The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-04-24

% sixtssu times lie own bulk Of air IN ad-
uixsars Nos, ybene gss O. this sort y
nixed up with he air 4. which you are
1pfking 81 the rate Of sis Per eeats u 10
s>ry nearly up q Ne frtn1 PHI Hyou
skimSns t6fs mixture WITH your nxked Night,
ron VII and n1pnre blas caps . eounis Of
irches long, over then GasAe or year nmp /;
Il chen wants but one or two more per cent.
n make the Asmesphsre ssrroandiag you
anplsstve. A1F a4
= Il nay possibly DO gathering more agaa.
md II may rssehA the explosive degree,
faysno pofnf n you WILL snd faasA into
'Aeme any moment In THE oase you would
be shaved qassksr than any barber could
shave you for those hames are shssH they
take OF the hair nrst, tben pee, Of the akin,
which IL very unpleasant AFFAIR. a. least
you think % IL you possess a. much life
and are able 70 run home Ban, said ;
for II some one does NOT prevent yoa, voc
will run like iamplighter when you 20.
into the air, which a0gments tbe pain Of
your wounds and assists She Ere to penetrate
sim deeper Into yonr Aesh They rub your
bodv With Gil, and yea 90 not thank them
for eudsavcrinK thus 10 keep ct the air
from vour ,njuriest Woe be 10 y0u " you
N you have inhaled auy Of tho fluid IRE
brand (; your Iungs would be scOrched, and
your lie NOT worth fasthiug. So mind
what you are about be careful Of the Gre
damp.
Supposing, however, that your place 10
all right, and you begin to earn your bread
and butter by the "sweas Of your brow"
You say il 10 not your business 70 know the
ssase Of other mems places In regard 70 ex-
plosive mixtures. Nov, suppose your neigh
boris breast--which the current OF air used
to ventiIate your breast skirss--is charged
with iniammable gas, and fell OF GOAL
were TO take place and mir said gas with
the current that was coming up your man.
way. HerA you are again IN danger OF
being barbarOu.ly shaved, Through your
paying no heed to the state OF your neigh
bor's breast. I have no time nc present to
talk more with you on the subject OF gas.
! will pass on, and conclude you are safe
from this source OF danger, that you know
90 much about perhaps - do At least,
earnestly wish yOa to do so.
Your bread and butter eempsls you 10
fsce this and other dangers, and with this
40 your primitive object, you examine the
face Of cJal and consider the best manner In
which you can shape blast. You pull
down all loose pieces Of coal, 90 that they
will NOT fall on yOu. Mind you do not over
look aay large Jumps overhangiog you, for
IL these fall and strike you with their keen
edges they coi awful gsshes, through which
the life blood sometimes escapes, and thas
makes il q serious matter.
In spite OF this and all other dangers,
the face OF your breast must advance OF
there will be no pay. You begin 70 drill q
hole, and you end the drilling Of IL, and
go TO your powder keg with the sweat
streaming over your body you are heated
and excited by the violent exercise you
pay little regard TO danger now, or you
would not be % careless with your lamp
while 1t 10 30 near your powder. Many Of
you miners get blown into eternity through
explosions Of powder taking place in con-
lined situations, snch 40 small cross bead
iDgs and this is no ieke to the widow and
orphans left behind to mourn the loss.
After your cartridges 10 made, you pro-
coed 60 lamp il in at the back Of che hole.
Nou may run it too tightly and 90 .upress
the air, and by going 90 heat it Sufficiently
10 cause ihe premature explosion Of your
charge, which may possibly drive the lamp
Ing Oar through your spine, and thus make
you independent Of US ali 10 this world, ex-
ceps that We attend you to your last long
home. ne careful, say again. IL this sc-
cident does not happen to you-and | earn
estlV pray that it does no:-you lamp your
bole, set your squib and match, place your
tools IN safety, and retreat TO the heading
for personal security. You may have set q
very slow match, much slower than you ex-
pect II is. You are an impatient man, when
your charge does not 90 of in due time.
lou utter language that is net at all times
sacred; you crawl back and arrive 10 the
breast Just 40 the fame Is burning the end
OF the squib. This prevents you from see
ing the fame Of the match, and az you tax e
a step or two in the direction Of your blast
il eXplodes, and you are saluted by o storm
OF projectiles in the shape OF large frag-
ments Of coal With many sharp edges. 10
such cases lt is not often you miners escape
with your lives, and when you do so, sell
dom With your eyesight, for you are looking
in the direction Of the blsst as it goes off
Many q writer less mercif1l than myself
would leave YOU at this point, cot up into
little bits from the effect Of your blast, sod
tax you for caraleseness; but shall NOT do
so, for Ihave set slow matches, and know
from experience bow impatient one gets
when the expect ant explosion does not occur
ia due time.
l shall OVerturn all the above statement,
and say that yoar blast went off all right
and did good execution, but left large
masses Of shattered coal hanging loosely
above your head at different parts Of the
fses. II you are not careful in keeping
your balance while barring these down, and
your feet solid ready TO spring at the criti-
cal moment, would not give much for you
when those loOsened portions crash down
upon the steep bottom slate Of the coal
vein, sad take a reflected motion till they
meet SIth the loose coal already mined 10
your breaet
| have not mentioned a 1.-THE of che dan
gers 90 which you are exposed before VOC
come home weary and tired, and sick from
the effects OF the Pc ana coal dust you
bASe drawn into vSur iuBgs during the day,
which, If continued daily, vii be the means
Of deducting twenty years -om your life !;
but az you are tired Of reading, l shall close
my subject for the present. NV 0hjest is
tn show you and she world the dangers you
are subjected TO In order to get your "bit 10
eat," and fuel fer that kInd end beautlful
lady wbc likes TO read good tale Of cold
winters night by the heat Of an anthracite
coal are, and food for that great steam
Putting Billy" that drags tons of freight
and hundreds Of passed. GERS after il, aud TO
supply strength to padc that ploughs into
the ocean, and 10 she rolls that crush the
masses Of iron into any desired
Iorm.
You must undergo the danger to do all
this, bat y0u get nsed to IL II cannon
ball were 20 bounce past your ear you woald
Be considerably alarmed; you might be
coward sAoush 20 run on; bat were Il only
a piece II cOsly Jon would think ID . matter
Of course, and il would be all night. "What
70 q that's fall,n on me % ssked miner
OF those wuo came 20 his assistance while
be was buried beneath . fall. SIT 10 coal, ("
they answered. "Ohl theo I'm not much
wOfss." says be, In faint voice; bat he
was carried home q permanent cripple.
t. III. w.
Ashlaud. seAayikn Co, Pa. April I. 1883.