El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-12-17
RESCUE WORKERS
QUICK TO RESPOND
Director Of Mines Bureau
Pays Tribute to Safe
ty First Men.

Washington, D. c., Dec. 17.-From
the increasing number of reports being
received by the United States bureau
of mines, of miners rescued from death
in accidents, it is becoming apparent
to the officials that the general
Safety First movement, inaugurated
by the bureau, has already reached a
stage of great effectiveness. Hundreds
of mines throughout the country.
through the precept and urging of the
bureau have established rescue and
first aid crews and 1t IS from these
crews of volunteer heroes that the
bureau is almost weekly hearing of
lives saved Most Of the accidents in
volve but few men and are not chron-
icied in the newspapers, yet in every
instance the reports breathe of the
rarest sort Of heroism upon the part
OF the rescue crews.
Since the bureau Of mines was ere
ated,' said DR.. Joseph A. Holmes, di-
rector of the bureau of mines today,
in speaking of this part OF the work,
our rescue men have trained 5000
miners in the use of the modern rescue
apparatus and 1000 miners in the prin-
clples of first aid 10 the injured.
All through the year these men
have been answering the emergency
call of the mines, in many instances
rushing into death, in the faint hope
of bringing back a father to his fam
lily or a young man to his mother.
number OF reScuerS have had their
names added to the long roll of mar
tyrS. The SaddeSt incident of the year
was when two young men gave up
their lives at the Dawson, New Mexico,
disaster, while endeaVOring to rescue
the entOmbed men. Their sacrifice
was purely a voluntary matter, like
the acts of any other rescuer. They
died like the courageous men they were
and there were other rescuers, equally
as courageous ready and waiting to
take their places in the ranks.
THE bravery of the miners has never
been questioned. There has never
been a time when more volunteers
than needed did not respond There
has always been a rescuer to step into
the vacant place in the ranks And
when the reScuer goes to his death,
he is not spurred on by martial music,
the roll of drums, the crack of rifle
fire, like the soldier of war. There
are no TOlleys of cheers to nerve him
to the ordeal. His is the grim, silent,
desperate task in the darkness Of the
bowels of the earth. His incentive is
the consciousness that he is perform
ing the highest duty that is possible
for fellow man. And unlike the
battlefield. the world thrills for day
over the herOism and the sacrifice Of
the hero and then forgets him. There
are no battle anniversaries to quicken
the memory Of the world as to his
feats, no campfires Of the veteran sur
yivors to live anew the Yalor of the
dead hero.
7 cannot refrain here from paving
my humble tribute to the bravery of
the rescuers Of the bureau of mines
who have not only trained this great
army of volunteer rescuers, but who
also responded to the disaster call
whenever it came. They are the SOL
diers of our Industrial army who rise
t. the sublimest heights of courage
when there is the life of a fellow be-
ing in the balance. Since the bureau
was created, three of the bureaus he'll
met men have met their deaths in the
mines"