Litchfield enquirer., 1844-09-12
ArR. crAv As A rhAcEsiNKER.

has acconoIated more difficulties, and controuteo to the preventatiOn of more duelss than ne nas' .. Amcur our earliest recollectiOns of Mir. Clay was the part he took some thirty ago, m pre- venting a duel between Mir, Calhoun, the present Secretary of State, and Mir. Grosvenor, one of the Representatives of the State of New York, whodled too young for his ame to early for the hopes of hs friends and the wishes of his county, These two gentlemen both frequent debaters, and distinguished no less by the bodness of their bearing than by their eloouence, were leading members of the opposing parties in the House of Representatives at crit- cal period of the war of 1872. MT. Clay was then Speaker of the House, discharging the duties of that station with dignity and proprety that chai- lenged universal admiration; taking part occasion ally in debate iM Committee of Whole with a con- fessc superiority but Tor the greater part of the time necessarily confined to the Chair on impartial umpire between contending parties. The House comprised at that time an unusual number of com paratively young members, as may be believed when we name among them, besides the gentlemen al- ready named, such gentlemen as LowndeS, Webster, Gaston, Oakley, Eppes, Shcfey, c. J. lngersol, Troup, Grundy, &c., not to speak of considerable infusion of older men of great power of intellect, such as Pickering, Stockton, Jonathan Roberts, William Findley, Sc. In body thus constituted. it may we'll be imagined that the rules oi order were in general respectfully observed, and the decorum of debate seldom violated. No greater contrast could we'll be conceived, indeed, than that which would result from comparison of the proceedings in the House of Representatives of that day with those of the present. Asperity would yet, in the zeal of conflict, sometimes find its way into debate, and now and then, but very rarely, take the char acter of personality; by which we do not mean coarseness of language, such as is now too often heard in debatc but such refie ctionS upon motives as gentleman owes 1t to another to refrain from Something of the kind had passed. in the heat of debate, between MT Calhoun and Mir. Grosvencr: but as affairs of this kind were then conducted with great privacy, it was not known, or known to very few, that a duel was to result from it.
 The next day, or the day following, the hour of meeting of the house had arrived. and the members had assembled as usual, bu. the Speaker failed of mouth to mouth, "Where's the Speaker ?"- " What in the world has become of the Speaker }" An hour elapsed, and yet no Speaker. At length it came to be understood that MT. Calhoun and Mr. Grosvenor were that morning to meet, at ten or eleven o'clock, few miles diatant from the Ca- pitol to settle their quarrel by mortal arbitrament and that Mir. Clay had accidently got wind of it, had mounted his horse, leaving the House in the lurch with determination, if possible by any ef fort of his to prevent the shedding of blood upon a mere point of honor between two gentlemen whose lives were of so much value to their country. Another and another hour passed amidst the deep. est anxiety ;-when, out of breath from haste in ri- ding but full of joy and gadness, arrived the Spea- ker, and called the house to order. His mediation united with that of a distinguished member of the Senate. had been successful. Their earnest en- treaties had been irresistible. They had brought back unharmed, if not reconciled, those who had gone out as enemies, to stake their lives against one another. They were received by their col- leagues and associates with open arms; and, the ] reader may be sure that there was not much work done in the House that day. By his effective in. deposition, the prompting of humane and gener- | ous heart, MT. Clay on that occasion won golden l opinions of all men.
 l In the same pacific and humane spirit was the entire agency of Mir. Clay in the case of Messrs. Graves and Cilley. It directed to the object of | meuenti,g meeting between the parties. With | that view he advised modification of the chal- | to be called out. Thcy@were called out, but were defeated in their purpose of arresting the parties by their having taken an unusual route..
 | Fire Sn Me .3fnes.--Tbe Anthracite Gazette, ] published at Pottsville Pa gives description of l thrilling occurrence which happened at the mine of MT. George H. Potts, on the 17th ult. Gn that dly an explosion of fire damp occurred near the foot of the slope, and was harmless in its effects, far as human life was concerned, but was followed by great increase of corbonic acid gas which is recognized in raining language as choke damp
 This gas prevailed to 50 great an extent that it was impossible for men to survive in the mnes In this situation of affairs, MT. Potts had furnace and cupcla erected over an air shalt at the west ex- tremity of thcevein, at more than one mile from the slope, for the purpose of creating draft of air through the workings, and in this manner rid the mine ot the gas.9
 After frial of three or four days and when it was ascertained that no good resulted from this movement, two of Inc principal miners volunteered to go down the mine and discover the cause of its failure They accordingly entered at the extreme end of the working, and cautiously approached the place where the explosion had originally taken place, when to their surprise, they discovered that the coal at the spot was completely fire. There were at least one hundred tons of red hot burning coal on fire at the time, and the draft which had been created at the extreme end of the mine, inc stead of benefting, had only increased the rapidity l of its ignition. The miners hastened up with the
 intelligence, and means were immediately taken on
 Saturday last, to have the fire extingushed before
 it spread any further.
 The plan adopted was to quench the fire with
 water, and then haul up in the wagous the refuse
 matter. Gang after gang of the miners were sent
 down. and after working five or six minutes, were
 brought up completely lifeless. The proprietor
 however persevered, and by rubbing and resuscita. ting the exhausted men soon as brought to the
 surface, he succeeded in conquering the element
 after thirty-sx hours of hard and perilous abor.-
 The fire was completely extinguished, and about
 one hundred tons of charrcd coal and ashes were taken from the spot.
 Further Outrage on he HeIderbeyg- learn
 that Sheriff Battleman, while on his way through | the Western part oe RensselaervIle, on Saturday
 morning, about four miles west of the village was
 set upon and badly treated by large party of Indi.
 ans We have some particulars which we give as
 related to us.
 The Sheriff was accompanied by three of his l rns ul AN...l |