Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1920-07-10
AWARDS TO MINER
 FOR SPECIAL ACTS
 BRAVERY PERFORMED

MAvLhIfM UhFILD
 The Joseph A. Holmes Safety As sociation, the hero commission for the mining industry, today announced the awards to miners for special deeds of bravery in the saving of human life during the last three years in the United States. The gold hero medal is to be presented to four western miners and to the nearest surviving relatives of three others, who sacri- ficed their lives in their attempts to rescue other miners. from death. It is expected that the formal award of the medals will be made by Dr. Fred erick G. Cottrell, Director of the Bureau of Mines and President of the Association, during the International First Aid and Mine Rescue Contest at Denver, Colo., Sept 9, 10 and II, at which miners will be present from all parts of the country. Similar con- tests are held each year under the aus pices of the Bureau of Mines for the development of rescue and first aid men for the mines and in which med als are awarded to the teams most expert in life saving.
 The men who will be awarded gold hero medals and diplomas and the deeds they performed are as follows:
 John L. Boardman, of Butte, Mont, safety engineer for the Anaconda Copper Co.,, who lone-handed saved three miners from terrible death in the West Colusa mine of the company and assisted in the rescue of fourth. A fire in the Leonard copper mine, ad- joining the West Colusa mine, filled the latter mine with poisonous gases. Boardman, wearing the oxygen rescue apparatus familiar to rescuers, at the risk of his life, entered the gas-filled mine four separate times to save life.
 The next to receive the gold hero medal will be Daniel Bionvitch of Bi- walik, Minn., an employee of the Bal kan Mining Company. A fire broke out in the Belgrade mine of the com pany in which one life was lost and many others jeopardized.. Three tim es Bionvitch drove his electric locomo- tive through smoke and gases, bring ing out helpless men, and finally, a fourth time he brought out fellow worker.
 A third\ and fourth medal will be awarded to James Collins and James Dilimirk, both of Mullen, Idaho, and employees of the Gold Hunter Mining and Smelling Company of that place. While endeavoring to reach two en- tombed men in the mine, they them selves were caught by a cave-in and imprisoned for fifteen hours, when rescued they were buried to the shoul- ders. The two men they were eh- .deavoring to rescue, Peter F. Grant and Emil Sayko, were finally brought from the mine alive, after having been entombed for more than fourteen days. Fellow-employees took seven days to drill hole through to the inn prisoned men, and by this means fur nished them with food, water and silk clothing, after they had been without food for five days and without water for four days.
 Three other heroes, miners for the North Butte Mining Co.,, at Butte, Mont, sacrificed their lives in trying to save others. The nearest living relative of each of the three men will be at Denver during the First Aid and Mine Rescue Contest and will re- ceive from Dr. Cottrell the gold nicd- als and diplomas detailing the heroic deeds of the dead men.
 On June 8, 1917, fire occurred in the Speculator shaft of the NorCh Butte Mining Co. When the fire started, Michael Conroy and Peter Sheridan of Butte, both employees of the Co. started down into the mine to save their fellow-men, but before they reached them the fresh air which had been coming down the shaft reversed, allowing hot and poisonous gases to come up the shaft. When the. cage was hoisted to the surface, the Bodies of the two brave men were found on the cage burned to crisp. The rela- tives of these two men will receive the medals.
 James D; Moore, another miner at the same fire, went through the nnlne attempting to bring the miners to the surface. After he had collected sev- en men, he was driven back by smoke and decided that the only hope would be to build a bulkhead as protection against the gases and remaln behind it until rescued. Under his direction the bulkhead was erected, requiring five hours for completion aud inclos- ing the party of eight men. They ob- tained air from a compressed line nearby. With nothing to do put wait,