Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1874-08-09

A PERILous PosITIoN.-Yesterday afternoon.
says the Virginia Enterprise, of August It'll.
about II o'clock, Sam Jones, brother of Sent
tor J. P. Jones, and Superintendent of the
Crown Point mine, in company with George
Williams, station-tender, and Mr.. Chase un-
derground foreman, had narrow escape from
death while ascending the main shaft of the
Savage mine. The three men got on the cage
at he1300-feet level, which is the bottom Of
the perpendicular shaft. They had with them
some specimens of rock, which they laid upon
the cage, and lanterns, which they carried In
their hands. They placed themselves on the
cage and taking hold of the bell-rope struck
three BELLS which being interpreted means
Hoist. with men" Obedient to the signal
struck on his bell above, the engineer began
hosting the cage. All went well until the
cage had assembled about 400 feet, when it sud.
denly, jumped ont of the guides and was loose
in the shaft. 1t was dashed from side to side
with such violence that the lanterns were
knocked out of the hands of the men, their
specimens of ore were thrown from the cage,
and they must all have been shaken off but for
the peculiar construction of the cage, which
has cross-bars at each end which may be
grasped Up they went, banging from side to
side. Mr.. Chase trying all the time to seize
the bell-rope and strike the signal for stop
ping the cage. This rope is in corner of the
shaft. but when Mr.. Chase did occasionally
get hold of it he WIS unable TO make the sig
nal, owning to the rapid and irregular manner
in which they were ascending. Thus they were
dragged up the shaft for distance of over 800
feet, expecting every moment that the cage
would catch on some projection in the shaft,
the cable be brokS,g and the cage and them
selves precipitated to the bottom OF the shaft,
which would have been instant death. Find
ing they could not signal the surface by means
of the bell-rope, they began yelling, "Stop the
cagei Stop the cagep' in the vain hope thst
they might be heard above Sam says he
yelled like horse-thief" All their yell
ing was of no avail, however, as not whisper
was heard on the surface. The banging about
of the cage caused the heavy iron cable to be
swayed violently and this was at last observed
by the carman at the surface. who called the
attention of the engineer to it and had him
stop hoisting, it being apparent that some
thing was wrong. By means of the ladders
man from the surface then climbed down the
shaft, and, ascertaining the situation of the
men on the cage, returned and had cage sent
down another compartment to their relief.
The three men were kept suspended on tine
cage for over an hour before they flally got
out of their perilous position. Even after the
cage had stopped they were not safe. They
feared every moment that some of the men at
the bottom of the shaft would ring the bell
and start them either up or down the shaft.
To prevent this. one of the men got hold of the
bell-rope, and winding it two or three times
round his hand, thus held it till the relief cage
reached them. When they finally reached the
surface, ii is said that all three of the men
looked like the last run of shad. They were
drenched with water and covered with mud;
Chase had cut in his head, and Sam Jones
had his left shoulder badly bruised from his
being ianmed against the cross bar of the cage.
Sam says single unexpected jar in cage suf
fciently frightens almost any man, but to be
dragged and banged to and fro for a distance
of $40 feet is simply terrific.