Daily national Democrat., 1858-12-21
4allg 9atlonal Democrat.

TERRIFIC ADVENTURE IN THE PALERMO Coal
HOLE, IN KANsAs.-A couple of days ago a
young gentleman of this city, W ho never
trembled at mortal peril" being upon the
river bank just below the city, in company
with Prof. Y, and Others determined, no mat.
ter what the dangers and difficulties might
be, to explore the depths of large hole made
IN the ground by party of English miners
digging for coal
ME- NJ, the enterprising proprietor" of the
hole, procured long rope of great strength
for the purpose" The arrangements being
soon completed, the rope, with heavy tub
attached to it, was let down and swung to
and fro to dislodge" any loos, particles of clay
or flint that would be likely to fall at the
touch, Several were thus disodged," and the
long continued listening, without hearing any
distant thunder below, "proclaimed the depth
OF the horrid chasm" "Then the young hero
of the occasion, with a wide brimmed hat
drawn over his head to protect it from few
tons of rock and earth failing from above"
and several night-caps poured into his throat
to protect it from any unpleasant sensations,
and with one foot in the tub and one hand on
the rope, took his place over the awful pit,
and was let down into the Cimmerian gloom"
We have, from his own lips, an account of
his descent. Occasionally masses of earth
and rock" didn't ego whzzing past" but
some Of the earth stuck fast to his Clothes
about four feet from the top he came to
ledge from which, he should Judge, there
were not any 'avenues leading off in differ
ent directions" About thirty feet "from the
top a cataract from the side of the pit went
rushing down the abyss" over a small shin
gle, and as he descended by the side of the
water, in the midst of the spray he felt some
apprehension lest the starch should be taken
out of his shirt collar "IIe was landed at
the bottom of the top, sixty feet from the pit,
and found it almost perfectly circular" about
three feet in diameter, with a small opening"
made by drill leading somewhere down be-
low "He found beautiful specimens Of soft
soap stone, and also multitude of exquis-
ite" particles of phur "as pure and yellow
as virgins cream" "Making himself heard
with a great effort, he told his friends to pull
him partly up" reaching the mouth of an
immense cave he swung his arm into it, with
much eXertion, and found it blocked with an
impossible avalanche" of solid earth "IIold-
ing the rope in the other hand" he ineau-
tiously failed to let go it, much to the regret
of his friends, who now commenced the eek
ceedingly severe pulp of getting him up
"But soon he was in a new and dreadful
peril
When he was about fifteen feet from the
top, "swaying and swinging" in the tub, "he
heard rapid and excited words above" and
soon learned that some one had arrived with
a bottle of whisky, "and that those who were
hauling him up" had stopped to take a drink.
Several moments of awful suspense ensued
when he was made aware of the startling
fact that the bottle was empty, which only
served to increase his "horrors" The delay
still continued, and our hero became duly i'm
pressed and terribly oppressed with the
knowledge that there were more bottles a
bove, which knowledge he gained by dodg
ing the empty ones as they came toward him
on their way below lie was doubly anx-
ious partly to participate in the scene above
and mostly for fear he should be left in the
tub below. Finally the party above. almost
by their labors, succeeded in draw
ing him to the top. He was as calm and
as upon his entrance iuto
the hole, but all his companions, overcome
with whisky, sank upon the ground, and his
friend, Prof. Y-A, had to be carried home
"The young adventurer left his tracks in the
depths of the hole-the tracks of the last per-
son that ever gazed upon its mysteries"-
Palermo (hanSaS) Leader.