Subject: Proof of Life After Death
From: edconrad@prolog.net (Ed Conrad)
Date: 18 Nov 1996 11:02:54 GMT
Remember the ``Coal Mine Rescue'' episode on the documentary TV series
``Spirit of Survival"?
It was broadcast on the Discovery Channel a dozen times over the past
three years -- and it'll probably be aired again.
The following lengthy article, which appeared in the Hazleton (Pa.)
Standard-Speaker on May 30, 1990, shortly after David Fellin's death
two weeks before his 85th birthday, sheds much more light on the
subject.
---------------------------------
> Copyright (c) 1990
> Ed Conrad
> All Rights Reserved
--------------------------------
By ED CONRAD
Conclusive evidence of life after death actually has been available
for more than a quarter-century.
This opinion is shared by two of the world's foremost authorities on
death and dying, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and Dr. Bruce Greyson.
They agree that the proof had been provided by a pair of Pennsylvania
coal miners who, back in 1963, revealed that Pope John XXIII had
appeared to both of them at the same time during their 14-day
entombment following an underground cave-in near Hazleton, Pa.
Pope John had died in a hospital in Rome, Italy, on June 3, 1963, some
10 weeks before the cave-in.
David Fellin, one of the miners, personally had told Dr. Kubler-Ross
about the appearance of the deceased pontiff and provided details of
other mysterious, supernatural experiences which he, then 58, and
Henry ``Hank" Throne, then 28, had shared while cut off from the rest
of the world during the first five days of their grueling ordeal.
Among the remarkable things Fellin had told Dr. Kubler-Ross during a
day-long conversation in her home in Headwaters, Va., were the two
separate occasions that he insisted he and Throne had been out of
their physical bodies at the same time, during which they actually had
engaged in conversation.
Dr. Kubler-Ross, the internationally acclaimed author of numerous
books on death and dying, said she believed Fellin and stated that the
miners' miraculous rescue, the appearance of the deceased pope and the
out-of-body experiences shared by two persons at the same time --
never before documented -- is ``the evidence . . . that life does not
end when our physical body dies."
Dr. Greyson, then a psychiatrist at the University of Connecticut
Health Center and an official of The International Association for
Near-death Studies, had become acquainted with the incredible details
of the supernatural events connected with the cave-in only in the last
year of Fellin's life but had found them fascinating.
> ``I am most intrigued by the simultaneous experiences of David Fellin
> and Hank Throne, who apparently conversed while out of their bodies,"
> he stated. ``If they can corroborate each other's accounts, they could
> provide evidence for the reality of `The Other Side' beyond anything
> yet available."
When making that statement, Dr. Greyson, then the editor of The
Journal of Near-Death Studies, hadn't been aware that such
corroboration actually had taken place soon after Fellin and Throne
had been dramatically rescued.
After being pulled to the surface through a 17 1/2-inch bore hole on
Aug. 27, 1963, the two miners had been interviewed individually, then
together, by a pair of psychiatrists and a third staff member from the
Institute of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
These intriguing interviews, the subject of an article in the American
Journal of Psychiatry, offered the evidence that both men undoubtedly
had been mutual participants in a series of mysterious, supernatural
events, including the appearance of the late pontiff, and their joint
out-of-body experiences.
The Journal article stated that ``neither man exhibited evidence of
psychosis or marked mental abnormality when examined,'' yet dismissed
their similiar experiences as ``fantasies" and ``hallucinations." The
authors felt they had been caused by the miners' life-threatening
situation when entombed.
This was their conclusion even through both men independently had
described a variety of similiar unexplained occurences underground.
They had mentioned, among other things, that their darkened chamber
suddenly was illuminated with a bluish light; the deceased pontiff
appearing to them; and seeing a large number of men who were neither
miners nor members of the rescue party.
Fellin also revealed that, shortly after being rescued, he had been
interviewed for more than seven hours by the U.S. Navy Survival Team
headed by Lt. Richard Anderson, a medical doctor and psychiatrist.
Fellin said the day after his interview, Lt. Anderson visited his
hospital room and told him he was absolutely certain his experiences
were factual because Throne also had been interviewed for several
hours -- something Fellin hadn't even been aware of -- and their two
stories had meshed perfecltly.
> ``Dr. Anderson told me that our story MUST be true because it would be
> impossible for two people to concoct a story that would stand up so
> well during such lengthy interviews," said Fellin.
> "In fact, he told me if the President (Kennedy) or the pope (Pope Paul
> VI, who succeeded Pope John XXIII) would say our story wasn't true, I
> shouldn't argue with them but simply walk away because he KNOWS it's
> true."
