Hero in rescue of two men in mine honored

Thursday, Nov. 19, 1998 | 11:18 a.m.

A dollar bill and a pack of cigarettes is a sign that few men would be able to read. Luckily for two Las Vegas men, who became trapped in an abandoned mine in October, Fred "Bill" Pennington new what that sign meant.

Pennington, 71, was honored on Wednesday by the Clark County Fire Department for discovering the two men after they had been trapped in the mine for nearly three days with no food or water.

Without Pennington finding the men, on Oct. 14 in a mine about 1.5 miles west of the intersection of Durango Drive and Warm Springs Road, both would have likely died from thirst, firefighters said.

"I just started prospecting out here Monday, and every morning I'd see a truck parked out here, so today I decided to see if there was anyone up by this mine," Pennington said on Oct. 14 as firefighters worked to get the two men out of the mine. "I noticed a dollar bill with a rock on it and a pack of cigarettes near the entrance, so I called down and they answered that they needed help."

Pennington then went back down out of the foothills and called the fire department.

The two men had fallen down a 50 foot vertical drop in the mine shaft with one man injuring his head and the other breaking ribs and an ankle. Both men were taken to University Medical Center, where they were treated for their injuries.

As a retired prospector Pennington said that he knew that when people go into a mine they usually leave something sitting outside to let others know that there are people in the mine.

Pennington received a certificate of Appreciation on Wednesday for his part in the rescue. The certificate was presented to Pennington by Clark County Fire Chief Earl Greene at the East Flamingo Fire Station.