The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-10-30

Written for the ADVOCATE
A STREAK OF FIRE

A STREAK OF FIRE
cahe down the schultz, knocked me down,
butned my face and hands, and blew away
mt cap sand burned the mules"
The oracle WHO uttered this burst Of elo-
offence lay on a temporary couch, in wi
d4W's humble dwelling in this Town OF Ash
laid, on the Sd of July, A. D., 1859. He
wis in q state OF semi-consciousness; be was
n4ither asleep nor awake; alive nor dead, if
wb may be allowed to say so hguratively.
livery word be spoke, however, bore the
sAmp of Gospel truth upon it; people utter
shrLling truths in their dreams at times,
AID just as they are departing to the I'M
Known regions.
lOur oracle was boy-the widows SON
Of not much more than twelve years.
HE had Just been led into the house, a
nIess of rags, blackened with coal dust, bis
bad and face covered up to prevent the air
fiom acting on his already severe injuries
Tlhe widowed mother saw when the rags
Here torn off, horrible mask on her boy.
The skin was burned of his face; the hair
dnged of bis head; the flesh was burned and
LIBERATED; the surface of the hands were
E1inful wounds; yet this child had been es-
hecially fortunate! He had escaped from q
DIAL mine explosion with his life ! But il
bose wounds heal, they will leave their
oars behind them, which the poor little fell
bw will carry to his grave as q memorial Of
Ms having been q victim Of an explosion Of
hine gas. The sufferer had had bis Injuries
dressed, and all the relief given him that
lind friends and neighbors could yield, ana
EAs laid as comfortably as possible on bis
kouch when be uttered the memorial words
se have already quoted.
But his case was not IN exceptional case,
there were six others-IwO of whom were
boys Is Young as himself-who had received
Injuries as severe-if not more so-and they
Iay on their ,couches sweltering in the July
beat with their wounds oathed in oils and
bintments. Thew will thus celebrate the
Fourth Of July, poor fellows
These cases have had hundreds of paral
els IN this region, and at the present time
there are in this vicinity nine persons
know Of, who are laid up by literally having
parts Of their persons fried in these Goa
mines.
4 An explosion took place in one Of th'
newly opened breasts in the Tunnel Col
fliery, on the Sd INST, which burned severe
tly seven persons; most of whom were younI
Aboys. A mule was also burned. Can W
mot spare . little sympathy for the poo
tdumb animal who had its eyes buried out
land its ears roasted of, and who died short
lly after the accident In agonies from the Sc
kverity of it's injuries.
How is it that the puIIanthroplc newspa
hers can find out all about the misanthrop
Iminers, and they can never tell Us anything
about their dangers or sufferings. They re
icord q mans death as if it were q pig killeC
ION the railroad track. If any misdemesnol
fis committed in the district, the whole dis
strict is made accountable for it. If some on
breaks into Farmer Frizzle's barn and take
Farmer Frizzle's chickens, or into Farme
kFrizzle's house, and carries of Farmer Fritz
kzle's greenbacks, or kisses bis frau, tn
whole mining population is taxed on &C
lcount Of H.
Editors are wiseacres. Editors are gifteC
with the boon Of discovery. E1itoIs hav
4 found out that any person writing an srticl
| in favor Of miners, are advertisers"
"dirty penny a-liners." Editors are to
certain extent condescending. They Civ
three columns Of advice to miners, AM
point out the laws gotten up to keep then
in due subsection. But editors tell US littl
of the accidents that take place among us
If they know the cause of an accident, AM
how to prevent it in future, they do not car
to point it cut. Editors are SO good; editors
favor the cause of workingmen so seldom
1t does not pay to help the poor, even will
the pen, and editors, like lawyers, mus
live they must needs fawD on the rich. 1
a coal operators lad break his shin, or Gu
his scalp, our local editors are overwhelmed
with sympathy on account Of it. But ~:
dry work 10 record the death Of q poor
miner, who may have been roasted in the
flames of an explosion, or cTushed-manglec
] NAV say-by an avalsnche OF coal, or Q
fall Of rock or blown up by q blast, or the
explosion Of a keg Of gunpowder. man
is lying dangerously-nay be fatally
burnt by the explosion Of q keg Of gunPow-
der, which happened early in last week.
Several have been killed from falls since the
suspension. Some Of the poor fellows who
are lying burnt from the Tunnel Colllerv
explosion, are not expected to live; 1t is
supposed that their lungs are burnt. sup
pose il was from internal burns the mule
died. THIS is a proof Of the severity Of the
flames. few weeks sgo-nay but a few
uAIS akO-oOucg INV ~ Ahh SeiSeSNSN WI PSNS
were looking hopefully forward to tie cele-
bration Of the fourth Of July; others lying
sweltering in the touches that may prove
their death beds, are still sensible OF the JOY
full sounds that usher in the great indepen-
dent day.
Amid the firing Of cannon and strains OF
sweet music; among the joyous shout Of
children, dressed in their holiday clothes
for the picnics amid the noise OF fireworks
as they roar and hiss through the air; amid
sound OF Joyful! revelry; the groans of the
poor dying miner, and the tears and cries
and prayers of bis wife and children are
Mingled these, so soon perhaps to be
widows and orphans.
Such is what have to record to day, the
9TH inst, after having seen-not the features
Of some of the sufferers-only their eyes
peeping through among the bandages and
hniments and rags, that hide the mask OF
wounds on their faces.
Some whose chests are swollen, denote
that their lungs have been scorched by the
fluid fire brand.
When one is exposed to 3 volume Of
flames those parts Of the person unprotect-
ed by clothes, suffer most. On this account
the face and hands are often horribly mu-
tilated.
The cause Of such accidents may be at
tributed to carelessness, or ignorance of the
nature of gases and o. mine ventilation.
T.H.W.