Original subtitles

Oh, it's the same thing all over.

Oh, it's the same thing.

B .I.

A Quinn Martin Warner Brothers production Starring Ephraim Zimbliss

Jr.

Also starring Philip Abbott Stephen Brooks

With guest star John McIntyre Tonight's episode

The Cave -In

Howland Mines and Metals, one of a dozen once -forgotten mines in the Southwest,

newly brought to light because of tungsten ore, a metal vital to America's

defense effort.

Investigation of the damage to the ventilation system at Howland Shaft No.

strongly indicated the possibility of sabotage, and the FBI was brought into

case immediately.

Their object? To find a saboteur and a murderer.

Jubilee's still at it, huh?

The broken of the night.

You know, it's that word ventilator that keeps hanging in my mouth. Yeah, well,

never mind about that. Get your coat on. We'll be late to the funeral.

I was thinking maybe I ought to just stay here and put the new washer on. I

get your coat on.

Green was my friend. My family's going to pay their respects. All my family.

I never saw such foolishness. Anyway, washer.

I'd like to know how long you could have gone to college for what you paid for

that. She needed that, Grandpa. She can't do that kind of work anymore.

Yeah, I'd have bought her one.

With what?

Grandpa, you need the wages I earn. You can't cut it with... Yeah, that reminds

me. What's this still doing around the house?

Well?

Well, I haven't signed it yet.

Ed, what in the world is wrong with you?

You got the brains, you got the scholarship, and a man don't have too

chances to get out of this town.

You know what your dad would have given to shake this place?

Maybe he'd have been alive today.

Ed,

you're the last chance this family's got.

You're the last chance I got. Oh, Grandpa, will you leave me alone and

chance to be a man for a while?

To be a man.

Yeah, a girl around.

Pretty sure you'll get caught like Duke there.

Married, get a family.

Oh, they broke in the middle.

Hey,

Duke, over there.

Try fan.

They busted the fan.

What's so funny, Ed?

Well, nothing, Mr. Carr.

Green dead.

No work, no wages.

Ain't you heard?

New motor's in.

Regular shifts start tomorrow.

Tomorrow?

Well, that mine don't produce enough to pay its way.

Government got no business keeping it going. Be foolishness to open it again.

That's what I heard.

What'd you hear this? Up at the shack?

They got policemen all over the place.

They know who did it yet?

Ain't nobody said.

I think it was the Red. I get my hands on him, I cut his heart out.

Green wasn't so bad, he wasn't so smart, but he never did nothing to hurt

nobody.

Maybe nobody meant to hurt him.

How can you say that? I mean, anybody foolish enough to want to close down...

You shut your mouth.

Nobody asked you for your two bits worth. I've had just about all the lip I

take from you today.

Starting the services.

You coming, Roel?

Dad, put your coat on.

You ready?

Say, where can I find Special Agent Rhodes?

When did you receive these, Mr. Peer?

Well, it was when some of the men were talking about a strike.

Three or four weeks ago.

Did you tell the owners about it?

No, sir.

Why not?

Well, everybody gets a little jumpy around strike time.

Say things they don't mean.

So when the talk kind of died off, I figured, well, why get somebody into

trouble?

Oh, Lou, what are you doing here?

Hello, Jim.

I thought you were in that Cleveland case. Did you wrap that all up? Almost.

I left it with Rogers.

I wanted to see how this one was shaping up. Oh, Superintendent Peer, this is

Inspector Erskine, Bureau Headquarters.

Inspector? All the way from Washington?

I didn't know he was so important.

I understand it was the ventilator that was damaged.

Yes, sir.

What did you find?

Well, the sabotage material was introduced into the motor housing.

Glass, screws, nails.

The rotation of the armature scattered the contents, caused a short circuit.

This man who was killed, what was he, a night watchman?

Watchman, handyman.

His name was Green.

Have you been able to eliminate him as a saboteur?

I think so, yes.

The housing plate was unattached when the motor was turned on. It seems to me

that Green would have been more careful.

I think he probably surprised the saboteur before he was finished.

Anyway, Green never had much to do with strikes.

Regular or wildcat.

This is a labor problem, in your opinion, Mr. Peer? I don't see what else

could be.

This mine don't produce enough to interest a commie with any sense.

We're going to be up here for a few days. I wonder who could use a part of

room as an office.

Well, sure.

I'll have some more desks moved in right away. Thank you.

Lou, what's happening?

