Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-02-06
A PeriIous Adventure in a Coal Mine.

The ''shaftmen" at the colleries are
selected for their physical strength and
pluck, in addition to the skill and prac-
teal knowledge required for their par
ticular work. The incident we are
about TO relate will show how severely
the former of these qualifications may
at times be tested.
The work of these men is confined to
the shaft of the pit. and consists main
ly in repairing the Tubing or lining
of the shaft stopping leaks, or remov-
ing any obstructions interfering with
the free passage of the cages up and
down the pit. The coal pit at "
has a double shaft, divided by ''brat-
ticing,' or wooden partition. These
divisions we call A and B. Two cages
the vehicles of transport up and down
the pitt ascend and descend alternately
in shaft a. Alta certain point the shaft
Is widened TO allow the cages to pass
each other. and their simultaneous ar
rival at this point is insured by the ar
rangement of the wire ropes on the
winding wheel over the pit mouth.
The oscillation of the cages is guarded
against by wooden guiders running
down each side of the shaft, which fit
into grooves in the sides of the cages.
On one occasion, during very severe
frost, these guiders had become coated
with ice, and thus their free passage
in the grooves Of the cages was inter
feIed with. Before this obstruction
was discovered, the engine having been
set in motion, the downward cage,
which, fortunately, was empty at the
time, stuck fast in the shaft before ar
irving at the passing point. The as
esnding cage, whose only occupant was
a small boy returning to bank" pro-
eeeding on its upward course, crashed
into the downward cage in the narrow
part of the shaft, where, of course, there
was only single passage. Though the
shock was something terrific, the steel
rope was not broken as the engineer,
whose responsible position entails the
greatest presence of mind and watchful-
ness, had stopped the engine on the
first indication of an unusual tremor in
the rope. Yet such was the violence Of
the meeting that both cages, though
strongly constructed of iron, were bent
and broken-in fact, rendered useless
by being thus jammed together in a
narrow space. The greatest anxiety
was felt as to the fate of the boy, as il
was seen that, even if he had escaped
with his life after such a severe crash,
his rescue would be work of great
danger and difficulty.
We may imagine the horror of the
poor little fellow while suspended in
the shattered cage over a gulf some 400
feet deep, both cages firmly wedged in
the shaft, and the ropes rendered use
less for any means of descent to the
scene of the catastrophe. The readiest
way of approach seemed to be by shaft
B, the position of which We have indi-
Gated above. Down this. then, a shaft
man, whom we will call johnson, de-
scended in cage until he arrived at an
opening in the brattice-work, by which
he could enter shaft A. He found him
self (as he supposed at point little
above where the accident had occurred,
and this conclusion he came to from
seeing two ropes leading downward,
which he naturally took to be those by
which the cages were suspended. I'm
der this impression he formed the idea
of sliding down one of the ropes, with
a view of liberating, if possible, the en-
tangled cages and securing the safety
of the unfortunate boy. The hardy
fellow was soon gliding through the
darkness on his brave and dangerous
errand. He had descended about forty
feet, when, to his horror ahd amaze
ment, his course was suddenly checked
by bend in the rope, and the terrible
discovery flashed upon him that he
trdS suspended in the loop Of the slack
rope, which here took return course
TO the top of the downward cage.
1t will be understood that when the
descending cage struck upon the run
ners, as the rope continued TO unwind
from the pulley, il hung down in a
loop, descending lower and lower, un-
til the engine was stopped by the meet
ing ofthe cages. This loop, or blight"
was naturally mistaken by johnson for
the t,cO ropes, and he did not discover,
until he found himself in the fearful
situation described, that he had entered
through the brattice into shaft A belo,c,
instead of above, where the cages were
fixed. There he hung, then, over a
yawning abyss many fathoms deep
closed from above by the locked cages
all below looking dark and horrible.
None, of course, knew his danger;
his hands were chilled by the freezing
rope; his arms, already fully exercised,
began to ache and stiffen with the strain
and intense cold, added TO the bewilder-
ing sense of hopeless peril. Good need
there was. then, that pluck and endu-
rance be found in the shaftman. His