The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-11-24
Many Heroes Worked necessarily to
Keep Alive Hope I'm Breasts of
Imprisoned Men.

CHERRY, Ill.,, Nov. 20.-The
gamut from the deepest despair to a
hysteria of hope was run here today,
when 20 miners entombed in the st.
Paul mine for week, almost to an
hour, were brought to the surface
alive. The story of their suffering
and the heroism of their resourceful
leaders is one of the most thrilling in
the black history of mining disasters.
Dawn broke with bearers of
stretchers moving from the pit mouth
to a tent which served as a morgue,
with bodies swollen and scorched al
most beyond human semblance. Forty
of them had been brought up. and
most of them identified, when the
marvellous report shot through the
PROSTATE community: They've found
them alive. They've found them
alive"
Crowd Goes Wild.
In moment the morgue was de-
serted, and the crowd, fairly insane
with a great hope that had sprung
like a miraculous fame from the
ashes of despair. rushed to the pit.
All thoughts were for the men who
were alive. 1t took six hours to
Meanwhile the report spread that
70 or more were alive in gulch of
the mine cut off from escape by a
bank of black-damp between their
barricades and the main shaft.
With hope born afresh expectant
ones refused to believe anything but
the best and haunted the mine late
into the night, Selling at every straw
came the report of fire which had
broken out anew, and hope fell rap
idly. Each time the signal sounded
from the hoist for cage to come up
from the depths, the noise of the
awaiting crowd subsidized into muir
mlsring expectancy And as the res
cuers with their burdens passed
through the lane formed by the
crowd and the soldiers. anxious ones
peered into the faces of survivors
with the hope of recognizing a loved
one. '"
A Critical Climax.
Everybody keep quiet please;
don't cheer whispered the guards.
1t was a critical moment. Mothers
and wives stretched forth arms
murmuring "Billie" or Frank and
pied for an answer. overcome by
appeals for news a rescuer cried out:
We've got George Eddy here "Oh,
George" came a womans piercing
cry from the crowd. lis it you!
Come here, George here l am wait
ing for you" Eddy a mine inspec-
tor, was too weak to reply and was
carried to the car which was waiting
to receive him and the other fortu-
nate men who had escaped death in
the horrible disaster.
William CIeIland n Hero.
A dramatic moment was when
William Clelland was brought up,
His own brother. who came from
South Wilmington on news Oh tine
disaster, brought him to the SURFACE
and did not know it. He did not
recognize his brother. who was
wrapped in blankets. and when toid
who his burden was collapsed ana
reouired medical attention. Clelland
was one of the heroes of the tragedy,
He was one of the leaders whose ad-
vice was instrumental in saving
MANY of his fellows. 1t was Clelland
who twice daily during the incarcer-
alton led the survivors in prayer, and
it was Clelland's rich baritone VOICE
leading them in abide with Me
several times daily which lent cour-
age to many of the men. George
Eddy was another of the leaders
whose courage and brains helped TO
save the little band from death, ana
some of the foreigners, notably an
Italian. whose wise counsel did much
to keep the foreigners at ease.