The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-05-22

her as miserable az nhyscH. WI. SHoulun
go away, to Yorkshire, or Derbyshire, or
to the diggings in Australia, for that mat
ter The notion, if it was good for no.
thing more, gave me a little spirit. 1t
turned my thoughts, and | stepped out
brisker, going straight home. | hadn't
much to settle there, only to bid goodbye
to the folks lived with, and | soon came
out, pack on back, and began my tramp.
stopped at the moor and looked back,
remembering | might never see the place
again, and, dismal as | now thought it,
with its gaping walls and shaken roofs en-
numbering the blackcned ground, | had
been happy there. Not ono of those
tumbling cottages but would open its door
to me not one where | wouldn't meet a
friend. And there | had been born; it
was the spot on earth that, even in that
hour of bitterness, | loved best, and |
didn't turn away without dashing my hand
over my eyes.
was walking on, when suddenly the
air rang with crash that shook the ground.
knew what it signiiied; such sounds de-
note but one result in the black country,
and, throwing down my pack, darted of
to the pit, with the feeling that animate
every miner on such occasions.
1t didn't seem a minute before | came
to the dust heaps, round the pits mouth,
but some were there before me, and the
Otl-mcn and the women were rushing up
from the village in n stream. The smell
from the pit almost knocked me down as |
came up, and | had to get my breath a
little when three or four Of us crept on to
the mouth and looked down. The cXplo-
sion had destroyed the cage, not leaving a
stick of it, but it hadn't injured the signal
rope hence a means of communication
remained for any one Immediately below.
As soon as | saw this, ! set to work to rig
a cross bar, and presently had it ready.
"Just lower me gently" | said to two
banksmen. " may pick up one or two,
if there's any near"
"You can't go down yet" said the
viewer. How many are there in the
pit 7"
"IIalf an hour ago there were fifty,
replied the me-kecpcr; "but | am thank
ful to say they all came up but ten"
"And they are all lost" said the
viewer: "for there will be another eIplo-
sion dircctly.'
"rll go down, anyhow" said /, dog,
gedly; "and if nobody will lower me, III
jump down."
\ good many were on the heaps now
men and womcn-somc of the women cry
ing, and some praying: but when | spoke
out that way, there was dead silence.
Then two or three called out, "Good-byc,
Charley. God bless you, brave lad The
banksmen lowered me down, and | sank
through the pits mouth. A Davy lamp
was tied round my waist, and ! held Il
rope in my hand, 50 that might signal to
be hoisted up if the air became too foul
But had no intention of going back till
had searched the pit and seen if there
were any alive. One thing, didn't care
about my life and another, would have
been ashamed TO face the folks above
without doing something, 50 ] felt lmpa.
tient that they lowered me at such small
pace, and kept looking up and down tc
measure the distance yet TO be traversed
The shaft had never seemed so deep to me
before. strained my eyes into the dark
ness below, and saw no bottom; glanced
M. and the CLEAN of light grew smaller
and fainter. ! scanned the walls OF the
shaft, and marked only their black bound
But my progress was notified 10y the IN
creasing density of the air, which began 10
affect my breathing and As went on.
had 10 shift my face from side TO side 10
make 4 little current. At last my feet
touched ground.
I looked round as | jumped oil the
straddie and saw the furnace was out,
which put a stop TO the ventilation OF the
mine, as far as it depended on the orat-
tices. and no air entered but by the shalt
The stencil was overpowering, and, from
this and the silence, | guessed the worst.
1t was plain that the explosion mad killeu
the horses: for not sound came from 'hc
stables, which were close to the shaft ; and
what hope could there be for human hc-
ings in Il distant part OF the PIT! on
may be sure | didn't stand to make these
reflections they tloated across me, and !
WAS working forward before they got
through my mind. | knew the old mine
blipdfolded but what with the foul smell,
and what with the gloom and my short
ness of breath, ] was some minutes Scram-
bling to the top Of the incline, keeping my
arms stretched out as | went along TO ltel
for any thing in the way. And 1t was lucky
did or | should have dashed my head
against some empty trucks, and, in the state
was in, that would have finished me. Thus
reached the first gallery, which could
only enter STOPPING. | pushed open the
trap, and went on few steps, though my
Davy lamp was what pitmcn call "atlre -
the flame being all blue-and | knew that
the atmosphere was so much gunpowder.
But stumbled along; if | wasn't to save
any one, it didn't matter what became OF
myself, and | pleased myself with the
thought that Nelly would hear | had died
in the attempt. And then, all at once, 1t
came into my head what she had said
about her brother Jack being in the pit.
This gave my heart such a turn that
quite staggered, and the perspiratlon
poured from my forehead like water.
rushed forward as if | was mad; my foot
struck something; bent down over what
seemed a corpse, and the CLEAN of the
lamp fell on its face. 1t was Jack Glover
| didn't know whether he was alive OF
dead, but / caught him in my arms, and
with the strength of giant and the speed
of dcer-hardly conscious, hardly breath
ing-I made dash for the shaft.
1t was easier work going back, when
YOU were once in the main or horse
road: for now the shaft was before YOU
instead of behind; and, though you
wouldn't think it, this made a wonderful
difference in the light. Dark as pitch il
still was, though not to pitman's eyes
and had found out that Jack breathed
when | reached the shaft. The discovery
neryed me afresh, and kept all my senses
at work, without seeming to know it.