Banning High School - San Gorgonian Yearbook (Banning, CA)

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The Explosion at R»,avensdale ) RIESE is a little coal-mining town in the northwes- ern part of Washington. The population was fifteen hun- dred and the majority were men who worked in the mines. These mines were unusually dangerous for the reason that it seemed im possible to control the gases. No matter how hard the superin- tendent tried to enforce the safety rules the danger still prevailed. In spite of this fact they were unwilling to abandon it because of its richness. Every morning they dampened the mine down. This prevented to some extent the danger from black damp, or coal dust, which mixes with the gas and explodes. The workmen were naturally much interested in mine rescue work and after working-hours they drilled, always keeping in mind the fact that some day it might be the means of saving life. The day of the accident was like a hundred other winter days, cold, damp and misty. Every man on the day shift had left his home. The wash house was crowded with men from the . night shift, some still black with the grime of the mines. The mines had again settled down to their hum of toil. Suddenly a loud report rent the air. As if directed by one mind every man ran for the windows. Another explosion follow ed, then just the smoke pouring out of the shaft. Something had happened at the mines. All the men crowded to the doors; some one threw them open and they all ran pell-mell for the mouth of the mines. Fire was now spreading in great tongues. By this time the women and children crowded near, too. It was a rule of the company to try to give the men with families work on the day shift, in order that they might enjoy their homes at night. So it was the husbands and fathers who had been caught by the explosion. At the report the women and children had rushed down to the mines. Some of them were only partly dressed and they stood shivering with fear and cold at the mouth of the mines. Only one man seemed to know what to do. He was a little man whom every one had ridiculed when he gallantly offered to train the Mine Rescue Team. But he had been made captain over men twice his size and at this time proved his worth, I’m sure. He now called his men together, ordered them to buckle on their suits and start the rescue work. By this time guards had beeen placed at the entrance shaft to prevent the nearly fran. tic women from attemptins to enter the mines. PAGE SEVENTEEN ta

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The San Gorgonio Pass spe pass was once filled with many tribes of Indians. Over each tribe presided a chief. Sometimes thes e chiefs were warlike and sometimes peaceful. The most important of these chiefs were Cabazon and Juan Antonio, who was probably part Spanish. In those days this whole pass was covered with a rank growth of wild grasses, mesquite, yucca, cactus and many varie- ties of wild flowers. Herds of antelope roamed the plains unmo- lested. Grizzly bears and mountain lions frequently attacked the settlers’ stock. In 1855 the first government surveyors arrived in the pass and established boundary lines. After this many more settlers, attracted by the fine pasture lands, bringing with them herds of cattle and sheep, arrived. In 1861 a stage line was established from Los Angeles to Ehrenburg, Arizona. Later this stage line was operated by Gen- eral Banning, for whom this town was named. In 1862 an epidemic of smallpox swept the country, killing hundreds of Indians. Among those who died was Chief Juan An- tonio. After this the Indians were so few in number they were no longer troublesome. The Southern Pacific railroad was established in 1876. This made the country much more desirable for settlers. It made transportation easier and opened a way for the present industries. Gradually the once uncultivated pass grew into our thriving com- munity. MARIAN GILMAN, ’20. PAGE SIXTEEN

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The little band of men went bravely down into the threaten- ing blackness, perhaps to death. Three-quarters of an hour of suspence for those waiting, then one after another the men staggered to the air, each one carrying upon his shoulders a dead comrade. Brave though they were this rescue team could not carry on the work unaided. So a general alarm was sent to all the Mine Rescue Teams in the state. Every one rallied to the cause. All the First Aid Teams came, too. The oxygen tanks, which were strapped on the back of each rescuer, had to be filled every eight hours. There were times when members of the crew had to be carried up. The First Aid Team worked faith- fully to try to save the precious lives. They used pulmotors. A mask was placed over the nose and mouth, and by pumping oxy- gen into the inert bodies they were sometimes successful in re- storing respiration. Some of the men seemed possessed of superhuman strength. Time after time they came up merely to take a cup of strong black coffee and returned to the awful work of digging out the unfortunate laborers. Some of them worked for thirty-six hours without sleeping. Three days and three nights they toiled on, never giving up hope of finding at least some of the men alive. Once a note book was found beside two men. The last en- try was written three hours before the rescue party arrived. The toll of life was one hundred fifty-six. Only four lives were saved. Ravensdale is just a deserted village now. It took a hundred fifty-six human lives to teach the people that money got at such risk was not worth having. VIVIAN GWENDOLYN BOTTING, ’18. Ey EEE PAGE EIGHTEEN