Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1851-06-12

Her instructive apprehension that some cataS.
tophe was at hand, grew stronger--became, in
fact, irrepressbe. Breathess, racked with sus-
pense, she listened for the word to leave the pit
but in vain, though assured, from the departure
OF all the holders, that it must be past the regular
time.
What was to be done? To remain longer was
impossible; and she determined, at the risk OF
| dismissal, to make the best Of her way to the
shaft.
Opening the trap, she entered the next passage
| which, being between the two exhausted boards
was so low and harrow that she was obliged &c
I move along on her knees. II was also much
| darker-ttas Is. though accustomed to see objects
| IN the dark, and now STOPPING down. she could
not distinguish the rails of the tramway. Added
| to this, the poisonous odor became more viruent
the heat and dense air more oppressive; and she
was yet nearly quarter of mile from the gate
road, or main thoroughfare, itself mile in length
As she moved along, lassitude seized her limbs
an unnatural drowsiness, which she could not
shake off, weighed down and closed her eyes
and she began to feel strange, reckless indit!er-
ence to anything that might happen.
BY great effort she aroused herself, recover
ing that precious instinct which urges the most
desperate to prize and cling TO life, even when it
! would seem to possess no value. Then. muster
I ing all her energy, she pushed forward. passing
the several desertedw orkings and through as m INV
doors, very imprudently forsaken by their attcn-
| dant trappers, while some were left open, as il
! abandoned in haste.
She now thought that the wo,d, perhaps, had
been called out while she was takling with Black
Jem, and so had been unheeded. OF possibly, in
the hurry OF a general alarm, she had been fo.-
| gotten; and the fearful reelection occurred. that
| she was cut off from assistance. and even IL she
escaped with life. would have to pass the night
in the mine.
She was now in the last Roadway, opening into
of water, streaming down the black walls into a
drain. knew she must be near the first trap. With
outststretched hands she moved on. hrusing her
| knees with splinters of coal, spillage from the
days trains, and often grazed her head against
the timber work above. supporting the mountain
| roof. But now the trap was reached. and. rails
ing the click she drew II open. when terrific
crash--a loud, roaring, tremendous thunder clap.
starting and expanding myriad echoes, drove
through the mine. shooting her headlong into the
gate-road, stunned and breathless.
For moment she lay perfectly stupe6el, but
then sprang up, fully recoecting her situation.
She had been thrown against dead-gap, or line
OF deserted workings, where, the seam of coal
being exhausted, the props which sustain the roof
had been removed. and vast masses of earth, rock
and waste mineral, pressed by the enormous over
weight had fallen in, forming crude and fantastic
| heaps with continual interStices. which realized
the confusion Of Chaos. She knew that these
| Pandorian recesses generate the blnefal stythe,
or choke damp, always following close on expio-
sions, and which, rolling forth like fog, carries
death to the remotest nook; and she instantly re-
sumed her flight.
The way was so intersected BY sieepers sup
porting the tramroad here. in consequence of the
great width, made to run wagons, that it might be
thought impossible to proceed rapidly; but in
fiving for life, obstacles are little needed With
her hands raised overhead. to beat back the foul
| hn@, npI,n Ell NSp.r
cent darted down an inclined plane, nearly dash
ing against row of empty wagons a. the bottom
Still advancing. she looked with stTaining ewes
for the least trace of light, as marking the disan:
shaft; but all was ADMINISTRATORS visible and
tangible, such as made Pharaoh saccumb.
Al last, feeble streamy ilickeriny, like a ma-
! teor, then kind OF dim light. could be family
dscerncd but il was not sufficient to reveal any
object. or show even the outlines OF the passage.
But Millicent. seeing the shaft so nigh, nervcd
herself for last effort, though, as there were no
means OF leaving the minc, escape was apparent
| ly hopeless. Already. indeed. the deadly stytha
was rolling by her head swan: her breath stop
| ped thousand columns OF fi:e flashed befof fe
her eyes; and she fell to the ground scnseess.
CHAPTER H.
Black Jcm. like Mellcent, in making his way
out of the pit, found the whole of the traps abal-
doned; but having light was able TO move along
FLYING in haste TO the shaft. Here half dozen
holers and bandsmen who had arrived too late
for the preceding hoist. were waiting the descent
of the cage, which, relieved of its load. was Just
entering the pit-mouth. All prepared to spring in,
as soon as it touched the ground but there was
no pushing foremost, each being ready, with a
| feeling of abnegatioa proverbiai among miners.
10 assist the less agile, though at risk of endanger-
ing himself. Black Jem alone stood aloof, turn
| ing every now and then moody glance up the
gate-road, as if still thinking of Melliccnt But.
at last. every one had entered the cage, and he
jumped into the bottom tier, calling out, in sal
! len, do-ged tone, TO pIll up.
! The apprehension now was, that the explosion,
which all felt imminent, would occur while they
were ascending, in which case the violence of the
concusson must derange the tackle. and they
would be inevitably he dashed 10 pieces.
Not word was spoken as the huge carriage
climbed the terrible ascent. Some kept their gaze
steadily on the plymouth, though the air rushing
down. mingled with PARTICLES Of coal dust, almos It
blinded them; others closed their eyes. and even
buried their heads in their knees. afraid almost
to breathe. Long seemed the interval. though
only few minutes, and the cage reached the
top. landing its freight on the gratings. At the
same moment. the explosion, so felrfully, breath
lesslv awaited, burst forth. shaking the ground
| like an earthquake, aud making the massive tim
bcrs of the scaffod raised over the shaft rock like
twigs.
A dead silence ensued. but ii lasted only an in
slant, when there a Babel of troubled voices.
! All within hearing, for more than mile round,
instantly made for the spot. The viewer and
clerks rushed from the Office; the engineer and
his stokers from his engine house and men, wo-
men, and children, haggard, horror-strck IN, ig-
norant how much and how nearly they might be
affected by the catastrophe, came in troops from
the pit-village. Some called for their parents or
husbands: some for their companions SOM. in
hurried and agitated accents, inquired for the
| missing.
s.There's trapper short OF the number OBJ
served Mr. Phipps, the viewer. 1tis-wha' dye
call her ?-the pretty de!c1te sirl?-Rennel
ANY one know where Kennel is?''
s:Where's Kennel? where's Mily Rcnnsl?''
| cried legion of tongues.
No one knew. Black Jem, who alone could
tell turnad aside, afraid that his disturbed looks
might attract attention.
There was pluse, terminated bya s'i hit bus
tie. and two men sprang into the cage. They
were Jack Ron and young holer, named VIII t.
taker.
murmlr of applause sauted them, and many
pressed forward, with an earnessness very stri-
king in such rude people, TO grasp their hands.
bidding them what would probably BE- an eternal
farewell Few, indeed, had any expectation that
they would come up alive bit reg arding the OBJ
legation of mutual aid on these occasions with re.
ligious reverence no one sought to oppose or dis
countenance the enterprise.
The word was given to lowa7, and cage and
s1.l G.. Ill