been sent
by the father of the young miner, but
We're not delivered. julius Johnson was
sent to the mine to bring home, as he
supposed, the dead body of his younger
brother.
Instead. he is returning to wilmar
with a live man, who has a most
thrilling story 10 relate. Even more re-
markable than his own escape is his
story of a little boy hero. Perhaps this
child's name never will be known. HIS
identity was lost in the wild rush that
followed his little cry of warming
Down in the very lowest level there
We're fully 200 men at work" said
young Johnson, as he paced back and
forth in the parlor of his aunt's home.
Every one of those 900 owes his life
to that little boy. want the world
to know what that child did.
Six Bales of Hay.
ITO tell the story of his heroism,
must start at the beginning. The fire
that cost so many lives was due to six
bales of hay and miners lamp. The
hay was being lowered down the shaft
for the mules. The electric light wire
at the opening of the second vein was
out of order and torches were used.
These set fire to the bales just as they
were ready to be sent down to the
third vein. The man in charge of the
cage got excited and instead Of lower
ing it slowly he tipped one of the ends
and allowed the burning bales to drop
! $50 feet to the bottom of the third VEIN
Before help could come the woodwork
around the shaft caught fire and the
terrible calamity occurred"
while hundreds of men worked
in the different levels that fire burned.
They did not know it was burning their
lives away. They did not know there
was a fire at all. The miner who set fire
| to the hay realized that he could not
put it out, and he fed without giving
the alarm. l was near the mouth of
the shaft.
But that little boy. His father
was at work with the 200 men in the
lowest shaft He and his father have
always been chums. tho now, nerv-
Gus as I am, I can not recall their
names. The boy passed the mouth of
the shaft during the Afternoon. He saw
child in a mining town knows what a
fire in a mine means.
| Child to Rescue.
"The lad could not have been more
than 10 years old, but he jumped to
the Sage and lowered away He knew
his father was down below there some
where.
Papa! Papa!' the lad cried at
each level Papa, there is fire! l
wish the voice of that child could have
reached all the men. OF course the up
per levels are the old ones and are
1 longer. Some are more nan mile
long. The men Were at work in the
far ends and the lads voice did not
reach them.
LAS the child, a miner by nature
descended his voice kept ringing out
crying the danger. Down where the
fire was hottest that little lad went.
"sPapa. papa. The mines On fire!
he screamed as he left the cage at the
lowest level and ran toward the miners
whom he could family hear at worl
! some distance away, unconscious OF
their peril. At last the childs voice
!. reached the father and his companions
The father picked the little fellow VI
and the two hundred made their dasl
!; for. safety They all got out. Their
never would have been chance fol
them if it had not been for that boy