The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1909-12-04


the crowd surged toward the rescued
men In wave that It seemed would
overwhelm them. The militia sprang
forward. AS the cots passed the fig
ures beneath could be seen to move.
The crowd bent forward, straining
every energy to see who 1t was that
lay beneath the cloth. Then almost
simultaneously, from 80 throats. went
up the CRY, They're alive"
The militia were swept out Of the
way like fence of straws. ~
Suddenly Capt. Hall threw up his
hand.
Men," he shouted, you'll kill these
men II 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 man on one of the cots lifted
his mask of canvas and looked out at
the crowd with weak grin. That
gave touch Of humor to the situation
and the crisis was over.
Wives Meet Husbands.
After the men had been taken to
the hospital there came a pause, and
then the relatives of the saved men
we're 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
skill the 10 men with them must have
persisted. Eddy is the assistant man.
ager of the mine. He is 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
the topography of his own back yard.
When the general alarm Of fire was
given these two men dashed toward
the main shaft. They found the way
barred by fire and turned back. Com
ing up behind them they found 10
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 dis
tant gallery of the mine in which the
air was found to be comparatively
pure. The two commanders ordered
the men to knead the mine dust with
water found in the floor of the drift,
and make rough bricks. With these
a wall was built up that shut on the
gallery from the rest of the mine, and
effectively kept or the black damp.
Then vein of coal was pierced by
Eddy and Waite, who knew that In ev-
cry coal vein water can be found. A
regular system of policing was estab-
lished, little state was formed in
a closed mine gallery 300 feet under
the crest of the earth. Members Of
this society were advised and disci-
plined. The fact was impressed on
all that the safety of the whole party
depended upon the good behavior Of
the individual.
The food was divided so as to pre-
vent 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 privations, the crisis came. The
men had almost lost hope. One OF
their number, who for hours had been
showing signs of insanity, ran to the
life-saving wall and beat part Of 1t
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 stag
gered 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
dawn 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 rescue
came. At last a conference was held
and 1t was decided to make dash
for liberty. A small hole was cut in
the wall. and eight men, headed by
David Waite. passed through. They
advanced through the dreaded black
damp zone with beating hearts. Moth
ing 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 It was the
rescuers from above. They had at last
cut through the heavy fall of coal that
choked the passage from the main