Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-07-31
,ut dashing my hand across over my


ground. knew what it signifed such
sounds denote but one result in the black
country, and throwing down my pack,
darted off to the spot, with the feelings
that animate every miner on such occa-
sions.
1t didn't seem a minute before | came
to the dust-heaps round the pits mouth,
but some were there before me, and the
off.men and the women were rushing up
from the village in a stream. The smell
from the pit almost knocked me down as
came up, and had to get my breath
little. when three or four Of us crept up
to the mouth, and looked down. The ex-
plosion had destroyed the cage, not leav.
ine stick of it, but it had not injured
the signal rope; hence a means of com:
munication remained for any one lmme
diateIy below. As soon as | saw this !
set to work to rig a cross bar, and pres
emily had it ready.
Just lower me gently said to.two
banksmen. 81 may pick up one or two,
if there's any near :,
You can't go down yeti" cried the
viewer. "How many are in the pit"
Half an hour ago there were fifty"
replied the timc-keeper "but, | am
thankful to say, they all came up but
ten."
"And they are all los:," said the view
er, for there will be another explosion
directly"
.lIi 90 down. anyhow" said dog
gedly $" and if nobody will lower me,
I'll jump down"
a good many were on the heap now
men and women-some of the women
crying, some praying; but when ! spoke
out that way there was dead silence.
Then two or three called out, "Good-bye,
Charley, God bless you, brave lad" The
banksmen lowered me down, and | sank
through the pits mouth. A Davy lamp
was tied around my waist, and | held
rope in my hand, so 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 any were alive. One thing ] didn't
care about. my life; and another, / would
have been ashamed to face the folks above
without doing something; so felt lm-
patient that they lowered me at such a
snai!'s pace, and | kept looking up and
down to measure the distance yet to be
traversed. The shaft had never seemed
so deep to me before. | strained my eyes
into the darkness below, and saw no bot
tom; glanced up, and the CLEAN of light
grew smaller and smaller. scanned the
walls of the shaft, and marked only their
black bound. But my progress was no.
ti6ed by the increasing density of the air,
which began to affect my breathing; and,
as went on, | had to shift my face from
side to side to make little current. At
last my feet touched the ground.
| looked around as jumped off the
straddle, and saw the furnance was out,
which put stop to the ventilation of the
mine, as far as it depended on the brat.
tices, and no air entered but by the shaft.
The stencil was overpowering, and from
this and the silence, guessed the worst.
1t was plain that the explosion had killed
the horses for not sound came from
the stable, which was close to the shaft
and what hope could there be for human
beings in distant part of the pit2 You
may be sure didn't stand to make these
reflections they hoated across me, and
was working forward, before they got
through my mind. knew the old mine
blindfolded; but what with foul smell
and the deep gloom, was some minutes
scrambling to the top of the incline, keep
ing my arms stretched out as | went along,
to feel for any thing in the way. And it
was lucky did, or | should have dashed
my head against some empty trucks, and
in the state | was in, that would have fin.
ished me. Thus reached the first gal
lery, which you could only enter stoop::
ing. pushed open the trap door, and
went on few steps. though my Davy
lamp was what pitmen call F" afre"-the
flame being all blue-and ! knew the air
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, it came into my
head what she had said about her brother
Jack being in the pit. This gave my
heart such a turn that staggered, and
the perspiration poured from my forehead
like water. | rushed forward as if was
mad my foot struck something; | bent
down over what seemed to be corpse,
and the CLEAN of the lamp fell on its face.
1t was Jack Glover. didn't know whether
he was alive or dead, but caught him in
my arms, and with the strength of q giant
and the'spced of deer-hardly conscious,
hardly breathing-l made a 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 q wonderful difference
in the light. Dark as pitch it still was,
though not to pitman's eyes, and had
found out that Jack breathed when !
reached the shaft. The discovery nerved
me afresh, and kept all my senses at work
without my seeming to know it. only
felt there soon would be another eXplo
sion. So placed Jack on the straddle,
and taking the rope from my Davy lamp,
tied him hand and foot, then pulled the
signal rope, and as the people above
hauled the tackle and lifted the straddle
from the ground, hung on by my arms; (;
| thn- .,,o honnn 10 mount tha Shnft