The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-11-21

uieu 10 throw up barrier, but 1t wa
pltch dark and we did not get alOnE
well All the time we breathed bad gas
L mad nothing 10 eat of my own, but
cheWed bark and drank water. We go
the water by making little holes in tn,
bottom of the entry We made five O.
these holes and there was always somt
one at them. 1t was our principal food
Ihats how all the coal dust got into oul
boards, because we always were trying
to drink"
English Sang; italians Prayed.
Whist did you do all those days yor
were penned IMP
Why, we all said goodbye to each
AT first the English among US sang
songs, and the Italians wers all the time
praying. but after a while We were al
| too weak to move about
| Nobody reached US today; we reached
| them. We wanted-more water, and We
craWled over our own barrier and start
| ed. We did not know where we were,
and were always falling over things. We
walked about ten feet apart so as to not
| fall in each other.
The last fall in nearly blocked the
| passage and we had to worm our way
| through a long aperture scarcely big
enough to hold US. We were dreadfully
| weak.
I'VE had breathed much poison. Then
we saw the rescuers who had come down.
There was no cheering. We Just sat down
and let them take care of us. That was
! all. Nobody had voice enough to cheer,
and hardly enough to talk
Suoacus was the only man allowed to
go to his home for several hours, the
doctors fearing that the men would eat
too much. But the Lithuanian grew so
excited at being kept from his wife and
children that 1t was thought best to al
low him to have his own way.
Last Messages Written.
George Eddy, a hero among the heroes
who escaped from the St. Paul mine, in
the darkness and despair of his position
made shift to write a few words of cour-
age to his wife. The letter follows:
November 14-Dear Wife and Chill
dren-I write these few lines to you and I
think it will be for the last time. 1 have
tried to get out twice, but was drove back.
There seems to be no hope for us.
came down this shaft 70 help save the
mems lives. 1 hope the men L got out
was saved. Well, Lizzie, if 1 am found
dead, bury me in Streator and move back.
Keep Esther and Clarence and Jimmie to-
gether as much as you can. l hope they
will not forget their father, so I will bid
you all goodbye and God bless you all.
(Signed) GEORGE EDDY"
On the reverse side Of this letter, writ
ten on leaf torn from a notebook, was
the following from Walter Waite:
Blamed No One.
November 1--we, the undersigned. do
not blame anyone for the accident that
happened to pen us in here, and we be-
lieve that everybody has done all in their
power TO relieve US. With best wishes to
all concerned. (Signed)
Frank Waite, John Brown, Thomas
White, John Lorimer, Jack Higate, Sal
vatore Higate, Lawrence Frederick, Q.
Antonore, Frank Zanarini Leopold De-
mond, Bonfelo Roggarii, George Shimits
John Shimits, William Clelland, Fred
Bieraski, Frank Preraski, John Beronas,
George Eddy, Walter Waite"
Stout-Hearted CIelIand,
From survivors who were seen, the high
est praise for fortitude and leadership is
accorded William Clelland. Twice daily
Clelland, who is a stauEch churchman,
hymn, the words Of which even some OF
the foreigners picked up. was abide
With Me-" Twice daily Clellan's rich
Scotch brogue arose IN the dark cavern
with the grand words;
abide with me-
Fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens.
Lord, with me abide"
Twice daily CleIland delivered a blunt,
stouthearted sermon, cheering on the fall
tering men.
Keep up your hearts, lads; God is
with US. Don't despair. Others have been
shut off from the light of day as we are,
and in Gods good time come out alive"
is the way one Of his sermons is quoted.
great is his mercy" Then followed the
Lords prayer invariably.
Mule Also Alive.
Imprisoned with the miners was a live
mule, which, owing to a Slavish super
When CleIland and Lorimer started out
to find more water, trip that led to
their ultimate delivery, dozen or more
men remained temporarily behind.
IF we don't succeed in getting water
kill the mule
At these Instructions the Iithuaulans
held up their hands in horror. for they
had a superstition that, If In such an ex-
tremity they sought to prolong their own
lives even at the sacrifice Of a dumb
brute, they would surely die.
Rather than take this chance they
speedily followed the trail OF those who
had started to obtain water.
Lived on Tobacco and Leather.
George semnferich's inexperienced eff
forts to make the contents of his lunch
pail last as long as possible, shows how
pressed the imprisoned men were for
food.
Semmerich's pail contained four slices
of bread, one piece of pie and a huge dill
pickle. Semmerich's estimate of how
long this food would last, proved woeful-
ly wrong, for, deducting what he gave
others. it had all disappeared within "a
hours.
Fortunately the prisoners stin had a
practically unimpaired plug of tobacco.
From this they extracted all the nourish-
ment and then swallowed the quid.
This diet kept Semmerich's stomach In
so feverish condition that for the three
days the supply lasted he experienced
practically no pangs of hunger. The
leather band Of his cap was next pressed
into service as a substitute for tobacco
and as destroyer Of appetite served
quite as well as tobacco. His gloves fol-
lowed.
1T was not very sustaining" said Sem
merich, land I got pretty weak. but II
was better than being hungry all the
time"
Story Of One of Rescue Crew.
One Of the leaders Of the rescuing gang
was David =. Powell, mine superinten-
dent OF Braceville, III. Powell, a tan. !
muscular ruddy-cheeked old man. with
lron-srey hair. went on duty at a. m
His story follows:
We were going along what is known |
as the second south entry or gallery. and |
were passing gallery shooting off from
THIS, known as the second west when
stopping for a moment, ] heard some |
pounding and what sounded to me like a |
rant voice. / turned to the fellows. and /
SAID, Listen. ] thought / heard a voice |
still alive -0'io"9
We listened again and what appeared |
20 De the voice and the pounding con-
tinued- At that we started at brisl, /
pace 10 Where we thought the men were |
ana round there an obstruction. Before /
We had the obstruction down we knew |
.or certain that live men were behind IN
Tor we called and talked to them re, |
"One of the men behind the obstruction
work for me- ~