The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-04-05

explained that AFTER the exnioSfon
they had walled themselves In with
the idea Of keeping the poisonous
gases rom reaching hem. As soon
a. the air had c.eared through the
efforts OF the rcscuers In bringing
fresh air up TO where they had bar
ricadcd themselves, they made their
way cat. The men tod Paul that no
others were alive in that part Of the
mine. huut fhe work OF the rescuueurs
vac rcdouhicc.
\ Thrilling Rescue
bHc Of Ac pNyGt n-FeSCuC crews,
ooupf sed Of Bureau If Mines men
and trained 7niucrs from Gary West
Nlrc ria, proceeded for more than
mile with ,reir apparatus under or
ders from Paul. They were headed
ny Government BesCuer W. j. Ger
Amau. Mr. Paul gave orders to take
my crew atralsht 10 ten left says
German ~ hen we reached there We
found a note IN the main entry. which
Eead To.ty-tWo men alive in ten
rift March 3. 1915. at 4.3e =. NJ.
After rcadipE the note We advanced
ABOUT ESQ feot until We found a tight
stone stopping This proved to us that
The men had bratticed themselves in
behind ~. ! sent :. member of the
crew haCl IT, Mr.. Paul. asking him
u send strctsher crew and blankets.
WAeu they returned with the State
INSPECTORS, Nc had torn down the
stone stopping and had advanced up
the entry about 200 feet further until
We found "a second stone stopping.
and could hear the cntombed men In
side. Whca Ne had hole through
tlse second stopping about two feet
eduaTo. Inspector Holiday and two
CT lis party crawled through, fol-
lowed by myself. Fe saw two open
lights burning hack in The entry. and
At once lallet, that these lights ne ex~
tla<8tshed, The miners were now
crawling down toward the opening in
the stopping. ordered them TO stay
back and I crawlcd through so that
oould help them through one at a
Time. with the assistance of my five
appar7tus mon, whom had ordered
to continue working Mt tearing down
the stopping IN order to make Tho
hole larger, Issw that the air had
cleared quite considerably and helped
tine mon through the hole and ordered
each man I" sit down close 60 the
ieft reh. Each man obeyed Df lsrTs
snd acter like "a child, After the
last man had come out. counted
TN hn~ Of men, which numbered forty
tWa { then lad all these men take
/ hold Of hands and pls ced my crew and
Holidays al intervals along the Inc
TO show the men light l placed
one Of tho cary men snd one OF the
inspectors crew at the end OF the
line and told the last man to follow
them TO he surface | then went G
the front Of the line and advanced
as quickly As possible to get stretcher
crews 5rga ni2ed 10 carry out the men
that were becoming too weak to walk.
] was very sick at the mine from the
gas, bat waited at the pit month I'M
III the last man had reached the CUR
face "
Another % the brave rescuers was
Nitius Killer of the United State
coai Company. Gary. West virginia,
who accompanied German. In de-
scrib.ns his experience he said:
when we tore down the Last stop
| ping the first five men came sliding
| headfirst down the pile Of slate. When
nc got through he asked me II We
sound the note that he had placed
two DAYS before, and showed a piece
Of bark in his mouth which he had
broken from the mine timbers He
he told me he had nothing to eat
for four days but the bark, but he
said he had plenty OF water
! oxygen Saved Him.
/ Coming ont with the men We
old man Whaien felt too weak 70
I walk, and | left one rescue man. wear
/ lng q machine to attend TO him until
/ could send man with n stretc her
/ 30 carry him cut shortly after left
/ Nhalcn an Italian dropped ont Of the
/ Inc. one or the resources attended to
him and ] administered oxygen from
q bottle, taking the oxygen from one
. OF tho apparatus when he felt better
al 40 AI hs- Aka A t,E .
same place the whole procession
stopped for rest and found one Of
/ the miners sitting on the left rib
He was telling me that his heart was
about 70 give out let him breathe
oxygen through the mouthptece Of
! my apparatus and few minutes later
lie said, 'You have about saved me
now, ! feel fine. After this he got
mp and commenced to walk out. In
the meantime men with stretchers
passed us and instructed them about
the two men who hGd been left be-
kind. Men with blankets started TO
arrive and distribute them among the
men 10 put around tSem when they
got the outside. We came to about
200 feet within the drift mouth where
DR. fynott. the Bureau Of Mines Sur
Geon, stopped the men, telling them
/ tu--rr' -r-atrttut7B with- their eats not
10 ea: anything but hot soup or coffee
and u lie down ana sleep after getting
out; and l. in broken Italian. told
Z he Italia rs the same thing. The men
got out OF the mine alright. 1t was
n pathetic sight. the rescued miners
hUeging and kissing the rescuers."
Res~srtcrs Exhausted.
I Although The reecuers were more
| than a mile from the entrance OF the
! mine when they discovered the forty
, Two men, a crew Consisting OF II. d.
Mason. Jr- assistant mining engineer
"t the i}ureau # Mines, and two
trained miners from Gary, under or
Geers penetrated further in the hope
Of aavine more entombed men. That
they were taking desperate chances
I Is evident from what Mason said:
''Thirtle. Toshie and myself were by
this time feeling rather weak and we
sat down and turned on the oxogen.
4 Toshie became completely exhausted
! and | was forced TO lie down on the
track, while Thirtle and myself sat
I down with him until he commenced
! to feel stronger. We proceeded once
! more. and when we encountered a
! trip Di loaded coal cars we were all
90 weak we bad considerable tronble
! getting through between the cars.
! Proccedins slowly another stop of
] five minutes was made al the seventh
! LEFT whore We all sat down against
the rib and breathed deeply from our