The workingman's advocate., 1874-12-05
CHICAGO DETROIT CINCINNATI SATURDAY DECEMBER

tn safety-,alv was all right so that all
could do was to be thankful for the aeci-
dent happening at dinner time, and also
for my own wonderful escape. And then,
though / wasn't hurt, something seemed to
come over me like fash, and struck me
To- the ground in an instant.
When | came to, i felt horribly sick and
deathly like, and | looked about from face
to face wondering what was the matter
for couldn't make i. out why should be
lying on my back, with people round me
IN the yard-one hol ling up my head and
another sprinkling my face with water.
Then it all came back at once, and
shuddered as ! turned my head and look
ed the ruined works for | knew what it
was struck me down to the earth. | said
before it was like flash, and it was-it
was one quick thought which came across
my brain, for l knew that, being dinner
time, my little golden haired gal would
have brought my 'lOwancc tied up in
BASIN and something told me that she had
gone into the stoke-hole 20 find me when |
had gone into the yard.
: Lst me YET. uRs says Y aud ! uEAR- To-
-w&rdsvS efGinE, and De1 Isl tssfifg awsy q
the heap Of brick rubbish, while the crowd
now gathered together, hearing that there
VAS some one underneath began tearing
away at the rubbish like fury.
BY aud by the police came and some gen
tleinen. and something like order was got
at, and people worked well to get down to
where the stoke-hule had been. had said
that there was some one there, but |
couldn't shape my mouth to SPY who 1t
Was and some said il was one man, and
some another but whoever they named
seemed to come directly back from his din
ner, or because he had heard the explosion.
80, by ana by, people began to l1ok from
one to another, and ask who it was.
Ask Wilnm, says some one " he
was here at the time and some one ask
cd me But had no OCCASION to speak,
for lust then, alarmed at the child not GO
ing back as usual, the little gals mother
came shrieking out, and crying
. Where's little Patty where's little
Patty ;" and then, no one spoke, she gave
sort of pitiful moan, and sank slowly
down first On her knees, and then side
ways on to heap Of bricks and re-
member thinking it was best for ! could
not find it in my heart to get to her help,
but kept on tearing away at the hot bricks
and rubbish.
1t was puzzling and worriting fpr one
could net seem to be sure OF where any
thing had once stood. in the horrible con-
fusion before us One said the stoke-hnle
had been here, and another there but
even |, who had worked there two years,
could not be sure amidst the confusion.
Hour after hour went by, and still we
worked on while, as every big rafter or
beam was lifted and dragged away, | was
Obliged TO turn my head, for felt sick, and
the place seemed To swim ; for | expected
to see Patty's little bright curls torn out
and hanging to the jagred wood, and that
underneath there would be something hor-
rlble and crushed.
know it wasn't manly but what can |
say, when there was little, bright, blue
eyed child in the case-one Of those little |
things whose look will make your great
rough hand fall to your side when raised
IN anger, while the tiny thing can lead you
about and do what she likes with YOU |
Praps ! amt manly but, somehow, |
children always Z" get the upper hand |
Of me.
And 50 on we worked, hour after hour 1
meu getting tired and dropping off, but al
why's plenty ready to fill their places while |
~ never thought Of it, but kept On tear
iLg away till my hands bled, and the sweat 4
ran down my face but | turned away ev-
cry time there was something large lifted. |
iur | said to myself, She must be under I
that Aud then again and again, III my
mind, | seemed to see the torn and crush /.
ed face of my darling, and her long curles /.
daDbed i'll blood
In the midst Of the pilci-up bsckened /
ruins bricks, mortar, tiles, lead ami rag
ged and torn beams, huge pieces Of wood |
snapped and torn like matches We toiled |
on hour after hour, till the dark night |
came, when the gas-pipes that were laid |
bare and plugged were unstopped, and the /
gas lit, so that it fsred and bazed and |
cast a strange wild light over the ruined |
place There had been flames burst forth /
two or three times from parts Of the ruins, /
but few sprinklings from the fire-engine |
in attendance had put them out and as
We worked on the rubbish grew cooler and /
cooler.
Some said that the child could not have |
been there, but the sight Of her mother /
tearing out was sufficient, when once she /
got away from the people who had her in
their house.-a Louse where but part Of |
the windows had been broken by the ex-
plosion, and came running to where |
was at work, snatching at the bricks and |
wood till | got two or three to take her I
back, for couldn't have left where ] was |
t. have saved my life. But | remember |
50 well asking myself why it was that wo-
men will let down their back hair when |
they'r re III state of excitement, and make \
themselves look so wild.
BY and by some one came to say how |
bad my wife was, and that she wanted to
see me but felt that couldn't 90, and |
Kept on in a fevered sort of way, work, |
work and I've thought since that if she |
had been dying it would have been all the !
same However, heard soon after that |
she seemed little better :; and | found |
out afterwards that a doctor there had |
given the poor thing something which |
seemed to calm her, and she went to
sleep
Ii would have been strong dose,
though, that would have sent me off to
sleep, as still on, hour after hour, | |
worked there, never tiring. but lifting |
beams that two or three men would have |
zone at, and tossing the rubbish away like |
50 much straw.
The owners we're kind enough, and did |
all they could to encourage the men, send |
ing for beer and ether refreshments but |
the heap Of stuff to move was something
frightful, and more than once | felt quite
ia despair, and ready to sit down and cry
weakly But | was at it again the next
moment, and working with the best If
them.
Hadn't You better leave now I" said
one Of my masters Ill See that every
thing is done.
| gave him one look, and he laid his
hand kindly on my shoulder, and said 10
more to me about going and heard him
say Poor fellow = to some one by him, as
he turned away.
We cane upon the biler quite half a
H., .,u-la o,,t ,,f r,Iaoa rtnDad rioht