Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-10-25

other on.
"Si Holden wanted to help him, but
he wouldn't hev no interference. Time
enough says Ferguson, when drop
1t wasn't long before half-naked body
came up, an they got the rope off as
quick as they could, draggin' Harry
Miller out o. the works more dead'n
alive, tremblin' like a leaf. They
thought at the time thet he was scared
at the danger he'd been in, an didn't
notice how much exhausted he was,
but they found out afterward thet he'd
played IL down in thet shaft as mean as
one man can play it on another at sich
time.
You see, there was five of 'em in
the lower drift, an when the burnin'
timbers of the upper works began to
drop down they all made rush foe the
main shaft The cage was on an they
couldn' get out till the rope came down.
They couldn't see q flicker of light
above, an yelled till they were hoarse
watchin' thet glimmer CROWN bright
er'n brighter every minute, an KNOWN
thet the shaftin' timbere' blaze mighty
soon an cut off all hope of their ever
gittin' out.
"It was terrible thought, an you
can't blame Bill Slocum fur grabbin'
the rope as soon as il dropped down to
'em. Harry Miller jumped 'longside
of him, yellin':
Let go, let gol They can't lift
two of u.s. Let go yourself shouts
Slocum, turnin' round on him like a
tiger.
my old mothers up therer yelled
Slocum, pointin' up the shaft.
:" My wife's waitin' fur men howls
Miller.
"An' with thet he knocks Slocum
down in the drift an goes up the rope
hand-over-hand before the others could
stop him they'd a killed him on the
spot ef he hedn't climbed the rope as he
did. Sarved him right! Kerrect, mis-
ter, they'd sarved MIN mighty well an
no mistake, but he beat thet game.
He'd list strength enough to tie the
slack round his waist w en- he give way
all at once and hung to the end of the
guson a-haulin' him out o the frey
| jaws o. death.
" Down went the rope agin, an Slo-
cum was tied on and hauled up, Fer
guson workin' the win lass like giant.
The cords stood out on his neck like
black-snake whips, an the sweat poured
off him like sluice stream. Two Cor
nishmen stood by him tryin' to make
him let them roll up the rope while he
rested, but he cussed em and told 'em
to dry up; he said he was at the wheel,
an he'd stay there ef he died fur it,
| Wen Slocum came up, the fire was all
around an over the win'lass, an the
two Cornishmeu grabbed Bill an car
ried him Out-they couldn't stand the
heat. Ferguson sent down the rope
agin', an up come Sam Hildreth, with
iist strength enough to make fur the
door. The roof over the biler and on
the door-posts was smokin'. Jist as
the rope went down for the fourth
time, an we loahn, round on the out
side watchin' every minute to see him,
an not man of us with gumption
| enough to think of what was wanted, IL
woman rushes into the frey furnace
an sings wet blanket over the BRAY
est, gamest man in the State o. Cali
forny. -......
"'Thets the ticketp shouts Fergu-
son. You're a trump, whoever. you
are, my girl, an l won forget ye, live
or die
can he didn't. 1t was Sam Hill
dreth's sister, Maggie, an when she
came out o. the smoke and flame with
her dress in a blaze, she calls out sharp
to the men:
"' keep that blanket wet. There's
water in the tank. I'll marry the fust
man that throws a bucket o. water over
Dandy Ferguson-Fll IL marry him eff he's
Il Chinaman.'
"Them's her identical words, mister.
The men didn't need no further orders,
cause, you see, Maggie Hildreth was
the han soonest girl in the country, an
the best, an he'd ev'ry young man fur
miles aroun' close at her heels all the
time, handicappin' each other fur
smiles. But her brother Sam saved
her from them galoots-saved her fur
better man, by victim the blanket
| himself. %aFsf
about this time the heat was ter
rible; one man in the drift an another
half way up, crawlin' slowly to the
ragin' furnace on top, crawlin' fast
enough in ordinary circumstances, but
hardly fast enough with death racin'
down on his savior at two forty gait
Wen Jack Harmon came out o. the
shaft he stood minute on the scantlin'
swayin' back an forth like a drunken
man, blinded by smoke, an bewildered,
an eff Ferguson hedn' caught him he'd
a gone back again. .-.-.~
1.-TWO more of us he'd got in with
| buckets o. WATERFRONT all there was i'm
the tank; but it seemed to dry off as
fast as we poured it on, fur the blanket
was smOkin'. Wen the rope went
down fur the last time to haul up Joe
Harper, the scantlin' was burnin' an
the upper timbers was beginnin' to
blaze. The whirlin' smoke hid Fergu-
son from us, but we knowed eff he
didn't come out purity soon the whole
sheebang d give way and bury him;
the sides was in light blaze, an
the place where the win'lass stood was
the only spot where even Dandy Fergu-
son could a-wOrked. 1t must bin an
awful strain on him-the last pull-but
he never owned it, an bimeby up
comes Joe, the bravest man in the
camp, reckon, barrin' Dandy Fergu-
son, cause, you see, he wouldn't tech
the rope till they'd all bin heuled up;
he tied every man on except the
coward, Miller, an then came through
the blazin' shaft himself watchin' the
little tongues o. fire shoot out from the
| side ev'ry once in awhile, as if they'd
lick the life-thread in two.
"As Joe grabbed the upper chains
the shaft lit up with hiss an a roar,
as if the fire was mad at losin' its prey.
Joe got out an Ferguson staggered
away from the win'lass, but his luck
went back on him at the last minute.
He stumbled an fell jest as he come to
the tramway at the door, an the whole
side o. the buildin' come down on him
with crash. A hundred men forgot