The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-08-02

IA |
Has the reader any idea Of what eosl.
pit, viewed from the earth's surface, Is
like 1t has not very imposing appear
ance. IL is simply round black hole
about twice the size OF an ordinary loo
table, aud straddling over it is sort Of
gallows-a Wire-rope as thick as ones
wrist--hanging down over wheel and lost
in the depths below. By and by, the ac-
ton Is reversed, clicking and wheeling
are heard in the engine-shed, and up comes
the Stub "a square box holding twenty
two hundred weight filed with coal. II
comes up 80 while our little party Of six Il
being the novice presently was waiting to
80 down. viewed the coarse, strong tub
with appreciation, making sure that as soon
as it was emptied we should all get into It;
but in this | was disappointed. II was
not in the tub, but standing on the graf
ing on which the tub had stood with moth
ing to descend--or the naked grating, that
we had to nhold on to but cross chain
overhead But the pit was only six hun
dred feet deep and the coal smoke that
arose from the enormous mine furnaces
was not unbearable, by the time 1t had be-
numbed ones senses bit.
| Six hundred feet down and half mile
this way or that under loW-arched roofs,
ffen sRhieh depandad fremient fieeces al
fungus, snoWy-while, and looking Ike
lambs wool, and making the black floors
and the black walls, lighted by feeble tai
low dips, stuck there in dabs Of clay,
blaeker than ever We all carried tallow
dips stuck in balls of clay, and in Indian
file followed the aRuttey' and his foreman
through the turnings and windings that
led to the chamber from which coal was
being hewn-chambers as wide as an or
binary street, and as high as the top Of the
three-storied houses; and on every side
whenever the tiny light of the red-nosed
dip was shifted, was revealed human
creature naked to the waist and blacker
than any sweep, with savage, cleaning
eyes, and savage, glittering teeth, and with
weapon in his hand that in the uncertain
light looked like tomahawk, grinning at
you, or making dash with his weapon,
apparently in the direction Of your visaee,
but which alights harmlessly on the face
Of the coal-wall.
Heavers, packers, tubbers, fillers--there
are all men; and hard as the work is, they
earn good wages, and if they dislike the
labor they are at liberty to leave It. But
they don't dislike the labor, and they are
jolly enough-all except the boys. TWAS
these boys that so perpetuaIly haunted my
coal-scuttle when | returned from Stat
fordshire. 1t is villianously cruel to serve
the poor little chaps so. The matter stands
this way; The newer is man whose bus
mess it is to "break in" at the foot of a
coal wall. He lies on his sides or on his
stomach, and he breaks in with his pick
right along for alength, say of twenty feet
Naturally in the process Of pecking he
makes deal of 'slack," and the boy in
question is called the slaek-boy. Regard
ed as a boy, as human creature, he Is
slack indeed. He is not much like a boy.
He is more like large-sized monkey.
All fours is his perpetual motion, and he
wears leather girdle about his waist from
which an iron chain depends, the other
end Of it being attached to an iron cart.
The slack-boy has an iron shovel as we'll
and the business Of his wretched life Is to
crawl in at the hole the newer makes, to
fill his cart with chips and dust, and then
to crawl out again with his load, always
on his hands and knees, and with his poor
limbs hung about with few rags Of which
nakedness might be ashamed.