Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-06-05
PEG.LEGGED BOB.

down wherever there's q bit OF eXcavatins
going on. But as for sending me letter,
/ don't hardly know where to tell you to
direct it, You might hear of me at the
Three Pigeons, Stonycrosis, Brummagem,
If happened TO be out of work, which
amt often. Last time was wrote to was
Providence Terrace, Banktop Cutting,
Killarney, Ireland, and the postman broke
his leg trying to get TO me. So perhaps
you'd better no. write; but if you should
want to send me any money just you hand
it over to Mr.. Tracey's office in Great
Parliament street, and tell 'em it's for Peg
legged Bob. ! shall get 1t all right some
time or other. AS to how got the name.
why, that's pretty obvious, l should think,
looking at these timber toes of mine. 1t
wasn't gave me by my godiathers and
godmother, hut you may say that l was
christened by 400 tons of rock and rub
bidge as tumbled right atop Of me.
This was how it happened: Me and a
mate of mine was working in a butty
gang on one of Mr.. Tracey's lines. 1t
was in the old mans time. Yes, he was
a very decent fellow, old Tracey. There
was kind of go about him as made
you like to work for him, even if so be as
you didn't make much out of it. And he
was precious near. Not himself, you
know, so much as the men that was un-
der him; but, bless you, he picked 'em
out Just for that, else he was freehanded
sort, if you took him on the right side,
and he'd never see you ruinated through
any of his jobs If you stuck to 'em plucky.
Not but what perhaps there was bit of
policy about that, too, for you see you'd
cut things bit closer, knowing as if they
turned out unkimmon cross old Tracey
'ud ease you off some tritle.
was able bodied young chap when
it happened, and could do days work
with anybody; was butty of the gang,
and we'd took about Thousand yards of
rock and rubbidge to drive cutting
through, aud was getting on very well
with 1t, too. We was making three pound
week, every man in the gang, for it had
turned out very plummy piece; only
perhaps we was in too much of hurry,
and used our powder little too free. 1t
was in Statfordshire County, sort of red
sand and rock we had to cut through, q
soft kind of stone as come away in great
chunks like slices of pudding. We'd cut
away at both ends of our piece, and had
and we'd made up our minGs to
give him jolly good shaking with twenty
pounds of powder drOved twenty feet into
the rock. Me and my chum, Carrotty
Sam we called him then, had agreed tc
tramp the hole and fire the shot. Wed
lust ran1ned in the charge, and Sam had
got lump of clay in his hand to slap IN
| tn hole, when of sudden / heard sOrI
| of flZzling noise under my feet, and, lC
| and behold! I'd struck out spark with
my hob-nailed boots, and the powder as
we'd scattered here and there had took
the spark, and the flame was running
along all about like wildfre. Kun
Sam" says I; and we started off for oul
! lives. There was chance, you see, tina
the charge wouldn't catch, or that ii i
| catched it would elbow" without bring
ing the rock down upon us. But ther'
was no such luck. l heard gruff sor
of bang behind me, the ground wobblet
about under my feet, and down ! went
tumbling over my mate, all in darkness
like. There was just minute when
felt as If | was fireworks, and turning int
all kinds of lights, and then | felt on
twist of dreadful pain. After that | don
remember aught till come to myself 1
a sort of dream, AS it might be tn
nightmare. Not that | could make ou
where was, or nothing, only l was tee
ing Bladder than I've got words to tell yol
When | did come TO myself sutficier
to know where were, didn't feel an
better. | was buried alive, sure enough
and | felt bad all over, | can tell yoV
} Then moved bit with my arm and ic
something soft alongside me that groane
as touched it.
"Sam," says l, in a gruf kind of wa.
"Hullo, Bob" says he. "Good-by, oil
man." says 1: "Good-by, Bob" says h
And after that we laysquite still witho'
speaking. How time passed didn
, know, but | felt getting colder and colde
and the feeling went out of me, so dldn
feel no more pain, and my head was clea
and l thought, aye, thought deal
things. Then spoke to Sam again, al
he never answered and ! spoke agai
|, but not sound from him. SO, thinks
n he's dead, and I'll have my groan or
, And | cried out; ah, you wouldn't ha'
C thought there was strength enou' in me
i have sung out vs. did.
Il And when I'd had my cry out, thin
/. /, it's all over, and may give up q
ghost Then ! heard another cry,
:, seemed as if came out of the bowels
" the earth, and after that there was soul
Y ofpicks and spade. Next thing hearC
voice, "Bob!" quite faintlike, Hullo
l. says l, "what, Sam, are ye alive yet
is Aye" says he; was that you as ahriek
,r just now" "Aye," says l, a little
If nettled as Sam should have heard II
IS "But keep up, mate" says 81 here's he
10 a-coming" And presently there came
~ shine of light and somebody sings o
= "Here they aIeW
All, but we'd precious bad time of
n too after they found u.s. A great sto
as had rumbled on our legs and smash
g. 'em dreadful, one of mine and one
te Sans, his left leg and my right 1
ne stones had collapsed together like, so
,d we warn't killed outright; but the.
,e been digging for us the wrong way a
h would never have got us out alive IL
hadn't been for that shout / give a
a q thought was my last. The doctors whipT
" our legs off fast enou' after they got
G. out, and then l lay on my back In
o. of boothie alongside the cutting
months and months. And there II wa
n made acquaintance with Sal, who '
an Sans sister, and come TO nurse him,
tn she looked after me, too, first rate. d
mt / never thought about getting wedt
then, being as | was very down in
as mouth, wondering what was to beco
ds of me through having lost my leg.
an HOwsoever, Mr. Tracey he came do
-. one day to see how his chaps was getl
vi on, and he coined into the hut to haV
look at me and Sam. "Well, lads, u
x says, how are you by this timer" ="
ar right, governor" / says, "what the
left of us, saws /; "the doctors took
much of us away they'd ought TO h
- joined me and Sam together, as mi
ne make man between u.s."
M / 1Nraaau ha Iauohad ann aaid ~ w