The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-01-14
THE MINER.
SKETCHES FROM THE COAL MINES.
u TEOs. =. vALrOI, AsHLLsD, PA.
SECOND PART.
WHAT Is WHAT %

''Gentlenen," says the furnace man, we
will not touch hair OF his head. 1t is well
to menace hun but pray God to spare
him; and may his life in after times be
such as to reflect the credit on him be- has
lost" The voice Of the furnace man here
changed from its gloomy tone, and began
10 be CHEEKY And, gentlemen, roasting
him alive will do you no good, nor hiding
him with pick will be of no benefit to
you. / say spare him, and let the lesson
he has received at COaldale be an inssruc-
live one. He is young and strong and liz
telligsnt, and you need such IS him on your
side at the present moment there are too
many Of his stamp against you, and these
will meet their own reward we will leave
such matters 10 the bands of the good God,
who il always BY the side ef honest labor"
The black faeOs around you Sem to
change not color, but expression yoI be-
come treasured az yeu hear quick and
vigorous hurrah coming from tbeta as
from one tremendous voice
'Bcdad, sings out Dennis Murphy, as
he closes up to you, and fiinging dozen bis
heavy mining hat, and sets himself in
fighting posture IAN it's come en- any
mothers sen ov yees that wishes to lay
finger on him, and, be NE sowl, Dennis
Murphy II lick the lOife ont ov ycIu, ye
name, sneakin' set, to set your ugly faces
at one man like that; come on, say, an
I'll bate the whole crowd" and Denhis, in
bis sudden enthusiasm, tears off bis shirt
and exhibits carcase which, for proper
lions Heenan might well envy, if BE- did
not admire il.
Poor Dennis is now confronted in ter
Yble manner the black faces assuLsed a
different shape or expression. They be-
came frightfully distorted, and the next in
slant you hear one Of the heartiest rOars Of
laughter your ears ever lstenened TO- At
this Dennis face becomes very serious and
~ soon az be could be heard distinct. be
sAys IL The most injured manner ir}a GIN
EUi beda5 an is ia Ike tnat SQUIRE
z'thg1 tratiBg fellow, ana after oil the
ne I've -aken 70 be n service - my
'.o1o Voc nayb. has 81 4 reor Old moth
:. % support, aud a darling little glrl to
IT'S bad luck to meself, shure, that hsven't
the means to bring me poor old mother from
the ould dart yes, an bad luck 70 the
hard times we've had ~ and Dennis draws
his shirt over his head again, and as soon
az bis garments are adjusted sstisfac{ orily,
some one sings out, 81 move we Adjourn"
and another seconds" the motion. ''It's
moved and seconded" sings out another
the furnace man--but this is all ych hear
for the door opens and the men ak rush
towards il and disappear. When tbs door
slams shut you find yourself alone, gazing
on the huge FIRE in manner that shows
you to be almost fascinated.
But another feeling creeps over you
you feel terrible influences at work within
you, Of both . mental and physical Bature.
The air gushing past you, almost stiles
you. You smell powder amongst il. You
have smelt powder on the field of battle,
hut il was not like this you smell now Il
had no sitting sensation about it. Ypu feel
the air to be loaded with impurities, and
carrying along with it minute particles o.
coal dust, which seem to be cloggiag az
your lungs. You feel like one troubled
With asthma. A nOtion prevails with you
that the air passing you is becoming charged
with the in6amable gas you have read o.
10 works on chemistry. You become con
WINGED that the gas is gathering strength II
the air cHrrent You feel more Convinced
when you see sheets Of blue fame dar
from the Burning embers and fash along
the fiue, and even kiss the wood work shaft
You become alarmed for your own personal
safety, when you reflect that if the air be
comes sufficiently charged with explosive
gas an explosion will be inevitable. You
shudder at the mere thought, but yoa can.
not stir to help yourself. You would give
ali the wOrld to be allowed to escape what
now seems to be your impending fate, The
blue fames-miniature explosiOn%-be
come enlarged and of more frequeat Oc-
eurrenes, and you become affected lie one
in nightmare. That gloomy passage looks
lit up as it is by that horrid furnace
like high road to to the Internal regions,
whittier yen feel yourself fast dfifting,
and you shudder and shudder and sht:dder
But may the powers above protect you, Mr..
Editor, against what is to come, in fact
what has just come to pass Ora flash
comes and dasbes to the roof Of the fur
race and communicates flames bGchaoGrds
against the air current. These roll over
your head and dash you to the ground.
The next moment you feel the clothes to be
burnt off your person, and you fetl the
busy flames cutting deep into your flesh.
Then the whole place appears 10 be illumi-
mated by bright light, and your pains
suddenly subside, and you become con-
scious Of pounding at the door You
open your eyes and stare around you You
find yourself to be lying on the cafpetted
floor near the Grecian couch in your own
snug sanctum SaRctOrum, with the genial
gas lights burning brightly upon you.
Ii is sometime before the Editor ef the
DAILY - realizes that be has: been
visited by terrible nightmare, occasioned
BY the previous evenings imprudences: The
heavy supper did not apparently agree with
our friends stomach, and the effects Of it
be feels in his head. He now becomes con-
sciOus of knock at the door of his room
and on being summoned, boy enters on
pressing business, which, when transacted,
the boy is ordered off and told to, come
back in an hour. On looking at q time
piece the Editor of che Daily -
finds that he has been in the land Of dreams
but one short half hour.
The steam printing press, however, has
begun to ClatteT of the early edition ~ the