Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1874-08-18
4 l'rme Story.

Two or three weeks ago an accident did
RCt occur near Scranton, Pa. the news
papers missed a sensational horror, and
dozen uieu. inslead oil being hurled INFO
eternity without time 10 breathe prayer,
walked quietly LONE 10 their dinners,
quito unconscious that Death had had
them by the throais. II might, after all,
DC worth while To look into the cause OF
the loss OF this tragedy to the world; we
should have been Keen enough 20 unearih
the guilty party if ii had occurred. The
iacls are briefly these:
la the largest anthracite coal mine in
the Safe, the care OF lhe engine BY which
The cars tor passengers are lowered and
hois,ed is placed in the hands OF u Scotch
Irishman, an ordinary fellow enough
The cable. necessarily OF great weight
and thickness, passes through the root OF
a slightly buiit shed under which he
stands. One morning. rs the man stood
smoking his pipe. his hand upon the lever.
bis mind very probably busy with his
dinner, and aSsuredlY not wrought up 10
any heroic rap uve OF resolve. the ascend
ing car (lOaded with Coa) at one end OF
the cable. broke and Tell crashing into the
dark shalt, 10 he shattered into 4 thou
sand fragments lie knew that in the
tight minute the cable, released from the
strain. would ey back and fall with
crushing weight on the rickely beams
and boards oi The roof. Death was 40.
so.utoly cettain If hc did not escape from
the shed Bat il he took his band from
the lever. the descending car. full Of men.
must tall one Or two huudted feet. lie
had but one instant TO face his death and
theirs. and to choose between them
There WAS \ boy in the back OF The she'd
the man mOiioned to him with his head
10 20 out. Then he lighleued his hold
on The lever. The loosened cable struck
and caught somewhere below against the
side OF the shaft, Surely God meant Il
should 80 strike! 1t was the delay OF but
a breath OF time; but it was enough.
The car grated With a j.r against The
ground lar below; It's occupants stepped
lcisurciy out, while the man who had
saved them above thew himself from
under the sh,d, Just IS The rool. beams,
pulley and Al. crashed down on the spo;
where he Ind been standing.
We DO not know the mans name, and
should scarcely need to publish it il We
did. Fame or reward jar somehow
against the deed itself. There is " h IT,.
some tonic for al OF us in the certainty,
which is forced upon us now and then, Of
the unknown. unmcasuTed resources OF
courage and hcroism and unliuching in
,egrity 20 dUly which VIC possess among
what NC choose to call the mass OF the
people. 1t i, after all. only when mar
reaches the oc,iajn;icS or middle age that
he is not surprised every new day by the
knowledgc OF how admirable = crew has
been pu, into the world tor lis long voy-
age; how many women arc gracious and
finely natured how many men respond
promptly to the call OF honcs.y or duty or
every seif-Sscriice because il is the sim
Pie and natural thing for them to DO so.
We will congratulate ourselves, then.
not that this class can boast one such
brave fellow As this Scotch eng inccr, but
tha, like King Harry over Percy's grave,
we believe that it has = thousand such
as he"