Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-04-05
COUNTY Pa BY oMEARA GOOD

year. This understood to be facetious, see
ing that the water had been nearly up to my
ankles all the way, and endeavored to smile
: as in duty bound / discovered, however
7 that our friend was not only perfectly serious
but very true in his remark, as it was by nc
J means unusual for the mud and water to be
knee deep in the galleries. The water oozes
out of the rocks and coal-sometimes and In
J some places in drops, at others in perfect
streams-continually. 1t sounds like rain al
ways falling. The further you go down, OF
course, the greater the annoyance becomes
; and in very deep mines, powerful pumps have
to be kept in constant operation, in order to
prevent the water from accumulating too rap
idly
Not the least interesting feature of this un-
derground city was the miners at work. The
lights are so feeble that we come continually
and unexpectedly upon little squads of work
kers- The lamps, indeed, shine sometimes so
dimly that you can scarcely distinguish the
burrowing moving mass from the other black
stuff around it. Sometimes, however, larger
lamps are hung up around, and you are ena-
bled to inspect more closely their operations
There is however, not great deal to witness
in the mechanical execution. Knocking the
coal from the rocks with his pick, and pint
it in the cars which are to convey it to the
sun, constitute the miners employment. To
come across body of these men thus engae-
3D. you would think indeed that it was very
Hades, and that the miners were fends ncar-
! nate. The peculiar smut from the coal gives
a most demoniacal expression to the counte-
nance, and the effect of the light and shadow
on group is startling in the extreme.
I walked on musingly Pick {! pick -
pick and the fall of the coal, varied by the
calling Of the mule boy to his animals and the
rolling off of the car
Their occupation is suggestive, too, thought
| I, burrowing in the fire stuff forever.
| The guide who accompanied me seemed
quite an intelligent person, and l learned a
number of interesting facts from his conver-
sation. He spoke of the operations of the ar
rangement of signals of the manner and reg
ulations of the miners, and of many other things
After telling me of the dull routine of mi
ner's life, | threw up my hands
"What, are there men whose souls cannot
point them to something better than this p
Sir" said my friend, "you are mistaken.
The miner is as happy in his occupation, and
as proud of it, as you are of yours. These
things must be done you should rather thank
God that there are men to be found ready and
willing to do them"
| Hardly rebuked by this, " it did not answer
my doubt" l said Il did not see how any
one could choose such life."
THAT" said the guide, "is a mystery
very probably because their fathers and grand
| fathers were miners before them, and they have
never seen or heard of anything better 1t is,
! however, certain that they are contented and
| Al II
ner, those who have been in eminent peril of
their lives scores of times, who would rather
now work down these mines-in the midst of
the ire-damp-than labor on the surface for
treble miners wages. 1t is O thing We cali
not explain, but it is so'
Ny guide went on in his garrulous, though
interesting strain. He spoke of the terrible
fire-damp-the most deadly enemy of the ope-
rator Scarcely day passes but some are
burned with it, often fatally. 1t is harmless
of itself, but Oh contact with fire explodes with
a terrible force-burning every one within its
reach It occurs most generally in mines where
there is want of ventilation, but no mine is en-
tirely free from it--any blow from pick may
let food of the poisonous yapor out upon the
operator The fact of the damp being fired in
any part of the mine becomes Immediately
known to those in the other galleries by Pc
cular sensation in the head. 1t feels as if
powerfully compressed on either side about the
temples, together with a smarting and tingling
in the eyes. When the miner becomes aware
of this (and he knows but too well what il por-
tends) the best thing he can do is to drop
| like dead man and grovel in the mud and wa
ter-drop instantly and thrust his head, feet
and hands into the mire as far as strength will
serve Should he accomplish this in time the
gas may pass over him without harm but
should he neglect the warning or even be too
tardy to take advantage of it, he must suffer
most horribly. Instances have been known
where men, though half buried in the mud
have had the flesh burned from their backs as
the destroyer passed over them. After a la
| bored recital of the terrors, the guide turned
to me coolly and asked me if should like to
see some of the fire damp?
"See some of it I" almost Shrieked.
"Yes," said he, with the Davy's safety
lamp, can show it to YOU with perfect i'm
punity."
thanked him hurriedly, but declined the
offer.
Numerous other perils assail the operator
every day. The fire damp is not the only
deadly agent from which he suffers. There is
| another vapor sometimes eXhaled, called the
black damp, which Suffocates the victim
There is no escape from this-death is incyi-
table. Many man, too, has met his end by
the falling of huge masses of coal, and the
crushing in Of embankmcnts. The guide rela
ted several instances of this kind within his
memory, and said that men had been known
to disappear suddenly, and that nothing had
been heard of them for long time afterward
when their remains were found by their fellow
workmen in digging after coal.
We had now gone over the entire grounds
and were returned to the place of embarka-
tion. The beat that my heart gave in going