The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1878-08-17
DANDY FERGUSON

THE HERO OF THE oHAPARAn SHAFT.
/ do not believe that Quasimodo was
a more pitiably deformed creature. or
Quilp more hideously unnatural look
ing object, than was Dandy Ferguson
when saw him for the first time, that
calm summer afternoon, laughing and
Joking with crowd of boon companions
in the cool shade of an awning at Quartz
Mountain. His face was scanned and
distorted by peculiarly glossy scars
the ineradicable evidence of close and
long contact with that shriveling ele-
ment, fire. His body was bent, and he
walked with siding movement. He
was sickening spectacle at first sight,
suggesting fearful suffering in the past,
and my curiosity in regard to him was
thoroughly aroused.
Sc Who is that man?" asked, accost-
ing tall, blue-shirted miner who was
standing in front of the post-ofice.
"Don't you know him ?" answered
the man; "why, that's Dandy Ferguson.
I thought everybody knew Dandy Fer
guson.
"Why do you call him Dandy Fer
guson p
because well, because. he used to
be dandy-a reguler out-an' out sport.
When Dandy Ferguson first came to
this camp he was a gilt-edged gentle
man, an no mistake. He wore plug,
an flashed spark in his billed shirt
front as big as peanut. He put on
more airs'n mine uperintendent, an
most all the boys was down on him from
the start. That was about three years
ago, an he came up here from the Bay
to git Whit o. fresh air, an make ma
ture an the pines give him back what
he'd lost spreein' round with them stock
sharps and young bloods O. Frisco. No,
he don't look like he was more'n half
human, that's a fact; brit I'd rather
have them scars O. his than wear tie
clothes of the richest man in Californy
-thet is, eff I'd gone through what he
has an suffered what he did. Proud of
'em Mister, thar ant man in this
yer country-no, sir, nor in this yer
State-as is prouder'n Dandy Ferguson
of what other men might grieve over an
sigh about, an no mans got better
right to be proud, either. When he
fust came TO Quartz Mountain he used to
parade the streets with his nose cooked
up-so; he'd hydraulic himself with
patchouly an smell-water till you
couldn't git within mile of HIM.
/" He was delicate-looking cuss, an
his hands were as soft as BARRIERS. The
boys used to bet that if big Bridget Sui
livan-our washerwoman-was..to take it
into her head to jump him, she'd knock
spots out O. him in short order. Thet
was our opinion of him when he played
his small cards in this yer camp-but he
showed down both bowers an the ace
before he quit the game, you bet yer
life. Dye see thet quartz mill over thar
on the side hill? Thet's the ChaparaI
Mine, ye know, an it's thar thet Dandy
Ferguson showed us what sand was. One
night, about a month after Ferguson got
here, somebody out there yelled Fire z
an the camp turned out. The h'istin'
works was in a light blaze, an the flames
shootin' high up in the dark. We all
rushed to the spot like a pack O. mad
animals-you know how a fire stirs men
up an excites 'em. OF course, nobody
knowed what to do. an for minute we
all stood round lookin' at the fire Creep
in long the caves, an the burning shin
giles droppin' down the shaft. Purity
soon some one says: What T kinder
sharp an fierce like. Then there was a
little movement in the crowd, an man
with face as pale as death sprang away
<sf fhac LoF ~-111..<9
tic: Water Water | For the love O.
God, turn on the water-the night shifts
in the lower drift There was an awful
agony in thet mans voice; he had iist
remembered thet his brother was down
there, an thet the fire under the biler of
the engine was banked, thet the cage
was too heavy to work by hand, an the
timbers in the shaft pitch pine, an dry
as bone with great sparks droppin'
down like fakes In snow storm. You've
heard how fast q man thinks In times of
danger. jim Slocum thought of his
brother, the dry timbers, the engine, the
cage, an water, all in second, but that
was all. He didn't hev time to think of
the fact thet thar wasn't bar'l of water
within mile of the mine. Somebody
rushed to the tank--ther was about a
tubful there. The fire was playin' round
the biIer, an the engineer he'd turned
the safety cocks to let thet out. We all
rushed ev'ry which way yellin' fur ropes,
ladders, anything-as eff ladder could
reach down about two hundred feet to
where the men was. They were clean
gone with excitement, an didn't know
what to do, an the fire roarin and crack
lin like the devils own blaze,
.sSome rushed one way an some
another, while some Of them stood
starin' into the hot, black smoke an
yaller fire, dazed, scared, helpless.
Quicker'n il takes me to tell it q man
Jumped through the door of the his tin
works an caught hold of the chains.
His coat an hat was gone, an he looked
like an angel almost as he swung over
the shaft in his white frilled shirt an
his long yallar hair. It was dandy Fer
guson. He didn't wait for nobody, but
jamed big scantlin thet two men