Arthur talked to the owners a few days ago.

Their geologist told them a while ago.

It may be within a few hundred yards of the largest tungsten deposit ever

discovered.

For the space probe?

Space defense.

How would a saboteur find out about this?

Maybe he didn't. Maybe he has a personal grievance. Maybe he's a maniac.

The point is, this mine opens tomorrow, and we've got to find him before he

tries something worse.

Yeah, I'm finished.

It's beautiful.

After we finish eating, Grandma, we'll run a load through for you and we'll get

the hang of it.

Tonight?

Well, sure, the sooner the better.

What's the matter, you afraid?

Huh?

Don't you fret, Grandma. If that thing attacks you, I'll haul up and knock it

flat.

Yeah. Give me that pen off the window sill.

All right.

Here you go.

I'll be fine then.

Please, don't you two fuss anymore.

I said sign it. Look, Grandpa.

I've told you a hundred times. When your father died, do you think I took care

of you, fed you, put you through grammar school, high school, just so you could

stay on in this town and starve to death, bury kids of your own?

Now you sign that.

I could still take a belt to you.

Well, don't try it.

I'll move out. I'll build a house of my own if you want, but I'm staying in

Howland.

I'm a hard rock miner, and as long as there's a company here to hire me, I'll

work for them.

And there ain't a thing in the world you can do about that.

We'll see.

We'll see.

Oh, the miners.

was grieving. The miners was grieving. They broke the fan at Howland's number

three. They broke that fan three days ago. Ain't you got it out of your system

yet? Well, I ain't even got the start of it yet.

I mean, this one might even go 12 or 13 verses, you know. I don't, uh...

Come

on, Rob.

Oh,

morning.

What's the matter? You look like nothing's the matter.

I just didn't get enough sleep.

A man needs his sleep.

Here's the hoist, boys.

Hey, hold me up, hold me up.

Wave the sword under my nose.

The superintendent's been down on the mine.

The superintendent's got his hands dirty.

Now, don't come all unglued, gentlemen.

Just showing the guest around. Well, Mr. FBI, how'd you like to switch jobs with

us? Well, to be quite honest with you, Mr. Duvalier, I think I'd rather stay up

here where the sunshine is. I don't believe Mr. Rhodes likes that little

No, no, no. It's the only way to travel.

Wait till she sticks on you.

She broke down the shaft three times yesterday in the test.

Nobody's been messing around, Mr. Rhodes.

We've just been popping fuses left and right since we put in that new blower.

Well, Mr.

Detective, when are you all going to solve this crime anyhow?

We're still working on it, sir.

My theory is it's a Russian spy.

You seen any Russians lately?

Uh, no, no, but, uh, we're still working on it.

Excuse me.

All right, let's get back to work.

Preston, can you narrow it down for me at all as to date, for instance?

Well, I'd say with some fairly recent addition, Inspector, a newsprint tends

yellow rapidly.

How recent?

Within the last two or three months.

You got anything?

Take a look.

It's the back of one of the words from the first note.

What do you think?

The only newspaper that fits, Mr. Ward, would be the Llewellyn Chronicle.

Llewellyn's about 50 miles south of Howland.

Too far for general shopping. Most people in Holland would read the Holland

Courier. Fifty miles, huh? It's still in the valley.

Well, it doesn't look like we're dealing with a professional saboteur, does it?

No, it doesn't.

Now, here's a rundown of the fragments they found in the motor housing.

The glass came from a soft drink bottle of Velva Cola.

The nails and screws are mostly common hardware.

Unidentifiable, except for one item. Number 16.

A brass screw.

Two centimeters.

Has metric threads, which indicates a foreign origin.

And there was some non -toxic paint on it.

Non -toxic paint, huh?

Sounds like a crib or a toy.

And the screw had been snapped off.

So we're looking for something broken and disassembled, huh?

All worn out.

All right, I need an agent about...

440. Salesman.

Regional southwestern type. Naturally no contact with the Holland area.

Acceptable stranger.

Right. I'll have him put through the computer right away.

When do you want him?

As soon as possible. I'd like to put him to work this afternoon.

I'm flying back in an hour.

I give the lady down the street five dollars for an old washing machine. You

anything like that?

I'll give you six pips for that sink.

That? Well, make it a dollar.

No more.

So?

Oh, that's a beautiful high chair.

Our boy sits at the table now. Otherwise, we wouldn't think of parting

It's got a leg broke.

