, 1877-08-31


such as there are hundreds Of every day,
and the next moment all is quiet as the
grave again.
Going through the dark tunnel four or
five hundred yards, we came to little
underground depot, guarded by man
with black face and d lamp in his hat.
This man was the telegraph operator.
The Audenried mine has all the appli-
ances of modern civili2ation-eXcept a
ray of sunshine, now and thcn-so, of
course, it has its telegraph lines. A wire,
ending at this point in the mine, runs
into the Office, on the surface, and the
miner in the depths can talk with the
boss above almost as frequently as if they
were together. BY the side Of the instru-
ment, locked in a walnut case, was sig
nal card, with the explanations. A single
tap, for example, meant stop the en-.
gines;" two taps. "Hoist double quick"
Three taps, "Explosion.' The replies
were some of them uncomfoltabIy sug-
gestive Thirteen, "How long can you
stand it1' Sixteen, "Where is the freq
And the answers to these again: "We can
stand it for five minutes;' "ten minutes;"
IAN hour;' all indicated by different num-
bers. 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 great protection to the miners, and
lit would be great comfort to them, if
they should be sutfocating below, to get
the signal from above "Stick it out,
boys; there's plenty of air up here!"
"This mine said he, has great deal
of gas--more, perhaps, than any other
mine in the country. We have gas in
spector who goes all through the work.
ings every morning before the miners 60
to work. Each working is numbered.
He goes into working No. 10, for in
stance, and finds gas. He makes memo
randum and goes on. In No. 16, per.
haps, there is no gas; in No. II there is a
great deal. So he goes through them all,
carrying safety or Humphrey. Davy
lamp, which guards him against an ex-
plosion. Then he comes to this place aud
marks the black board. If working
has only little gas in il, he puts one
cross opposite its number; if it has u
good deal he puts two crosses, and when
a 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 be has one cross
but it is safer for him to keep out if he
has any cross at all. AT least half the
workings of the mine were marked with
two and three crosses, and l began to
make mental calculations of the prob
able effect of being blown up.
We went through more dark tunnels,
upmore hills, through more doorsin search
Of the gas inspector. After while
"Halloa," shouted the foreman.
"Halloa-oa," answered a voice, that
might have been mile or two away, but
it wasn't.
"Here 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:
neutrality-suspicious.
eyes," answered the voice. Don't
bring-a-light-in.'
"You wait here" said the superintend.
ent "and I'll find out whether it's safe to
go in" So he stood his lamp on the
ground, got down on his hands and knees
and crawled in. Presently the foreman
took a notion to go in too; so he set down
his lamp and he crawled in. This left me
alone in the tunnel, which wasn't pleas
ant. 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 see
ing them again, and wondered how long
l could live on the oil in the lamps.
While was wondering voice came very
near my ear saying: ''You can come up,
but leave light behind
/ stood my lamp by the others, got
down on all fours, aud crawled up. The
coal that had been mined out lay loose
upon the floor, and rolled under my knees
The opening inclined upward to an angle
not less than forty-fve degrees; and, as
the ceiling nowhere was more than four
feet high, lOcomotion was almost as slow
as in an Arch street car. After while
heard their voices. Somebody said
"Here we are; don't come too far in; it's
pretty gassy."
The gas Inspector sat on the coal with
a little Humphrey -Davy safety lamp in
his hand.
"Show him how to detect gas, said the
superintendent.
The inspector held the lamp back in q
dark corner, and in an instant the flame
swelled up, filling all the space inside the
fine wire netting that surrounded the
wick.
"When the flame swells up like that,
said the inspector, "there's gas. If &
man should come in here with an oper
lamp, it would explode. Or if l shoulc
hold my safety lamp in it for minute ol
two the netting would burn away, anc
there would be All explosion"