The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1859-03-03
A NIGHT IN A MINING SHAFT
A CALIFORNIA SKETCH.

III there's "maDy slip between the cup
and lip" there's also many . slip from the
use of tho cup. Whoever has visited the
mining regions, and especially the quartz
mining portion Of California, will have OBJ
served the numerous prospecting shafts IN
the hills, which, whether successful or not,
are unav oidably left open, making 1t dam
gerous locality to travel in after night, sspe-
cialy when there is no moonlight, and more
particularly when the heavens are obscured
BY darkening clouds. had friend, ply
sician, who was otter called out ~ night,
and not unfrequently his route lay in the
neighborhood OF this dangerous ground but
trusting to his knowledge Of the locality and
his own caution, he never felt afraid OF any
danger Of falling into these pits, where life
would be periled by perpendicular descent
OF perhaps eighty or ninety feet into twenty
feet of water, when if he escaped broken
limbs BY the fall on the one hand, he was
sure Of drowning on the other. My friend
was an original genus, self-reliant and cour-
ageous, ardent in the pursuit OF his profes-
sion, and naturally disposed to make light
of trying circumstances where he was indi-
vidually interested, and who had withal, seen
many ups and downs in life, and had had his
full share Of misfortune, against which he
had manfully struggled /; and, to use his own
expression, he had never been in so tight
place but that he had contrived to get out,
il he was ever SO tight.
1t was about ten O'Clock, one dark night,
last spring, during the rainy season, that q
rap came to the DOCTORS door, and on obey
ing the call, the voice Of an Irishman re-
sponded:-
'Dochter, the Mistress Maloney is taken
sick with the cramps, and, BY me soul, and
We wad find her alive, 20 must run till the
breath is out ov yer body !; for doubt il st.
Pathrck himself can save the life ov herr
1t was an awful night. The rain poured
down in torrents, the night was inky dark
ness, but it was desperate case, and, avail
ing himself of the messengers lantern, the
doctor hurriedly sailed out under the inn
preston that he would most likely be de-
tanned all night. His path lay along dam
gerous route on Church Hill, where there
were several deep shafts, but with caution
and his knowledge of the locality, he reached
the house Of the sick woman without Difficult
ty, and by proper restoratives, contrivsd to
sskape the breath in her body" and after
while made her so comfortable that his pres
ent services were no longer needed.
The imminent danger over, the spiritual
comfort Of those in health was looked after
in flowing bowl of sspotheen.'' The night
was cold, the whiskey strong, the water in it
warm, and the hospitality OF the honest
Irishman, like the weather, was ore-Aowing.
ssfhe warm drink wad kape the eewld out ov
the body, and was better nor docther's stuff
and pleasanter to take" My friend, con.
yinced by such reasoning, nothing 10th, took
. sup--a second, and third; in fact, re-
peated the dose 90 often that he felt himself
proof against cold weather and cold water
both.
As his patient was easy, and 10 no imme-
date danger, he resolved to return home. 1t
was now O'Clock the storm continued un.
abated but, against the urgent solicitations
Of his friends, he resolved to brave it.
swell, If you will 60, docther, dear, I'll
60 wild ye wild the lanthern.o
SEQ to the devil with your lantern" ech.
oed the doctor; 81 know the way perfectly
we'll and as for the darkness, can see
through it double now. The doctor and
will keep each other company, as we have al
ways done, and the punch will keep the rain
out"
"rhen take another pull, If you will Co.,
said his host. "Sure, an 'ye can't haze too
much Of good thing on such night as this.
Waugh but the sluioe- gates Of heaven are
broken loose, sure, and all the dirt of the
airth'll be washed out before morn"
do not mean to say that the doctor was
drunk. Oh, no that would be q serious
accusation; besides, lawyers have not deoi-
ded where the turning point between being
tight and drunk is.
The doctor was just full enough to increase
his own reliance on himself. He had vague
perception, on going out, that q knife would
4 h. IL k~1. - 4 -
darkness to let little light through; but
without any labor to himself, his eyes gave
sparks Of fire, and he was satisfied that, il
they did not see their way through, why, b.
could feel his way with his hands-and &c
he did.
/ "Well, this is Dose" he soliloquised, .,
he went on slowly, while the rain pelted hin
in the face. "Humph hydropathy with I
vengeance. never did believe in the prac
tice. Allopathy forever! If (hic) amt tn.
patient, and don't have to take the medicin,
myself. Hydropathy in homeopathic doses
10 (hic)-yes, It is--rain is good for youn@
sprouts = but (hic) Pm an old one--don'
want to grow any moro-say, cloud, jus
(hic) screw down your tournequet min
ute-think the (hic) flow too great for sys
tenn (hic) to--great country, this, for water
cure establishment-got into one myself
somehow-don't b-b-believe in the practic
chic id wet
"'oh, it's my delight, in shiny night,
/ In the season Of the year +
aye banks and (hic) braes aud streams around.
If the rain keeps on think yen be drowned
"Plow on, gentle river
Ugh the rain makes me (hic) shiver."
"Open, sesame, and let me in! Hell
1t is supposed the Doctor meant help! as b
wildly shouted in agony, for he had not tim
to finish the word before his voice Was lost t
the surrounding worlds sepulchral splas
and ell was silent amid the dreary darkness
save the rain, which still battered in torrent
upon the earth's surface and trinkled in rill
into the shaft into which the Doctor had IN
mistakably fallen. For moment there va