It should be noted that all attempts to obtain a copy of Fellin's
taped interview or a transcript from the U.S. Navy in recent years has
been unsuccessful. In fact, Navy officials first denied knowledge of
Lt. Anderson but later -- in response to a request for information by
a U.S. congressman -- admitted that he had resigned from the Navy in
1964, the year following the cave-in and rescue..
Dr. Kubler-Ross said Fellin's revelations are ``obviously true'' and
emphasized that she is convinced that Pope John XXIII had much to do
with their survival.
``From the moment of the late pope's appearance until they were moved
out of the drillholes, he illuminated their cave with a bluish light
radiating from him," she stated.
> Dr. Kubler-Ross also was greatly impressed by the manner in which the
> two miners had survived the first five days following the cave-in,
> calling it ``a guideline for our miners, soliders, mountain climbers
> and all those at risk to face a similiar ordeal one day."
> She referred to their battle to stay alive as ``a story of faith,
> courage, and mutual care and respect . . ."
Concerning Fellin's claims of having shared two out-of-body trips with
Throne at his side, Dr. Kubler-Ross said she is certain they indeed
had taken place, calling them ``very real, as I am happy to witness
form my own life experiences."
Throne actually was the first to reveal the supernatural experiences
after being rescued, even though Fellin emphatically had warned him
not to do so. He said, just before Throne had been hauled to the
surface, he had grabbed him by the shirt and told him he'd better not
say a word about them because ``If you do, right away they'll say
you're nuts."
Throne failed to heed the advice and, in fact, had told several nurses
and attendants at Hazleton State General Hospital about a few of the
mysterious occurences soon after being flown there in a U.S. Navy
helicopter.
Throne also mentioned some of these mysterious events during an
exclusive interview he had granted to The Associated Press which had
appeared in newspapers worldwide. Fellin also had been interviewed by
the AP, during which he corroborated some of the things his companion
had related.
Commented Throne while being interviewed by AP:
> ``There were times we saw people who weren't there and lights that
> weren't there and doors that weren't there. Imagine seeing a regular
> house door down in the bottom of a mine.
> ``I'd sleep! I'd wake up. I'd see all kinds of lights and the actual
> figures of people. They now tell me these were hallucinations but the
> crazy thing is that Davey would see the things the same as I did."
Commented Fellin during his interview:
> ``Now they're trying to tell me those things were hallucinations, that
> we imagined it all. We didn't! Our minds weren't playing tricks on us.
> I've been a practical hard-headed miner all my life. My mind was clear
> down there isn the mine. These things happened! I can't explain them.
> I'm almost afraid to think what might be the explanation."
Fellin said just after granting these interviews to the wire service,
psychiatrists and psychologists began inferring that Throne, whose
interview was published first, temporarily had lost his sanity inside
the mine. This undoubtedly explains why Throne, who is still living,
had been reluctant to discuss these experiences after freely talking
about them in the first few days following his rescue.
Fellin decided to say nothing further about them for years because he
said he had become extremely angry that his companion's sanity had
been seriously questioned.
``If they wouldn't believe Hank (back in 1963), they sure as hell
wouldn't have believed me," said Fellin.
However, over the past five years before his death, Fellin had left
numerous notarized letters and taped conversations -- both audio and
video -- in which he vividly detailed a number of supernatural events
in which he insisted he had participated.
Fellin said he was absolutely certain he and Throne had been out of
their physical bodies because, the first time it happened, they
suddenly found themselves STANDING some 40-50 feet from the refuge
area with a crowd of normal-looking men on both sides of them. He said
he then looked over his shoulder and saw him and Throne still SITTING
back in the enclosure.
Fellin said he needed additional proof that it wasn't a dream or a
hallucination, therefore extended his right hand in front of one of
the men standing next to him to see if it would cast a shadow, which
it did.
> ``That's when I knew for sure I wasn't going crazy," said Fellin.
> ``If that hadn't happened, I never would've mentioned a word
> about the strange things which had taken place."
Due to Fellin's age and very poor eyesight, the letters had been
written on his behalf by veteran newsman Ed Conrad of the Hazleton
Standard-Speaker, who had met the longtime miner for the very first
time a week before his 80th birthday at the wake of a mutual friend.
Conrad had been greatly impressed with Fellin's almost total recall of
events concerning the cave-in and rescue and also was impressed with
his intelligence and tremendous humility.
