| Show r WILLIS TALE OF K T IMPRISONMENT L. L B. B Hicks Rescued After Fifteen Fifteen teen Days in m Total ri Darkness t PINNED BENEATH TRAMCAR Inhabitants of California Ton Toun 11 Join f lu in Celebrating Success of ur Iti I i I Relief Keller Party I it V.-r V. A Ca Cal Dec 2 22 2 Entomb Entombed I 1 r ed ell In tho rho bowels of the thc earth beneath f f tons tuns of stone and dirt of a collapsed tunnel L L. B B. Hi nicks cL s the miner who wh y r for lor fifteen days da s 's faced death eath was 41 t d this evening by a gang sang of his felt fel- fel f d' d lo tor miners who have worked t f to save him t Hicks was nearly y crazed w with jo joy 2 when his rescuers drew his weakened tr body from rein beneath the tramcar r i which he ha had been pinned since th the tho tunnel fell In In in Ica leaving him in darkness l and lId the plaything of oC a mocking death Tho hardened miners minors wept wet as Hicks Hick tried to thank them Outside de a a. crowd crowt wound the tunnel shaft had had- heard the tin signal Bakersfield was in a frenzy 01 of joy jo Cannon boomed and tho the bells belli in the churches tolled Men lIen and women of or the town flocked to lo th the streets ant and there held parties of congratulation Hicks was brought from his perilous position at G 30 this evening when hi his rescuers completed a scaffolding to tc prevent ent a fall of or boulders and dirt the thc timbering had been completed completed com com- Su Superintendent McClure of i ithe the mine reached down and grasped the imprisoned miner b by the hand Hicks lUcks was gently drawn up through tho the opening and as he emerged from rum the hole he ho was grasped under the arms by two miners who gently senti lifted him to his feet Hicks swayed like a 3 drunken man man the t sputtering ochre lights of the miners' miners lamps half haIr blinded blind blind- ed ld him and then a n realization came to him that ho was free flee Ho cr ry I Expected Hicks was taken front from the mouth ofHie of ot i Hie thie tunnel where he was held from the time timo of oC his rescue In order that he might hl get ct accustomed to the thc pressure outside air alt to the hospital that ha been arranged At l 11 o'clock h has he heMas as was apparently Jn In in even better spirits than when taken out of his living grave gT ave and wanted to go at once to tos Ills his s home The rhe doctors who had seen him agree that he Is little worse for his terrible experience and think withIn with with- In two days das he will be all aJl right God Gud bless bles you ou nil all for standing by byma mo ma was all that thal he could say sar but bur it was enough There In the caverns of or orthe the earth carth grim faced miters miners wept and arr air intended cheer stuck In their throats Dr placed dark glasses blas cs over Hickss Hicks's eyes es but the miner said raid that he hc did dill not need them as the light of the tho lamps did lid not bother him Ficks's jO joy on his release was al almost al- al most h hysterical He lau laughed hed and cried b by turns turps and Dr fearing fearing- a violent reaction gave him hima a mild sedative Stor Story ry o of the th Accident 10 When th crash came raid Hicks o tho tho- doctor l 1 was W working with other tn other ther men In tho the tunnel There Thero was a roar and a n. crash of stone and crunching timbers Umbers and then uth utter l. l blackness Pinned beneath a tramcar I heard the moans of dying men 1 tried to move and could not I s spoke to tu my companions but there was no 1 answer only the moans of the wound wound- ed cd Death came to them and there was silence I tried to move mo m my legs and tO found them gripped b by boulders and earth On each side of me I could feel the earth arth and stone Ju Just t above m my head hea was was the foot of or one of the men I could touch louch the shoe It seemed days das in that fearful silence sil- sil ence and I talked to lo myself to keep keel from going mad I thought of myself growing g weaker el and find weaker while hunger and thirst prevailed 1 tried but bul the dreams were worse than the tortures of m my waking hours I called to lo my companions again Hud and again but there was no answer Then I wondered how many feet of or stone and d dirt la lay between me mc and daylight h t. t I pictured to m myself sc the rescuing party part working madly to release the men menca ca caught In the tho wreckage below Perhaps Per Per- Perhaps h haps ps the they have given up up any hope of reaching anyone behind that mass mas s of earth and have ha stopped work I thought I yelled in my agony On hoping that my voice would reach those above me mc but there was no answering