Oh, just the one.

Well, um, $1 .50 altogether?

No, uh... $1 .75?

I'll take it.

Well, it's a pleasure doing business with you, Mrs., um... Jubilee. Yeah.

It looks pretty sturdy. I guess I ought to be able to fix it up.

Oh, well, it'll be easy if you got the touch.

My husband now, he's more the artist. He can't fix nothing.

Mr. Rule over across the street.

He's a carpenter.

Oh, is that right?

Yeah. Ain't fix anything.

He'd have fixed this if we'd wanted, but Duke, that's my husband.

Duke says, oh, no sense to bother. So Mr. Rule, he fooled around with it for a

while and then he gave it back.

Mr. Rule?

Yeah. Makes cabinets, makes tables.

He's got a shop out back as big as factory.

I've seen him go way into Llewellyn sometimes just to buy his tools.

Well, it sure is a pleasure doing business with you, Mrs.

Dubelier. Yeah.

Well, see you again, and thank you very much.

Hey, old Timber, will you tell me those things on the fridge again? Yeah, I'll

go tell him.

I just thought I'd take a little trip to Egypt to see the Nansen girls.

Where have I been? I've been right here.

Did they hear me yelling at you?

Boy, they could hear you yelling for over in Kenosha, Kyle.

Why'd you answer me then?

I didn't. You just didn't hear me.

Yes, sir.

Stockboy said you wanted to see me.

Mr. Gordon?

Right.

My name's Erskine, FBI.

Yes, sir.

You happen to know this man?

Why, sure.

It's Tom Rule from up in Howland. He trades here all the time.

Why? What does he buy, usually?

Tools, nails, that sort of thing? Yeah, mostly.

Oh, sometimes a bolt of cloth for Arna.

A case of soft drink for Ed.

Any particular brand?

Well, Ed, he likes Velvicola.

What was he in here last, do you remember?

I sure do. It was yesterday.

Yesterday?

Are you positive?

Got the sales slip right here.

Bought some dynamite.

He had a company order.

Thank you.

Pierre.

I'd expect to ask you, Mr. Pierre. Is Mr. Rhodes there?

No, sir. Not at the moment.

Anything I can do for you.

Well, how do you usually buy your blasting powder? Through a purchasing

That's right.

It all funnels through the main office at Santa Fe.

Did Tom Roll report for work this morning?

Tom? Yes, sir.

Is he in the mine now?

As a matter of fact, he is.

It's quitting time, but the hoist went bad on us, and we've been a little

than usual.

They're all out except the boys in Level 7.

Did Mr. Rhodes say where he was going?

Yes, sir. He talked to Washington about five minutes ago.

He said he wanted to go down below to talk to somebody Can you stop him? I

to tell him something

What do you mean? It's portal to portal.

That's all right, but they're supposed to keep the time.

Hey, come on, come on, come on!

Let's go up there!

Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Erskine.

Is there a phone on level seven? Could you put me through?

I'll see if I can get the switchboard.

Hey, what are you

fellas doing?

It's about time.

Hello, Mr. Rhodes.

I thought you said you didn't like our little hoist, huh? Hey, Mr. Detective,

finding a ghost down here, huh?

Mr. Guffman, what's the matter? Can't you get enough of it? It's time to quit,

you know. Yeah, just a weapon for punishment, I guess. Let's go, let's go.

hungry. Hey, Tom, you ever sleep down here?

Let's go.

All right, take away.

We can find out what they want.

Anna? Oh, my God.

Bring a seat, Arnold.

Get me the tape you wrote. Here, give me the back. I'm going down.

Mr. Turner, my granddad get out?

No, Ed.

He didn't.

I'll go down.

Give him a seat.

Never mind the seat.

Okay, boys.

Put him down.

What happened?

Stay quiet.

Don't break too deep. What happened?

We got a caving.

An explosion.

That'll be somebody.

No.

No. No, it doesn't.

No.

No, Tom.

No.

Are we closed in?

All events?

Must have been the compressor blew up.

Car, where you at? Right here.

Help me with this thing.

Do I... Yeah, if you call it that.

Hey, Tom.

What do you suppose the chances are?

last if nobody shows up.

We're buried alive,

Mr. Rhodes.

I warned you not to come down that hoist.

We're locked in this mountain.

Make up your mind to die, huh?

Drive the relief shaft in here. That way we'll bypass the blockage.

Come into level six, then down the raise to seven. Here.

