The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-05-27

Have the readers Of this paper
any idea OF what coal.pit, viewed from
the earth's surface, is like 2 It has n not
very imposing appearance. 1t is simply
II round black hole about twice the size
Of an ordinary "loo" table, and strad-
ding over II is sort of gallows, wire
rope MS thick as ones wrist hanging
down over wheel and lost in the depths
below. By and by theaction isreyered,
clinking and a whCezingis heard in the
adjoining engine-shed, and up comes
the stub" "a square box holding twcn'
ty-two hundred weight tilled with coal,
II came up so while our little party of
six Il being the only novice present. was
waiting to go down. viewed the coarse
strong tub with appreciation, making
sure that MS soon as 1t was empticd we
should all gel into it /; but in this l was
disappointed. II WIS not in the tub,
but standing on the grating on which
the tub had stood, that We had to de-
scend on the naked grating with moth
ing to "hold on" to but u cross-chain
over head. But the pit was only GOO feet
deep, and the coal smoke that arose from
the enormous mine furnace, below was
not unbeArnble by the time ii had be-
numbed ones senses bit.
Six hundred feet down, and half u
mile this way or tint, under low-arched
roofs, from which depended frequent
Aeeces OF fungus, snowy white and look
ing like lambs wool, and making the
black floor and the black walls, lit by fee
BILE tallow dips stuck there in 'dabs Of
clay, blacker than ever. We all car.
RED tallow dips stuck in balls Of
clay, md in Indian file followed the
Rutty" and his foreman through the
turnings and windings that led TO the
chambers" from which coal was being
hewn. Chambers MS wide as any or1in.
nry street and rs high az the top OF the
three-storied houses; and on every side,
whenever the tiny light of the rcd-nosed
dip WINS shifted, was revealed human
creature naked to the waist and blaeker
than any sweep, with savage glittering
teeth, and with weapon in his hand
TINT in the uncertain light looked like u
tomahAwk, grinning ut you, or making n
dash with his weapon apparently In the
direction OF your visHge, but which
aliglts barmlessly on the iace Of the coal
wall.
Eeayers, packers, tubbers, filters
these are NIL men, and hard as the work
is, they earn good wages, and il they
dislike the labor, they are at liberty to
leave it. But they don't dislike the Ia.
Dor, and they are jolly enough-all ex-
cept the boys. II was these boys that so
perpetually haunted my coal SHUTTLE
when | returned from Stafordshirc. II
is villainously cruel to serve the poor lit.
tie chaps so. The matter stands this
way. The newer is the man whose bus
mess it is to "break in" at the foot OF Il
coal wall. He lies on his side or on his
stomach, and he breaks in with Ills peck
right along for length say, OF twenty
feet, n gap that is two feet or less in
height he pecks his way into tho rock
till he has burrowcd sixteen or eighteen
feet Naturally in the process OF pack.
ing he makes deal Of slack" or small,
and the boy in question is called the
"slack boy" Regarded MS n boy, ms n
human creature, he is slack indeed. He
is not much like boy. He is more like
a large-sized monkey. All fous is his
perpetual posture, and he wears lcath.
err girille about his waist, from which an
iron Chain depends, the other end Of it
being attached to an iron cart. The slack
boy has nn iron shovel rs well, and the
business of his wretched life is to crawl
in at the hole the newer makes, to FIJI
his cart with chips md dust, and then
to crawl out again with the load, always
on bis hands mud knees, and with his
poor limbs hung about with few rags
Of which nakedness might be ashamed.
London Sciety.