call Only silence My God the silence of that place My I breathing sounded bounded ed like the thc roar of waves and when I talked to myself m my voice was vas flung un back and forth In that nurr narrow ow hole until It died away in a faint whisper Then Theft 1 I thought of or the signals 51 nals and began began beJan be be- gan Jan tapping on a n. rail with a rock First Sound of Rescuer soil Jod knows know how lon long It l I lh II henis h eternity for lor night and day were the same cause in that hole of hell when 1 J L heard d ird a tanning above nho me mc I 1 lau hie tta cri cried d and antl ant yelled until I fainted d from horn exhaustion I J was eras wa to be saved ISU cd shove Above hove m my head I heard a si burrowing burrowing lIke like a rat at wor work k In plaster r walla and Rd chamber chamber cham cham- the th Hen Then I the pas gas pipe penetrated ber her A called ll to me and a asked ni me If I i was hurl hurt 1 I that thal I It was not notI 1 I I pinched myself fearing tearing that tha t I nil might gem Itt hey be dreaming But Hut I was was not and d then 1 cursed 1 q myself for r ever thinking tl tin the heaven hov would not work worl through h ayt and hell in hope of saving sa u a buddy huddy s life For Ivor many many- hours I was happy In tic the thought of rescue and lien thon came the theof i terrific thought that than In the work of rescue the tho boulder above c might h be plunged down on la my 1111 head I through IJ the pipe pip to the men to to be care carrk ful I 1 told them of or the thc lie heavy erred roc rock heat head half halt suppo supported that th l lay 13 o over or r my by broken timbers limbers and the lie ram Fear ear of death came a to o me even en v stronger Itron cJ than lhnn at first Sometimes I J Jima or of u the title pile moment ima Imagined very every debris would crush cruh me to death death And nl then I would be filled led with hope hop of ur if reN- reN of first were e cn rue 1 The pangs my t I and It seemed mcd at s limb as I Ir If f m my j oat MM-oat would burst opi-n opi with the Uio er C The Tho milk milk that thal the follows fellows poured down the be best l rum tint that I l that that Iron Ire pipe wan WH ever had In my life life- II f. f MS aW mu II the tle l at nt box J 1 hard the music p H it Hr and I can con tell you end nd of or the lie tube wonderfully I thought of r cheered cored me roe with th l the H boy s in n I the IP good old 1111 times would li neld and wondered If Ir they he would 0 nt I vcr ever ver ha Im pen a again Jf 1 n. n Then I Imagined the faces of ru my dead con com companions could see lo no grinning at me I y yelled veiled e to tobe pinions that thal Jims Jim's foot had above th be the men k noVed and that I could see sec dead men laughing In every Ciery corner Saved front From hadn't ho nt y yelled lIld r If It Old Red Johnson pipe that h ho he would wouldn I e that down think hll I head off I wallop my down n and ond brought Red Old nC mad have gone Jonc would II u I feared reared every moment t tJ me to myself would J That working above roc me w that t the 11 c men wo loosen tint that boulder an and d drop dror It dor down r tho the moro more I though thoUght t chest and upon my mine mure l Ul A t I became or it tile tuc he when r Glad to be free tree Yes and t E I get around again Ill I'll give lh the boys aline a 0 time line in old they wont won't forget forget for for- g get t In a it year perhaps Hicks Dr says will be entirely recovered within a a. few tew days I His Ills physical condition Is hl quite good considering his confinement but his hla nerves r are arc badly shaken en I If Hicks leks cou could Id ha hive have be been n rescued earlier In tho the day but bul his hl friends were not willing to lu permit him to lo take the chance of crawling through h the hole under the car which pinned him Hicks I himself told the miners that he feared that the tho drifts of gravel and dron rock k kt ht slip down do with t n a nAll alight lI ht Jolting All day lone bits of sand Hand and pebbles fell 11 upon the lie Imprisoned miner and I the rescuers were forced for the fifth time lime to change their plans A tunnel was WlM built out of f timber to the cavern where herp he was Imprisoned and after aler It hind bad boon been strengthened with scaffold In ing 1 Hicks who had so heroically watt walt waiter er te rd for rescue for or over nver two weeks was and life drawn out to freedom lot Vot a n wheel line has turned In the he great reut I Edison on plant since the tunnel tuel cave in cave In and Bakersfield ba has Riven Iven thought lor to lo nothing r else for two weeks lint hut Hicks Hicks' r rescue escue |
