St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-02-09

IdCe, anu tIle nliHeT III tno u6ptuS can
talk with the boss above almost as free
ly as if they were together. By the
side of the instrument, locked in little
walnut case, was signal card, with the
explanations. A bell was attached to
the instrument at each end. A single
tap, for example, meant, ''StOp the en-
gines." Two taps, "Hoist tdouble-quick."
Three taps, Explosion" Some of the
replies were uncOmfortably suggestive.
Thirteen, elbow long can you stand itPn
Sixteen, "Where is the fire ?" And the
answers to these again: ''We can stand
it for five minutes" 'ETen minutes y
can hour" all indicated by different
numbers. With this wire, if a fire
breaks out, notice is at once given
above. If there is an explosion of gas,
the warning is sent. 1t is a great pro-
lection to the miners, and it would be
great comfort to them, if they should
be suffocating below, to get the signals
from above: "Stick it out, boys; there's
plenty of air up here !"
''This mine," said he, ''has a great
deal Of gas-more, perhaps, than any
other mine in the country. We have
gas inspector who goes all through the
workings every morning, before the
miners go to work. Each working is
numbered. He goes into working num-
Der 10, for instance, and finds gas. He
makes a memorandum, and goes on.
In number Is. perhaps, there is no gas;
in number IL there is great deal. So
he goes through them all, CARRYING a
safety, or Humphrey Davy lamp, which
guards him against an explosion. Then
he comes to this place and marks the
blackboard. If working has only a
little gas in it, he puts one cross oppo-
site its number; if it has good deal he
puts two crosses, and when working
is marked with three crosses the miner
must on no account go into it with his
light. He can go into it at his own
risk when he has two crosses, or can
keep his eyes open when he has one
cross; but it's safer for him to keep out
if lie has any cross at all. AT least half
the workings of the mine were marked
with two and three crosses, and began
to make mental calculations of the
probable effect of being blown up.
We went through more dark tunnels,
up more hills, through more doors, in
search of the gas inspector. After IA
while
''Halloa," shouted the foreman.
''HallOa-Oa," answered a voice, that
, but wasn't.
"Hele he is" said the foreman, and
) he held his lamp down near the ground,
bringing to light hole in the wall three
feet or thereabOuts wide, and about four
feet high. "He's up here, and l guess
, there's gas.
The superintendent put his face down
to the hole and shouted :
''ls-there-any-g -gas-in- there %
eyes," answered the voice. Don't
! bring
"YOu two wait here" said the super
intendent, ''and I'll find out whether
: it's safe to go ill.," So he stood his lamp
, on the ground, got down on his hands
and knees, and crawled in. Presently
: the foreman took notion to go in, too !;
:. SO he set down his lamp and crawled
; in. This left me alone in the tunnel,
which wasn't pleasant. They both
+ stayed long time-so long that began
to think they had slipped out of the
, mine by the back door. After while
L gave up all hope of seeing them again,
and wondered how long l could live on
r the oil in their lamps. While l was
i wondering, voice very near my ear
said: "You can come up; but leave
your light behind"
e | stood my lamp by the others, got
t down on all-fours, and crawled up The
t coal that had been mined out lay loose
:, upon the floor, and rolled under nv
knees. The opening inclined upward
at an angle of not less than As degrees 4;
II and. as the ceiling nowhere was more
o than four feet high, locomotion was al
most as slow as in an Arch street car.
e After while 1 heard their voices.
d Somebody said: "Here we are don't
Il come too far in; it's pretty gassy."
The gas inspector sat on the coal,
"a with a little Hemphrey-Davy safety
d lamp in his hand.
L "Show him how you detect gas" said
: the superintendent.
g The Inspector held the lamp back in
'f dark corner, and in an instant the
o flame swelled up, filling all the space
inside the fine wire netting that sur
e rounded the wick.
Is ''When the flame swells up like that, /"
II said the inspector, ''there's gas. If a
e man should come in here with an open
K lamp, it would explode. Or if l should
II hold my satety-lamp in it for minute
Ii or two the netting would burn away,
e and then there would be an explosion
If ''What would be the result" asked
n him, ''if the flame should reach the gas ~
5, ''Then we'd all be singed," he replied.
[, AfterwaId, on the way out, | asked one
/ of the miners what the Inspector meant
!, by saying, ''We'd all be singed," if the
1t flame should get into the gas.
ell "Blow'd to tn devil" he replied.