The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-03-10
Interior of an English Coal.pIt.

Hns the reader any idea Of what q
coal:pit, viewed from the eRrth'ssurface,
is like? It has q not very imposing mp.
pearnnce. 1t is simply round black
hole absut twice the size OF m ordinary
"loo" table, and straddling over II is u
sort Of gallows, n wire rope rs thick rs
ones wrist hanging down over n wheel
and lost in the depths below. By and
by the action is reversed, clicking and
q wheeling is heard in the adjoining
engine shed and up comes the club" "a
square box holding twenty-five hundred
weight filled with coal. 1t 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 as
soon MS it was emptied We should all
get into it but in this | was disap-
pointed. II was not in the tub, but
standing on tho grating on which tho
tub had stood, that we had to descend
or the naked grating with nothing to
"hold on" 10 but a or0ss-chain over.
head. But the pit was only six hundred
lceb ueeps ulu tue coui bHiohp thhNuAuoS
from the enormous mine furnace was
not unbearable by the time IL had be-
numbed ones senses bit.
Six hundred feet down, and half
mile this way or that under low-archel
roofs, from which depended frequent
fieeces of fungus, snowy white, and
looking like lambs wool, and making
the black floor and the black walls-lit
by feeble tallow dips stuck there in
dabs OF clay-blacker thun ever. We
all carried tallow dips stuck in balls Of
clay, and IN Indian file followed the
'Buttey" and his foreman through the
turnings and windings that led to the
chambers from which coal was being
hewn. Chambers as wide as M ordin-
ary street md MS high MS the top OF the
three.storied houses; and OH every side,
whenever the tiny light Of the red.nosed
dip was shifted, was revealed n human
creature naked to the waist and blackel
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 a dash with
his weapon apparently in the direction
of your visage, but which alights harm
lessly on the face of the coal wall.
Heavers, packers, tubbers, filters
these are all men, and hard as the worh
is they earn good wages, and II the,
dislike the labor they IRE ut liberty Il
leave it. But they don't dislike til,
labor, and they are jolly enougl-all OK
cept the boys. It was these boys tina
SO perpetuAlly haunted my coal-scuttll
when 1 returned from StaAordshire
1t is villainously cruel TO serve the poo
little chaps SO. The matter stands thi
way. Tho newer is the man who's,
business 1t is to "break in" ut the foo
of coal wall. He lies on his sides o
oil his stomach, andhe breaks in witt
his peck right along for n length, say o
twenty feet, Naturally in the process
of pecking he makes n deal of "slack,
and tho boy in question is called TIL
"slack boy" Regarded as boy, as
human creature, he is slack indeed. H
is not much like boy. lie is NOR
like large-sized monkey. All fours i
his perpetual posture, and he wears
leather girdle about his whist iron
which an iron chain depends, the othe
end OF it being attached TO an iron cart
The slack boy Inns M iron shovel n
we'll, and the business OF his wretche,
life is to crawl in at the hole the howe
makes, to fill his cart with chips mn
dust, and then to crawl out again wit
his load, always on his handsAnd knees
and with his poor limbs hung abou
with few rags Of which nakednes
might be ashamed. -Lontlon Society.