Special Agent Rhodes, is he? That's right. He's still down there.

How bad is it?

He blocks solid from five on down.

This is Ed Rule, Inspector.

Tom Rule's grandson.

How did it happen?

Well, we figured it was a compressor, but Ed says he could smell dynamite down

there. Yeah, it just don't make any sense.

20 minutes past quitting time, why would they be blasting?

Couldn't have been no accident.

Why not?

Not with my granddad down there. He's the best dynamite man in the valley.

Stubbornness cuts your renewables.

I don't know when I saw a boy and his grandpa closer than them two.

Except over the college business.

Business? No, Ed's got a scholarship to southern New Mexico.

But he wanted a mine to help out with the expenses here. Things ain't been too

good with the rules lately.

But old Tom wouldn't hear of it.

He'd get done about anything to get Ed out of Holland.

His son, Ed's pa, was killed in a mine explosion.

Well, it's going to be pretty hard on Ed for a while.

Pretty close to that young agent Rhodes.

Yeah, we're pretty close.

That's good, Tom. Thank you.

Hurt in bed?

No, no.

Just want to laugh.

Anybody else need friction?

Nope.

I just wish I'd thought to bring along the guitar boys.

Could have made you all up some about this.

Thank God for small mercies.

Reynolds?

Rhodes?

Hey,

take it easy over there. You'll have the whole place down on us.

Here, let me have a look.

No, it's all right.

It's all right.

Use the elbow.

Great when you moved?

Probably broke.

Oh, they caved in mine.

Will you shut up before I... We better all keep still. There's no telling how

much air we got left.

We're getting some.

I can feel a draft.

Have you had a look down towards the rays?

I just figured she was filled clear to the end.

Well, I'll go. No, no, no.

I'll go.

Sit down.

What you all looking for?

Nothing.

Nothing.

All right, I'll wait.

Yes, Arthur.

Slowly. Anything new on the saboteur?

I have a requisition for dynamite that Tom Rue presented to a supply company in

Llewellyn.

He's forged the purchasing agent's signature. It's a very poor attempt.

Well, I guess there's no doubt about it. Rue was our man.

Is our man.

Is our man.

They could still be alive. It's not out of the question.

I didn't say it was, Lewis.

Art, did you tell Jim to go down to that mine?

No, I didn't.

He phoned me because he'd heard on several interviews that Tom Rule hated

mine, would do anything to see it shut down.

So I suppose he was after confirmation.

But I don't understand why Rule would feel that way about the mine.

Because of his grandson.

He wanted the boy to get out of the mines and go to school.

Well, he knew he couldn't shut Howland down permanently.

He didn't know. He thought it was about to close anyway.

Well, even so, there are other mines.

Art. Rule isn't a master criminal. He's an emotional grandfather.

This forgery isn't even the work of a talented amateur.

He didn't think this through. He just acted.

Mm -hmm.

Well, he must have assumed he could get away with it because he didn't try to

bury himself and the others.

I understand the elevator was delayed.

That's right.

So if he set a timing device, he expected to be out of there long before

off.

Finally knew what was going on down there.

A subject that may or may not be dead.

An agent that may or may not have him under surveillance.

Oh, Mr. Rhodes.

I was kind of hoping you might follow me.

Well, I kind of thought you might be, Mr. Rule.

No sense putting the others into a panic, is there?

Why did you come down to level seven in the first place?

Why did you steal my gun?

Who said I did?

You were bending over me when I came to.

You had the time, you had the chance.

Maybe the guilt.

All right, I took it.

It was a stupid thing to do. What did you think you'd gain from it?

I haven't thought it all through yet. I'm still mulling it over.

Well, when they rescue us, sir, it's going to look a lot better for you if

you've cooperated.

Yes,

sir, you are.

Well, Mr. Rhodes, I wonder which one of the two of us is the real prisoner.

You know, I could knock you in the head right here and leave you.

Maybe I'd better try for that gun. I wouldn't recommend it.

You know, you've got two strikes against you already, your elbow, and the fact

that if I pull this trigger, the sound alone is going to pull this whole

mountain down.

Tell the first crew to come on out. I'll be sending in more lumber right away.

Keep her braced up good, Mike. No shortcuts.

She digs easy, but she caves easy.

Who'll make her, though?

How long?

Two days.

Maybe.

What are you trying to do, kill yourself? Go on home, get some rest.

