Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-09-23

A reporter describes the handling OF
the cartridges to charge the great blast
under He'll Gate as follows: Tho car
tridges which are to DO used in cxplod-
ing the rock We're packed In boxes and
several men were busily engaged in car
rying one box ut tiMo from tho wharf
to sort Of platform near the mouth of
tho shaft. II was q study for baggage
smasher to see the way the men carried
the boxes. Every two men-they work
by couples-had handbarrow between
them, and it was on this that they car.
ried the boxes from tho wharf to the
board way near the shaft. II the boxes
had been made OF the finest glass and
the penalty for even scratching the sur
face was instant death the men could not
have handled them with more care than
they did. In taking up oneof the boxes
at the wharf leach one OF which is about
the size of an ordinary candle box and
by no means very heavy) the two men
took hold OF 1t and lifting it with as
much tenderness as q mother would
take from its cradle her baby which she
feaaed to awaken, deposited it on the
handbarrow.
Then the two took hold Of the handles
Of the barrow, raised it slowly from the
ground with its burden, which evidently
had 80 many terrors for them, and pro-
ceeded slowly toward the place whore
they had been ordered to place it, the
while walking slowly and deliberately,
lest by mistsep or o stumble the box
might receive q jar or fall to the ground.
The same tender care was exercised in
the lowering of the barrowto the ground
and in the handling of the box when
being rolled off as when it was first
touched on the wharf. Tho whole scene
for all tho world reminded one of the
carrying of coffin up the aisle OF
church-the slow, steady walk OF the
men, the gentle care with which they
bore their burden, and the solemn 81
lence preserved by the barrow bearers.
Indeed, the only thing more than
any other that impresses person in
looking upon the scene is this feature of
silence. If the men who passed and re-
passed one another in couples carrying
the boxes spoke to one another at all it
certainly must have been in whispers,
for the reporter took particular pains to
observe if they bantered or talked to
one another, as men working together
ordinarily do; but during the whole
time of his stay he did not hear word
pass between any of them while they
had the boxes in charge, though occa-
sionally they talked when going to the
wharf, with no box on their barrows.
The men, however, did not act as
though they were in state of trepida-
ton. They looked and acted quite to
the contrary, but it required but very
little study to see that they felt that
they were engaged in a very serious
business, which needed all their atten-
ton. And no wonder they acted with
care and found no time for banter or
joke. where misstep might probably
have sent them and every man in the
neighborhood into eternity with the
of a flash of lightning. The
reporter spoke to Captain Mercur of the
caution the men took in handling the
barrows, and asked him if he thought
an explosion would follow fall of one
of the boxes. He replied that he thought
not. However, the captain is not an
alarmist, and, like all the government
officers connected with the work, he
does not desire to "horrow danger -;
and certainly, if care and good manage
ment can make accidents impossible in
the handling of the boxes andthe charg
ing of the mine, no accident can hap
pen while the work is going on.