Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-02-28

! blackboard, If working has only lit.
tie gas in it, he puts one cross opposite its
number; if it has good deal he puts two
crosses, and when a working is marked
with three crosses the miner must on nc
account go into it with his light He can
60 into it ut his own risk when he has two
crosses, or can keep his eyes open when
he 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
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 a
while
"Halloa," shouted the foreman.
Halloa-oa," answered 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 hold ia the wall three
feet or thereabouts wide, and about -four
feet high. " Hes up here, and | guess
there's gas"
The superintendent put his face down
to the hole ard shouted:
s-there-any-g -gas-in-there?
Yes" answered the voice. Don't
-bring-a-light-in.n
You two wait here" said the supelin.
tendent, land 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 crawlel in. Presently the
foreman took II notion to 90 in too; so he
set down his lamp and crawled in. This
left me alone in the tunnel, which WASH t
pleasant. They both stayed a long time
so long that | began to think they had
slipped out Of the mine by the back door.
After II while gave up all hope of seeing
them again, and wondered how long |
could live on the oil in their lamps. While
| was wondering voice came very near
my ear saying: You can come up, but
leave light behind"
! stoo my lamp by the others, got down
on all-fours, and crawled up. The coal
that had been mined out lay loose upon
the floor, and rolled under my knees The
opening inclined upward at an angle of
not less than forty-live degrees; anil, as
the ceiling nowhere was more than four
feet high, locomotion WAS almost as slow
us in an Arch street car After Il while |
heard their voices. Somebody said
"Ilere 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 you detect gas" said
the superintendent.
The inspector held the lamp back in a
dark corner, and in IN instant the flame
swclled up, filling all the space inside the
fine wire netting that surrounded the
wick.
"When the flame swcls up like that,
said the inspector, there's gas. If a
man should come in here with an open
lamp, it would explode. Or if should
hold my safety-lamp in it for II minute or
two the netting would barn away, and
then there would be an explosion"
"What would be the rcSut,n | asked
him, "if the flame should reach the gas?''
"Then we'd aIl be singed." he replied
Afterward, on the way out, asked one o
the miners what the inspector meant by
saying, " We'd all be singed," if the flame
should get into the gas.
"Blow'd to the devil" he replied
Philadelphia Times.