The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1877-12-06
Am Exciting Adventure.
rNsrnd. rsrritarIal Entsrpriss.I

which a great cave occurred.
Luckily ample warning had been
given by the settling of the ground
within the mine and the swapping and
splintering of timbers; therefore no lives
we're lost in the cave. News Of the grand
crash in the mine spread rapidly thrOttgh
the town, and all who heard of the acci-
dent gave a sigh of relief when told that
all the miners escaped uniniured, The
full extent of the cave, and the damage
done thereby in the interior Of the mine,
were not known for some time, but from
the cavity formed on the surface were
Judged to be very great. Being desirOUs
of obtaining, if possible, full particulars
in regard to the condition of the under
ground sections of the mine, we called
upon Superintendent Bonner, and made
known our wishes.
/ have not been in the mine for three
or four hours, and therefore am unable
to give an exact account of the present
condition Of the Caved portions. How
ever, if you will venture with me" said
Mr.. Bonner. we will 90 in as far as
possible, and see how things look.
Having agreed to Mr.. BOnner's pro-
position, two lanterns were procured, and
we soon found ourselves on the level
where the greatest damage had been
done. Nowhere was to be seen the
friendly twinkle Of either lamp or can
die; all was dark as the caves of the
Ummerii, save where the light of our
lanterns fell upon the walls of the tun-
mel along which we were advancing, or
where the rays streamed far ahead and
were reflected back by points OF polished
pyrites of bright quartz crystals.
At first, too, all was silent as the tomb,
but as we moved forward the sharp snap
of falling timber or the dull boom Of a
heavy fall of earth reached our ears.
These sounds constantly grew more dis
tinct. Soon was heard a sort of running
fire of sharp little snaps from the bent
and splintering musket-like report, as
some large timber broke in twain, or was
rent asunder.
We were now fast nearing the scene of
the cave. As yet the ground above US
was sound, and all the timbers stood IN
tact in their places. Our advance was
slow and cautiously made At times
some unusual cOmmOtiOn caused US to
haltand listen half a minute, with bodies
inclined forward and eyes strained to
penetrate beyond the light thrown by
our lanterns. Few words passed be
tween us. Wait a bit, or Now let
us move Oh" from Mr.. Bonner, was
about all that was said.
Presently we came to a drift leading
from the tunnel we had been traVerslng.
The swapping and grinding sounds
were now more distinctly heard.
1t is in this direction" said Bonner,
leading the way into the drift.
We had not proceeded far before we
came to where the timbers Of the drift
were badly bent and displaced. We
were in a spot where the ground was
settling. A kind of ticking noise
came from the tagging overhead and a
long the sides of the drift, and dirt sifted
down on our hats.
Soon we reached a place where the
posts on the sides Of the drifts were bent
fike bows. The backs of these bows pro-
iected into the drift, and were full of
splinters, some of which formed
snapped out-befOre our eyes. Shortly
we came upon two posts bent out from
opposite sides of the drift till their
backs were not more than a foot apart.
"This looks bad, said Bonner.
Very. Let US 20 back" said we.
% 1t cannot be far to the edge of the
cave. We want to see that. Suppose
we venture? Timbers are still strong
when they snap"
"Then move on" said we, but our
legs wanted to 60 the other way.
In passing between the two bent posts
it was necessary to turn our bodies edge
wise. All about us the timbers were
working and grOaning, but still stood
some distance apart. At the end of the
drift we came into a large open space,
what seemed a long and broad chamber,
and, turning westward across this, we
were soon as near the edge of the
cave as it was thought prudent to
venture.
Holding our lantern above our heads
we saw before US a black and yawning
pit or chasm. The light of the lanterns
failed to show US either the top or the
bottom of this pit, nor could we see
across to the further side. 1t seemed
to have neither top or bOttOm-seemed
but a shaPeless, bOundless region OF
darkness.
In this frightfuI pit there fell every
half minute, from somewhere IN dark
ness high above, great masses of earth
and rocks. At times, judging from the
thunderous sounds, hundreds of tons
tumbled at once from the roof and sides
of the chasm. Smaller masses were al
most constantly dropping in some direc-
ton, while the splintering, swapping and
grOaping of timbers mall directions was
something frightful.
Suddenly, as we stood qUaking IN the
midst of the tremendous COmmOuOn, a
great mass of rock and earth fell from
some place high up on the wall on our
side Of the shOreless sea Of darkness, al
most grazing the brink of the chasm be-
fore us. With the fall of the mass came
a rush of wind that nearly eXtingUished
the candles in our lanterns. Elevating
his light and gazing upward, Mr.. Bonner
cried, " Fall back! fall back the roof is
giving way?
Almost as he spoke a mass of several
tons fell from the roof of our chamber
not ten feet in front of US, and, in fall
ing took a large bite out of the edge Of
our floor.
"Quick, quickl This wayI We must
get out of thisw cried Bonner.
We ran back to the drift by which we
had entered. The two posts between
which we had squeezed had closed to-
gether.
" Back, backr' cried Bonner. "This
way; I know a drift. Quick, we may
reach it..
Back along the drift we darted, amid
sounds never to be forgotten, and such as
have seldom stunned mortal ears. All
about US was in mOtiOn-all rapidly
sinking.
Bonner led the way across the cham
Der we had left a few nights before. In
a corner, on the east side, the light of his
lantern showed the mouth of a drift, to-
ward which he was fastening. Hardly
was there time to observe this before he
heldup hislantern, crying, " Back back" "
and with a rumbling crash the mouth Of
the drift closed, and the ground before
and about it began to disappear.
"Quickp cried Bonner, grasping our
arm and hurrying us along. " To the
drift again. 1t is our only chance"
Into the drift we once more darted.
Squeezing our way through the crack
ling posts, we reached the place where
we had before been stopped. Though