When Fellin revealed some of the strange events which had transpired
while he and Throne were entombed, Cornad pursued the role of an
investigative reporter.
Fellin's letters had been based strictly on what he had told Cornad
during their conversations, the vast majority of which had been taped.
Each letter had been read to Fellin, who signed it and had it
notarized only after it had met his complete satisfaction as being
totally accurate.
Conrad also arranged for Fellin to take a polygraph concerning his
revelations about the validity of his experiences and he emphaticlaly
agreed to do so.
> One question asked of Fellin was: ``After your chamber suddenly
> lit up with a mysterious bluish light, did you and Hank see Pope John
> XXIII, then Hank asked you `Who's that fella?' "
> He answered ``Yes."
> Fellin also was asked: ``When you and Hank were out of your enclosure
> for the first time, did you find yourself walking among a large crowd
> and then look back and see you and Hank still sitting in the chamber?
> He answered ``Yes."
Ann Marie Panishak, the certified polygraphist who had administered
the test, had stated in writing that the answer to both questions had
revealed ``no reactions indicative of deception."
In one of his letters, Fellin testified that when it was apparent that
neither he nor Throne would get out of the mine alive, he had gotten
angry with God and said a ``prayer'' in which he had demanded that the
Creator at least have the decency to let him know what evil he had
done in his lifetime that he was being forced to die ``a thousand
deaths'' while facing mental and physical torture inside the mine.
He said a short while later, what appeared to be three tiny bluish
fireflies suddenly appeared in the total darkness, began expanding and
soon filled the entire chamber with a bluish light.
Fellin testified that the bluish light, which cast not shadow, had
provided perfect visibility. He also said the small enclosure where
they had been trapped expanded, enabling them to move around.
Fellin further testified that, when the bluish light enabled them to
see, he noticed Pope John XXIII at an elevation in the distance,
visible only from the waist up.
He said the pontififf, who was 81 when he died, appeared to be about
half that age, his arms were folded in front of him and he was
grinning at them.
Fellin said Pope John, who had been elected the Catholic church's
262nd pontiff in 1958, was wearing a black cassock ``like that of a
poor parish priest.
> ``It wasn't a vision and it wasn't a picture," he remarked. ``It was
> him: Pope John! I'd have recognized him anywhere."
Fellin said he hoped Throne wouldn't see the pope -- fearing Hank
would go berserk if he realized a dead man was with them -- but the
younger man definitely saw him because he had pointed at the pontiff
and excitedly asked: ``Who's that fella?"
Fellin also testiified that Pope John remained with him and Throne
right up to the time they were hauled to the surface (a week later)
wearing parachute harnesses and football helmets while newspapermen
from around the world were assembled at the mine site.
Pope John, one of 13 children of an Italian sharecropper, was admired
for his tremendous humility. In his first appearance to a huge crowd
assembled in the Vatican courtyard following his election, he came out
wearing only a cassock and surplice to the great surprise of the huge
crowd and the utter shock of church hierarchy.
Fellin, during the last years of his life, insisted he had made
numerous incredible journeys to ``The Other Side" of death.
>``I was shown `The Other World'," he stated. ``This is NOT the real
> world. We have to earn our place in the real world. I KNOW
> because I made the whole trip."
Fellin, interestingly, said a multitude of persons who have come close
to death and later insisted they had traveled through ``a tunnel of
light" are mistaken.
``This is because they're unknowledgeable about tunnels." he
explained. ``I spent more than 50 years working inside tunnels in the
mines and even helped build many of them, so I should know a lot about
tunnels -- and I do!
``These people didn't travel throught a tunnel. Actually, there's an
umbrella of light over their head and it moves along with them as they
move along in the darkness."
Much of what Fellin had seen and experienced during his journeys to
``The Other Side" is detailed in additional notarized letters.
It should be noted that, during their second joint out-of-body
journey, Fellin and Throne had come across beautiful marble doors
which were open and revealed stairs.
Throne told Fellin they should walk up the stairs because they would
lead to the surface and safety. However, when Throne was in the
process of taking his very first step toward the doors, they suddenly
closed and he became extremely angry, threatening to break down the
doors. When he did, he and Fellin were returned to their physical
bodies.
Following that incident, Throne made no additional out-of-body trips,
although Fellin insisted he made many, many others past the marble
doors.
Among Fellin's most remarkable revelations were journeys he insisted
he had taken back in time which had afforded him an opportunity to
witness monumental events of history as they actually occured.
He tesitifed, for example, that he had watched the construction of the
pyramids in Egypt and had been aboard Christopher Columbus' ship --
unseen by Columbus and his crew -- during his journey to discover
America.
