The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-12-25

lurking about her mothers cottage,
and making her as miserable as my
self. Why shouldn't I go away, to
Yorkshire, or Derbyshire.. or to. the
diggings in Australia, for that matter?
The notion, if it was good for nothing
more, gaze me little spirit: 1t
turned my thoughts, and l stepped
out brisker.7goin straight home. L
hadn1t muphgto nsettle there, only to
bid good bye TO the folks / lived with,
and Ivseon came out, pack|on back
and began myAtramP. EeE Ia3 s7io
7 Stopped at the moor and looked
back, remembering that might never
see the place again, and dismal as |
now thought 1t, with its gaping walls
and shaken roofs encumbering the
Backened ground, l had been happy
there. Not one of those tumbling
cottages but would open It's doors, to,
ne not one where |, would not meet
a4riend. And there, too, l had been
born; 1T. 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. -
I was walking on. when suddenly
the air rang with crash which shook
the ground. I knew what it signifed;
such sounds denote but oaearesult In
the back country, and throwing down
my pack. darted off to the pit. with
the feelings that animate every miner
on such occasions. - =
It didn't seem a minute before i
came TO the dust heaps, round the
pits mouth, but some were there be-
fore me, and the loff-men and the
women were rushing up from the vii
lage in a stream. 4 The smell from the
pit almost knocked me down as [
came up, and i had to get my. breath
aslittieWhen three or four of US crept
on to the mouth, and looked down.
The explosion had destroyed the cage,
not leaving a7stick oft, butt 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. rigs cross
bar, and presently had, 1T ready.
just lower me gently" l said to
two banksman. = may pick up one
or two. if there are any near. :" j 1s5I
You cant go down yet, n cried
the viewer; !. How many are there
in the pit?'' Il 5zs9b
Half an hour ago there were
Gfty," replied the time keeper, 7" but
I am thankful to say they all came up
but tent s5fxs1T T II $780,
- And they are all lost, said the
viewer. 80 for there will be another
fTlIs 20 down, anyhow" I said
1o--oJT-. cd e 1ahaJry mill loxuor
me- I II jump down. .. $3.50. y. + !. E ! -
A good many were on the heaps
nowTmen and WomenTsome of the
women crying, and some praying; but
when / spoke out that way, there was
a dead silence. Then two or three
called out.q 12 tAt-d 4
t.;Goed bye, Charley. God bless
you, my brave lad, " az s55
The abanksmen lowered me down,
and | sank through the pits mouth.
A Davy lamp was tied round my
waist, and I held rope in my hand,
so that / might signal to be hoisted
up, if the air became too foul. But I
had 20 intention of going back till i
had searched the pit and seen if there
we're any alive. One, thing, I didn't
care about my life; and another, |
would have been ashamed to face the
folks above without doing something
so | felt. impatient that they owered
me at such snail's pace, and kept
Hooking up and down to, measure the
distance yet to be traVersed. The
shaft had never seemed so deep to me
before. j strained my eyes into the
darkness below, and saw no bottom
| glanced up, and the CLEAN of light
| grew smaller and fainter. | scanned
the walls of thesshaft, and saw. only
their black bound. But my progress
was notified 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 a little current. At last my
feet touched ground. osrf} 4tT
/ I looked around and jumped off the
straddle. and saw the furnacewas, out,
which, put.a stop TO- the Ventilation OF
the mine as far as it depended on the
| brattices, and no air entered but BY
/ the shaft. The stencil was overpoW'
ering, land from this and the silence |
/ guessed the worst It was plain that
1 the explosion had killed the Horses
for not a sound came from the stables
that were close to the shaft; aud
what hope could there be for. human
beings in distant part of the pit? :
Ilo You may be sure [ did not stand9to
make these reflections; they hcated
across me, and | was working forward
before they had got through my
mind. knew the old mine blind
folded; but, what with the foul
smell, and what with the gloom and
my shortness of breath, / was some
minutes scrambling to the top of the
incline, keeping my arms stretched
out as [ went along, to feel for any
thing in the way. And lucky |