The weekly Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1872-1887, 1875-08-07

the Siatt, ana tic blast WAS fired
One fine spring day Sam and old Bill
Conway were mt bank, and Evan. below
had just prepared his blast in the manner
described, und had given the signal to bc
hauled to bank. 1t was nearly noon. and
hnlf-wittcd son of the old bank's.man
was walking quietly along behind an adj.
joining hedge with his fathers dinner
lie heard the "shot" fired, and hurried ia
the pit-heap. There he saw Sam Grifliths
jumping and swearing around; he saw tho
smoke pouring up the SHIFT; he saw his
fathers little dog; but he saw neither his
fathcr nor Evan Hughes. ....
"Whcro's fayther .atitl Yeayen?" asked
the poor, half-witted lad. ... ..
Sam's blood was up, and he struck poor
Dick on the check and blucked his eve.
The lad ran home, and Snm went Ralf-
way to the Great Oak. Shaft, howling
wildly for assistance The fnarfulIy mu.
tilated bodies of young Hughes and the
Old man Conway were brought to bank,
and few hours after Coroner Peter Viii
liams held m inquest. Sam Grifliths was
the only important witness. lie testified
that Bill Conway, being old and stupid,
had, at Evan lIughcs's signal to "wind
up" gone for the red-hot ring by mistake.
That, seeing the old mans terrible blum
der, he (Sam) had rushed from behind
thc "hut," where lie had been asleep, to
prevent the mischief, but that lie had
only arrived in time to sec the glowing
ring shoot down the shaft Almost in
stantly, tho old man had discovered his
fearful error, and, stricken with horror
and remorsc, he had plunged head first
down the shaft just rs the. smoke and de-
6ris from the blast were rising at was
all the work of half minute" he said
to the coroner and jury; ''and it was nll
over before l could reach the spot. As
for 'shouting,' l was struck spccchlcss
with fear" The jury accepted the ex-
planation-thcrc was none other to offer
and, though the silly rad Conway, by his
curious antics and expressive Pantomime,
seemed to have something on his mind,
lie did not understand the nature of M
oath, and was consequently not sworn.
There were imposing Inconsistencies
in Buckley on the following Sunday. The
village maidcns, with white hnudkcrchiefs
on their heads, and sprigs of rosemary,
rue, and balm, in their hands, walked be-
fore Evan IIughcs's coffin, singing pa
thctic dirgcs, until the graveyard was
rcnchedi but Anne Shepherd Ind been
seized with fit when she heard the fatal
tidings, and was unable to attend the
young mans funeral.
Time passed. The Hughes family be-
gan to repinc less for the untimcly end. of
the pride of their family. The Great Ash
and the Great Oak Shafts were now each
in operation, md the workings under
gronnd had been materially extended.
Another cousin filed Evan IIughcs's
place, and there wns still sharp rivalry
between the eight Grilliths aud the eight
lIughcscs.
In order TO make plain what is to fol-
low, short explanation of the mine is
necessary. The two shafts, then, occu-
pied each MI end Of tile long side of u
paralleloSram-thc Great Ash, or 'dOwn-
east shaft" ut the south, and the Great
Oak, or "upcast shaft" Mt the north.
From each shaft drift two hundred fcot
long ran due cast, and the parallelogram
was completed by running another drift
north and south, joining tile ends Of these
two castcrly drifts. They had thus cut
clear round rectangular muss of coal,
two thousand feet long by two hundred
feet brond, which they would work away
by sections and pillars until it was cx-
haustcd. The mir that descended the
Great Ash Shaft had it been permitted,
would have rushed along the straight gal
lcry and right up the Great Oal: Shaft,
without vcntilnting tho three other sides
oi the pNrallelogram where the men were
working; but there were massive doors
placed close to tho foot of each shaft in
the straight gallery between them, To di-
vert the mir through the workings. There
was largo escape of gas from the coal
face, and the pure mir that descended the
Great Ash Shaft consequently assembled
the Great Oak very much charged with
carburetcd hydrogen. The mine was
worked on two shifts. On alternate
weeks the Hughes purty went down the
Great Oak Shaft ut i 4. NJ. and worked
till IL NJ, while the Grilliths party de-
Sccndcd the Great Ash at 1 T.. NJ. and
work rkcd till midnight. Each purity had
their own dO0r-kccper, whose solo duty
ii was TO sec that the door was kent shut
ut all times, or closed instantly after any
person connected with the mine had
passed through it. Although there was
considerable escape Of gas, the air.cur-
rent wis so direct and strong That the
mcn wgkCd with open oil-lnmps; aud,
albeit, tllcrc haC been pretty severe "blow-
crs," rs sudden spurts Of local gas nrc
termed, no danger was apprclIcndcd by
either OF the gangs WHO owned and
worked tho mine.
1t wns now three years since Evan
Hughes met his sail fatc; und on fine
May morning there were great rcioicings
in the village. bunting waved from
every available flagstaff, and the cutters
in front of the four alc-hOuscs literally
ran beer. The Grilliths were In high
feather, for Sam and Anne Shepherd h1d
been married in the morning. Long be.
fore noon the brides proud sire was pur.
pie in the face with plcdginR tho young
cou1'lc, and with urging others TO do
likewise. Gaily-drcsscd groups Of youths
and maidcns danced round tho May.polc
on the village green, and everybody was
in Il supreme state of cnjoymont-all OK.
ccpt Mrs. Hughes, poor Evans mother,
and Hannah, his twin sister. The merry.
making pallcd on their hearts. 1t re-.
called tho lost Onc--tlo flower Of the
flock who had 50 miscrably pcrishcd, aud
who to-day might have been Annc Shcp.
herds husband. Therefore, they retired
carly in the evening, and by closing door:
and windows tried to exclude tho n,crri
mcnt. While the days festivities were
being prolonged far into tho night, tht
mother and daughter retired 10 rest. SlccI
fell upon their sad eyes; and each woman