The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-03-22
next moment, all is quiet as the grave

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Going through the dark tunnel four
or five hundred yards, we came to
little underground depot, guarded by I
q man with a black face and lamp
in his hat. This man was the tele-
graph operator. The Audenried mine
has all the appliances Of modern CIVIL
ization-except ray Of sunlight, now
and then-so, of course, it has It's tele-
graph lines. A wire, ending at this j
point in the mine, runs into the omce,
on the surface, and the miner IN the
depths can talk with the boss above al
most as freely as if they were together:
By the side of the instrument, locked
in little walnut case, was slgnai
card, with the explanations. A bell
was attached to the instrument at each
end. A single p,for example, meant
ssStop the engines" Two taps. "Holst
double-quick." Three taps, "Explos-
ion." Some of the replies were un-
comfortably suggestive. Thirteen,
sHow long can you stand it = Six
teen, sWhere is the fire = And the
answers to these again 1--WE can stand
it for five minutes - ssTen minutes -
can hour :" all indicated by different
numbers. With the wire, II ire
breaks out, notice is at once gwen
above. If there is an explosion OF gas,
the warning is sent. 1t is great pro-
lection to the miners, and it would De
a great comfort to them,if they should
be suffocating below,to get the signals
from above 'sStick it out, boys;
there's plenty of air up here! =
.sThis mine,'' said he, ''has great
deal of gas-more, perhaps, than any
other mine in the country. We have
a gas inspector who goes all through
the workings, every morning, before
the miners go to work. Each working
!. is numbered. He goes into working
, number fifteen, for instance, and mas
| gas. He makes memorandum, ana
r goes on. In number sixteen, perhaps,
there is no gas /; in number seventeen,
t there is a great deal. So he goes
! through them all, carrying safety or
. Humphrey Davy lamp, which guards
! him against an explosion. Then he
comes to this place and marks the
e blackboard. If working has only q
e little gas in it, he puts one cross oppo
d site it's number !; it it has good deal
e he puts two crosses, and when work
{. ing is marked with three crosses the
o miner must on no account go into L
# with his light. He can go into it a
o his own risk when it has two crosses
l. or keep his eyes open when it has ON
e cross but it's safer for him to keel
t. out if it has any cross at ALL. A
Is least half the workings Of the min
- were marked with two and three cross
:, es, and began to make mental calcu
70 lations of the probable effect OF benz
Of blown up.
I'd We went through more dark tunnels
is up more hills, through more doors,
Of search of the gas inspector. After
90 while
We .sHalloa,'' shouted the foreman.
ed s.Halloa-oa," answered voice, thu
g. might have been mile or two ava.
'e- but wasn't.
w "Here he isl said the foreman, az
I'll he held his lamp down near II
ID ground, bringing to light hole in tt
TO wall three feet or Whereabouts wit
and about four feet high. '.He's
ne here, and guess there's gas.
"a The Superintendent put his ia
~, down to the hole and shouted.
"Is-there-any- gas-in-there
rid eyes, answered voice. "Don {
iii. bring-a-light-in."
ay. "You two wait here" said the )
ing perintendent, land I'll find out whet
of er it s safe to go in So he stood
no lamp on tho ground, got down on
hands and knees, and crawled
the Presently the foreman took notion
his 90 in. too so he set down his lal
ON and crawled in. This left me alone
ngs the tunnel, which wasn't pleasa
ack They both stayed long time-so 10
n it that began to think they had slipp
1t out of the mine by the the back do
the After while gave up all hope OF
our ing them again, and wondered q
for long | could live on the Oil in tn
II it lamps. While l was wondering,
fter voice near my ear said: ''Youe
lent come up, but leave your light benin
and stood my lamp by the others,
It of down on all fours, and crawled up.
hese coal that had been mined out lay 10
: or upon the floor, and rolled under
oles, knees. The opening inclined upW
lack at an angle of not less than forty
ling degrees, and as the ceiling nowh
hese was more than four feet high, loco
men, ton was almost as slow as in an A
gas street car. After while heard Il
ules. voices. Somebody said: ''Here
pick, are; don't come too far in; it's PR
We a gassy.
self. The gas inspector sat on the
sec with little Humphrey-Davy sa
Ill III lamp in his hand.
ed .sShow him how you detect the g
king said the Superintendent.
ahich The Inspector held the lamp bac
a dark corner, and in an instant
re- flame swelled up. filing all the 81
nut, inside the fine wire ne ting that
coa, rounded the wick.
- "n e .sWhen the. flame swells up
~ r;s.s that" said the inspector, ''there 8
:la' IF a man should come in here wit
! I'M Luz open lamp. it would explode. Or
s+ ma5 should hold my safety lamp in 1t
:. a minute or two the netting would
~ ap away. and then there would be al
= If plosion.
nstom .What would be the result, |
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