Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-01-03


But then one is always slow about owning
to being in the wrong; 50 Numbered anC
stumbled on; but at last, after walking fol
4 some time, | was obliged to own to myself
that was lost in the snow.
"Stuff and nonsense ~ I says the next
| minute, and then | has look round to try
and make out where / was, for | knew
| every foot of it almost; but nothing could
I see but snow falling almost like in sheet
! all round me, so that | could only see a
| few feet each way, while the snow where
/ stood was nearly uptomy knees. listened
| but there was nothing TO be heard but the
whistling of the wind shouted but the
cry sounded muffied and close just as if |
| had been in cupboard; then | walked and
/ walked little one way, and then turned
and went another; and at last to my hor-
ror found that I was regularly confused
and could not make out in which direction
lay town or village, while the snow COW
cred in every footmark in very few min
utes.
Now | did not feel alarmed, only both
cred and confused; felt sure that if /
| kept on walking | must come to some
place or another which | knew, unless |
| walked right out on the great waste, where
| | might go for miles without finding q
| house but was hardly likely to get there
and the thing | most cared for was my poor
gal at home getting upset about me and
thinking that I'd stopped in the town
drinking with some mates, being Christ
mas eve, when I'd promised her over and
over again most faithfully that I'd always
have my drop Of beer at home.
'sThere's 30 danger, that's one comfort"
I said, unless / run bang into the canal ;
and even then shall know where am"
| says, $50 that won't be such serious
matter; and then / tried again to make
out where l was, but the snow came down
more than ever; and at last feeling wor-
ried and cross, started off afresh as hard
as | could go, when all at once | let go of
my stick for 1 felt one foot slipping, and as
/ felt it go fearful thought came across
my mind With an agonized cry tried to
recover myself, but from leaning forward
to face to the wind this was impossible, and
then shrieking out
"My God it's the old pit" | was falling
and rolling downtown into the black
darkness.
1t was like being in some horrible dream
and for a moment [ fancied it might be;
but no, there was falling faster and faster
for length of time that seemed without
end, as | waited for the coming crash when
l reached the bottonl--tO be found after
wards mutilated corpse.
[ thought all this and much more as
fell down the sloping shaft Of the old pit,
and then came a tremendous splash as. l
was plunged down beneath the icy water
which roared and Numbered in my ears.
| had been down pit after pit in my time
working in the shafts at the wood casing,
making new or repairing the old, perhaps
half way down, hanging in cage, or had
been working at the traps and doors in the
most dangerous parts where you might
hear the gas Kissing through between the
seams of black slaty shale; but | never be-
fore knew SO a hideous a sense of fear as
came over me when rising to the surface
of the water / struck out as if by in
stinct for the side, and then clinging to the
roughened wall with one hand, and with
the other thrust into a sort of hole, | re-
manned for a few seconds painting and half
mad, up to my neck in the cold water,
while the darkness was terrible.
1t is impossible to describe the horrible
thoughts that came hurrying through my
mind as if to unnerve me,-thoughts of
foul choking gases, of fearful thugs swim
ming about in the black water, or Of hor-
rid monsters lurking in its terrible depths
ready to drag me under and drown me /;
but worse still, as | began to recover my
self little, were the calmer thoughts of
the length of time | could hold on there |
without becoming numbed, and then Slip
ping off and drowning. | shouted, and the |
sound went echoing up the shaft with a
horrible unearthly tone that made me
tremble. | cried again and again until |
was hoarse, but knew all the while that it
was useless, for there was not cottage for
at least mile, and then terror seemed to
get the better of me as | felt that there in
the midst of that fearful darkness | must
drown and then sink to the bottom of this
old, old, WORKOUT coal-pit; while no one,
not even my poor wife, would know of my
fate
With the thoughts of my wife, came
thoughts of the pleasant scene L had so
lately gazed upon, when something almost
like a sob seemed to come from my heart
and then came weak despairing tears but
| reused up and shouted again and again,
throwing my head back to try and see the
mouth of the pit, but though imagination
peopled the darkness with horrors, there |
was nothing around but the intense black |
ness while, to add to my despair and ter |
ror, could feel that my hands were slowly :.
slipping from their hold.
Could any man have heard me down |
there, two hundred feet below the mouth, |
it must have been very fearful, for during |
the next minute | was shrieking for aid, |
giving vent to the most unearthly yells, |
praying aloud and crying for mercy and |
then hoarse and worn out felt that | must |
sink back, and | did, shrieking and strug- |
Cling savagely for life till the cold water |
gurgled over my mouth and chOked back |
nv cry Then for a few minutes [ was |
beating the water frantically as dog beats
it when it cannot swim but my nerve |
seemed to come once more, and even then, |
in the midst of that horror and despair, | |
could not help thinking of myself as being |
like a rat in a well as [ swan round by the |
side trying to find place to hold on by.
l swan slowly along striking my right |
hand against the side at every stroke, but |
after few strokes it did not touch any |
thing, aud then striking out more boldly | |
swan on turning to the right with ray of |
hope in my heart, for knew that | was on |
the level of one of the old veins, and |
though swimming farther into the bowels |
of the earth, yet | had not the horrible |
depth of the shaft under me, while [ knew |
that before long | should find bottom for
my feet.
All at once my hand touched the side
then | raised one up and could touch the
roof; and then after a few more strokes [ |
let my feet down slowly and found the bot
tom, but the water was to my lip still by
and wading | stood where it was
only to my middle; and now pausing to
rest for awhile leaned up against the side
and in the reaction that came on again
cried weakly and like the despairing wretch
was