Chester Camp Wins Medal of Honor, Winn Parish, LA
Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483
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>From the May 5, 1955 Winn Parish Enterprise-New American

Camp Gets Medal of Honor for Heroism


Chester L. Camp of Winnfield, veteran Carey Salt Company miner, is one of
three Louisianans awarded the Medal of Honor of the Joseph A. Holmes Safety
Association for heroism in saving life in the mineral industries.

J. J. Forbes, director of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and president of the
Association, said this is how Camp and Scroggins earned their medals:

"Both Camp, 49, and Lt. (J. G.) Billy O. Scroggins, 23, U. S. Navy, of
Natchitoches, received medals for knowingly risking their lives to rescue an
unconscious worker after an outburst of gas in the Company's mine at
Winnfield.  The man rescued was Julius Smith of Jordan Hill community.

"The outburst occurred when a routine blast opened a gas pocket.  Gas covered
the working area, in which there were six men, in a matter of seconds, cutting
off escape through the main shaft.

"Camp, who missed the main outburst, started a small fan to disperse the gas,
then led the men into old workings to fresh air and safety.  However, Julius
Smith, a shuttle-car operator, who was overcome almost immediately, was left
behind unnoticed.

"When they realized Smith was missing, Camp and several others made two
attempts to rescue him, but were forced to turn back by heavy concentration of
gas.  Meanwhile, the plant manager had obtained two oxygen breathing masks
from nearby Natchitoches.

"Home on leave in Natchitoches and familiar with the type of breathing
apparatus obtained, Lieutenant Scroggins arrived at the mine and offered to
try to rescue Smith, although he did not know the shuttle-car operator and had
never been underground before in his life.

"The young Naval officer first accompanied mine foreman Roy F. Miller into the
mine to start the main ventilating fan, which had stopped shortly after the
outburst.  This took three minutes, and the apparatus he was using was good
for 15 minutes.

"Scroggins and Camp, who knew where the shuttle-car operator had been working,
then took the mine locomotive and, knowing they had very little oxygen, went
into the gas-filled area after Smith.  Finding him, they returned on the
locomotive, but were forced to do without oxygen for the last half of the
return trip.  Smith was revived with a respirator and rushed to Winnfield
General Hospital where he recovered quickly."

(Submitted by Greggory Ellis Davies, Winnfield, Winn Parish, LA.)