As for the time-honored question of how the pyramids were built,
Fellin said, based on what he had observed, it was nowhere near the
gargantuan task as is generally theorized. He emphasized that it did
not require thousands of men working for hundreds of years because not
a single multi-ton rock had to be hauled to the site from a great
distance.
Meanwhile, Fellin said Columbus -- whom he described as having yellow
hair and a red beard -- was Tyrolean, not Italian, and that the secret
of his success was simply because he had mastered the use of the
compass.
The compass assured Columbus that, if he didn't reach land by the time
half of the crew's food supply was depleted, he'd simply turn his
vessel around and head in the opposte direction to make it back to his
home port.
Fellin told Conrad that he had learned that Columbus' real name wasn't
even Columbus.
> ``He was called Columbo, which is Latin for pigeon, but it was only his
> nickname," he explained. ``Columbus had earned the nickname
> by sailing to points unknown and always returning safely. So people
> around the docks started calling him Columbo -- meaning that he was
> a homing pigeon that always returned to its nest.
"Of course, they didn't realize Columbus was using the compass -- a
very large compass which was right in the middle of his very small
cabin -- to earn his reputation as an excellent seaman. Back then, the
compass had been regarded as nothing more than a child's toy, not as a
navigating instrument."
Explicit details of Fellin's out-of-body journeys which enabled to
watch the pyramids being built as well as to observe Columbus during
his trip across the Atlantic to discover America in1492 are revealed
in several of his notarized letters.
The mine rescue operation, unprecedented in the annals of mining
anywhere in the world, had become a top news story only after contact
had been made with Fellin and Throne who had been given up for dead.
The two miners had been discovered to be alive after a six-inch bore
hole had been drilled into the earth in a million-to-one shot. The
objective had been to reach an area where three men who had been
inside Oneida No. 2 mine might have found shelter if, indeed, they
hadn't perished in the cave-in.
~MINE MIRACLE," headlined the Los Angeles Times in its edition of
Moday, Aug. 19 (1963), although erroneously reporting that all three
miners -- including Louis Bova, 54 -- were alive.
The rather incredible news that two of the men were still alive after
five days underground was major news and remained so until their
rescue.
Mining officials, engineers and men who had worked inside that
particular mine had helped determine the placement of a stake at the
most probable location where the original bore hole should penetrate
the earth a distance of more than 300 feet.
Only in the last years of his life did Fellin learn that the
bull's-eye hole, which had enabled contact with the outside world,
hadn't even been drilled at the original stake.
One of the men in charge of the rescue operation had admitted n a
newspaper article on the fifth anniversary of the cave-in that the
heavy rig containing the drill, which had been driven to the mine site
from a distance of many miles, actually had experienced mechanical
failure some 20-30 feet from the stake.
It was then decided, since the unprecedented attempt to reach the men
through a bore hole bordered on the impossible, that drilling be done
precisely where the truck had broken down.
Once contact had been made with Fellin and Throne, the only hope of
rescuing them was to drill a much larger bore hole, through which the
men could be pulled to the surface.
The bit used to drill the 17 1/2-inch-wide hole, through which they
eventually were hauled to the surface, had been flown to the site free
of charge by one of billionaire Howard Hughes' drilling companies in
Texas.
Bova died as a result of the cave-in in the mine located only a
half-mile from Fellin's home and his body was never recovered. A
tombstone had been erected above the area where the cave-in had
occurred.
Fellin and Throne, who had been underground a total of 329 hours and
17 mintues, had received a telegram from President Kennedy, who would
be assassinated in Dallas less than three months later.
>``Congratulations," JFK had wired them. ``The stamina, courage and
>spirit which you and your rescuers have exhibited in recent days have
>earned the admiration of all Americans. I wish to join with them
> in expressing my heartfelt good wishes for your speedy recovery."
The cave-in and rescue had been featured as part of the ``Survival!"
television documentary series in the mid-1960s and the program --
complete with actual film clips of the rescue -- had been telecast
several times.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Over the last three years, portions of the the ``Survival!"
television series had been incorporated into an updated segment,
``Coal Mine Rescue," on The Discovery Channel's ``Spirit of Survival''
documentary series. Hank Throne and Ed Conrad were interviewed.
Unfortunately, Fellin had passed away before the series was produced.
===================
(Portions of the material in this article are fully protected by
previous U.S. Copyrights -- in 1985, 1986 and 1987 -- that had been
acquired by Ed Conrad.)
