The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-10-22
THE MINER.
SKETCHES FROM THE COAL MINES

SECOND PART.

SECOND PART.
A PRECIOUS FAIR o. GOV. GEAEr's "rErs,"
The good Genie Of the miners Of Schuyl-
Kill County, as we have said, has arrived at
last, after much hard climbing-so il seems
to you, Mr.. Editor Of the Ddily -, into
what miners call the face Of breast and
you climb over the last length Of plank
work and find yourself in comparatively
spacious cave-hke place. You are over
seventy yards Of perpendicular height above
the gangway or main passage by which you
have entered the mine. Over yonder s.t
the pets, smoking like rational or civilized
beings. They are all right, 80 let them
alone and look at the place in which YOU
find yourself The good Genie folds bis
arms and looks admiringly at the pair as
they smoke on in silence. You can see
that they are thinking of something, and
that that something" is concerning their
work you may know 10y the manner in
which they turn and look at different places
along the face Of coal that confronts them
like some terrible black spectre. But | saw
Jet them alone; for they seem 70 be pets 81
the good Genie as well as of the Cover nor,
Judging by the way in which he looks at
them.
This place where you are now, Mr.. Eli
tr of the Daily -, is, as | have said
what miners call the face Of breast, and il
il sort Of place in which large number
q the good GOV. Geary's pets ect the staff
Of life, and in which large number Of 9th.
er pets, while hunting for sustenencc, find
that other terrible thing, that grim skeleton
Death, who says very suddenly at times,
DtccaSc'
What was it that caused YOU 10 start y
Just then, Mr.. Editor? Oh that mass Of
coal that projects from the rib at which
those pets look so eEpectantly every now
and then. 1t cracked like yoley of mus
kerry! You see the face coal j. over thirty
feet wide. You see it is nearly thirty feet
high, AMI you see that the rocks between
which the coal seam lays incline at an angle
of 20 . That face of coal hangs directly
over your head, and over the heads Of thc
''enio, and over the heads Of good Gov.
Geay's pets. 1t would be a terrible thine.
Mr. Editor, if the face were 10 give way
and run ust at this moment. Alack
day for your poor mother and your pretty
sweet heart aud the intelligent readers IF
your valuable paper There is not a
piece Of coal in that great cavern under
your feet that would not weep at such 40
issue. Your readers would lament at the
disappearance IF those spicy editorial. IL
yours; your dear mother would pass out
Of existence, and your pretty sweet heart
would he let with no other choice than that
If oonsollng herself with another sweet
heart, to comfort her amidst her great sor.
rows You Gee, too nat stream ~ air
rushes up the little man-way by which YOU
have climbed, and 1t rushcs up with great
velocity, and passes over TO the opposite
side Of the great black cavern, and de-
sends there ny way Of another man-way. IF
the same kind, as that you have seen, and
whose area IL not over eight square feet in
cross section. The velocity of TIE ascend
ing current IRE hROiC to be not greater than
Fix feet per second, and the quantity Of air
that is made to enter this breast under these
conditions, amounts to less than three tbous-
and cubic feet per minute. You ! &, Mr..
Editor, by the PARTICLES Of coal dust settled
on your gentlemanly fingers, that the air is
impregnated with coal dust. Ii Won refuse
to accept this as a criterion, Just look at
those pets faces they have not even start
ed to work yet, and they are almost AZ
black as well never mind whom. The
good Genie shines ike garden lily. the
dust does not effect him. You are lust
wondering what that noise is you hear that
singing noise which sounds not much IN
like the discharge Of minute Jets of steam.
That, Mr. Editor, is gas light carbouated
hydrogen gas and if that steam Of ali
we're TO cease for the brief space of fifteen
minutes, you would see the blue and red
flames spring from one Of those pets lamp.
and you would see it roll and roll about in
that space formed between that loose coal
under your feet and that fast coal over your
head which those precious pets cali the face
Of their breast, and you would see If neal
the skin off their precious carcsses. Mr..
Editor of the Daily -, and make them
q shocking P1ir Of human spectacles: for
those pets are in reality human creatures.
But look Mr.. Editor, that big pet bas
taken the dirty pipe out from among its
busby WhSkes and listen it is about to
make a remark you may now get clue to
what has been upon its mind while it was
sitting down on those loose Goals.
Say, Jack, thou's got bad job to BE-
gin with on that rib O. thine thoo had not
powder enough i that hole thoo fred O.
that side last week"
A see that nav lad; but a reckon
nun max best on 'i.n
"ThOO nun take g1eat care lining, or
tho'll be apt to get hurt. I'll tell tho what
a'ye been thinking; thoo had better make
lhyseP hole in the rib close i the corner,
40, let that big wing fall over thy head, as
tboo bears it doom"
It'll be :. safest way Geordy; but it be /
p good deal O useless wark tina knows"
Never mind the wark better wark
whole day for nothing than place thy life
i danger; besides we're twenty wards above
.he last cross heading and the boss III let
Hs drive the hole on into the breast outside
Il we ask him."
"Tha advice is best so here goes for the
We. Tha nun stop an listen. tina knows
en q tell tina. A dunno like the way