We got through to level six, Mr. Perry, but it's blocked as bad as the main

shaft.

A raised hole down the sevens block.

The support timbers are blowing out and the rest could cave in any second.

Mr. Peer, I'm going along the oar path.

No, you ain't. The chute's open at the end of six. What makes you think the

is any solider than the tunnel we're digging?

I could try it.

I could climb down, see if I could get back up the chute in seven.

We might be able to dig through and save two days. No, I won't allow it.

You... You ain't got the judgment.

Mr. Peer, let me go down.

Mr. Peer, I've got to.

Watch it.

What's the ore pass?

Just a straight hole down.

They load ore in from chute at the end of each level, collected for the ore

at the bottom of the mine.

Where's chances?

Not much.

That's all we got.

Kind of peaceable, ain't it?

Carr, what do you suppose it's going to be like being dead?

Oh, I don't know.

It's like a big hill, I guess.

Right smack in the center of it is this big gate.

And it opens.

And we pass through, and there laying on the grass is Bill Shantner

and...

Dusty Boyle.

You remember him, don't you, Tom?

He was killed over at Barside.

And Clingman and Yates.

My brother Frank.

All laid out there on the lawn, under the clouds, passing the bottle around.

We passed through, and he said, Hey, fellas, where you been?

We've been waiting for you.

Here, have a pull.

Yeah, but you're talking about heaven, Carr.

What do you suppose it's going to be like down this way?

Hell don't need no imagination, boy.

Hell's a buried minor.

It's funny.

What's funny?

I don't know.

I think I smell something.

Do you take a Saturday night bath this week?

Oh, it ain't do.

I think I smell dynamite.

Oh, come off it, will you?

You smell that, too? I thought I was going out of my head. Did you smell

Tom?

I don't smell nothing.

Hey, by golly, then.

Oh, no, it can't be.

The others got out and we weren't blasting.

What about them spies of yours?

They blow out the ventilator.

How can a spy get down here, Lunkhead?

The arrows are down pretty close, don't they?

What do you mean?

Mr. Detective, what'd you come down here for yesterday?

What do you mean? Is it one of us, that spy you're looking for, Mr. Rowe?

You tell us who it is, Mr. Rhodes.

You ain't in FBI territory now.

You're in hell.

You tell us who it is, Mr. Rhodes, and we'll take care of him.

It's a chance, then.

You sure you want to go?

Yes, sir.

My plan and my kin would do the same for me.

Good luck.

Thank you, sir.

I think we'll get through this time. I'll get them all out.

Your friend, my grandpa.

It's going to be all right.

I guess it don't matter. What happened?

Piece of good news. I thought I'd cheer up the kid.

Might make a little jump here.

They haven't made contact.

Not yet, but there's a chance.

Down the main shaft.

They just dug up the end of the telephone line.

It may be broken in a dozen or more places, but they're splicing it up now.

We may get a call through.

question, Tom.

I was thinking about Ed.

What did you say?

I said, what were you doing on level six?

That's about where the blast came from.

I don't know what you mean. I was never in level six.

You're down by the rise, Tom.

So that makes me your spy, huh?

I don't believe a spy can figure out a way to close up a whole mine.

Mr. May, you'd have to be about the best powder man in the state.

All the nights in the tavern, we kept talking together.

You kept saying how much you hated this place.

Maybe we should have listened to you better, huh, Tom?

Was it you?

Yes.

I took

it before he come to.

But why, Tom?

Why?

We're your friends.

I never meant to hurt any of your nettles.

I thought we'd all be long gone when the charge went, and we would have, too.

If the hoist had worked right.

But why?

Mine would have closed. Ed would have left.

You're wrong, Mr. Rule. You're wrong.

About the mine, anyway.

They're not going to shut this mine down. They think there's a bigger vein

further in.

Not close it?

That's right.

Now, why don't you give me that gun?

Tom, you may as well have a feather in your hand, and you know that.

You can't shoot off that gun.

The noise would bury us all.

That might not be a bad idea, Carr.

Might even make Ed think twice.

Father dead, and his grandfather.

Might not be a bad idea.

No!

The only one dead.

He was trying to get to you.

He found a way through the oar pass.

And then he fell, Tom.

All the way to the bottom of the mine.

The charge of sabotage against Thomas Rule was deferred.

He was found guilty of the murder of the mine watchman Everett Green and is

currently serving his sentence in the state penitentiary in New Mexico at

Fe.