The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-04-24
NUMBER ii.
4 TR UE STORY:

Two or three weeks ago an accident did
not occur at Scranton, Pa. the newspapers
missed a sensational horror; and dozen
men, instead of heing hurled into eternity
without time 10 breathe prayer, walked quiz
city home TO their dinners, quite unconscious
that Death had had them by the throat. It
might, sfter all be worth our while to look
into the cause Of the loss of this tragedy to
the world we should have been keen
enough to unearth the guilty party if il had
occurred. The facts are briefly these;
In the largest anthracite coal mine in tho
State, the care of the engine by which the
cars for passengers are lowered and hoisted
is placed in the hands of a Scotch Irishmsu,
an ordinary fellow enough. The cable, neces-
sarily Of great weig hit and thickness, passes
through the roof of a sightly-built shed
under which he stands. One morning, as
the man stood smoking his pipe, his hand
/ upon the lever, his mind very probably busy
+ with his dinner, and assuredly not wrought
l up to any heroic rapture Of resolve, the as
cendiug car Cloaded with coaI) at one end of
the cable, broke, and fell crashing into a
thousand fragments. He knew that in the
next minute the cable, released from the
strain, would fly back and fall with crashing
weight on the rickety beams and boards Of
the roof. Death was absolutely certain If he
did not escape from the shed. Buff he took
his hand from the lever the descending car,
full of men, must fall one or two hundred
feet. He had but one instant to face his
death and theirs, and TO choose between
them. There was a boy in the back Of the
shed, the mau ulctioued TO him with his head
TO go out. Then he frightened his hold on
the lever. The loosened cable struck and
caught somewhere below against the side of
the shaft. Surely God meant it should so
strike! 1t was the delay of but breath Of
time; but it was enough. The car grated
with jar against the ground far below; its
occupants stepped leisureIy out, while the
man who had saved them above, threw him
self from under the shed, just as its roof,
beams, pulley, and all, crashed down on the
spot where he had been standing.
We do not know the mans name, and
should scarcely need to publish it If we did.
Fame reward jar somehow against the
deed itself There is a wholesome tonic for
all of us in the certainty, which is forced
upon Us now and then, OF the unknown, un-
measured resources of courage aud heroism
asd unfiinching integrity to duty which we
possess among what we choose TO call the
mass of the people. 1t is, after all, only
when Il man reaches the certaiuties Of mid
die age that he is not surprised every new
day by the knowledge of how admirable a
crew has been put into the world for its long
voyage; how many Of the women are gra-
ciOus and finely natuTea: now many men re-
spond promptly to the call of honesty or duty
or even selt-sacriice, because il is the sim
pie and natural thing for them % do SO.
We will congratulate ourselves, then, not
that this class can boast one sach brave fell
low as this ScOtch-Iri1h eEE ineer, bat that,
ike King Harry over Eercy's grave, we be-
Iieve it ''has thousand such as he."-Ne1o
York tribune.