The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-06
DON'T WHISTLE IN THE NINE.
A DISASTER THAT ILLUSTRA TED THE
SUPERSTITION or MINERS.
The Carbonate Mine Horrcr-rine IN the
Mines Described by an Oid Coal Miner-
What Came of Jack Kichnrds's WhistIInQ.

I'd n brother an a son M niyver coomd DOT ~
the moline. lang wi nanny anither pore lad
an bcin' wurr m'sel 'mang thin IA wurr cut
ted m by tn fall. an only saved nv tn poor o.
God movin tn heart o. Allcck Dryden? An
t think ut a coom'd lang o Jack Richards.
pore divvel. n wessclin In IN moline"
To whistle in n coal mine Ia an evil omen.
Miners never whistle. They sing ut their toll
sometimes. hut never loudly. and only plaintve
over the cradles Of generations " their class.
Miners are provcrbinlly cheerful. despite the
gloom and peril that environ them; but II a
visitor to the mine s heard TO whistle In their
midst. their chccrfulness IL gone. The guar
dian spirits VI the mine fly ut the sound. and II
any Ill beiall the workers that day 1t will not
have been entirely unexpected. The faith of at
least one old miner Of this region IL so strong
in this superstition that he declares the cause
" the great Carbondale mine horror Of 1914 Ia
have been a disregard Of il 10y laborcr who
"wcssccd In TIL moine." In that year the root
Of one Of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Com
panys mines suddenly fell in. hurying num-
Der OF miners alive. and crushing others to
death. The old miner referred to IL n survivor
Of that disaster. and asked him If he retained
a vivid recollection OF the event. lie told me the
story " the fallen roof. giving his theory of the
cause in a dialect that was nm indescrbable
m Nture ol English. Scotch. and Irish.
" SOON folks slyed NJ wurr -ausr tn props
wurr srani Us made tn mono fan In pom uus.
an THUR h"'- Thin % Twin as thenks tn luI tes
% that 4 day. As L m moine. lud. az wurr a
VIZ s.ant o. props. surely hut We uns had
am ooom'd oot safe = Davy. Nay. lad. Z wurr
nlvy'r 'nt, alo.Hn. T wurr 'inng o. jack
Richards ilyIn' in th' face moline Ia *. pore
divNol. an W '~SHlin' an wesseiiu' in Nh moline.
an, swearin I wurr 2, iooiishncss & thcnk O
JACK coon,'d from Wales. m dceg'd Twin
DOT % Ia muinrs fur hc.-Sci an a lame scSter. a
lass rs culn walk. jack wurr a guide lad
merry heart in hos body. did' III addy IN iD ~ g.
an tn day o. IL. mll he wurr iul % tn divvcrs
gang 'ans wi Ja X. an, wurr mil, r more
hu from Tn mouth 90 m mon". peck in away
an laughin' Jacks cranSs. till OF wanst he
- h tn Harry. b'ys. says he. i've moind. >
says he t vessel ye NJ IN Rils % barley
We wurr giuom"d IN m"nnit.
e" Loord snte uns, JACK cried I. an III han
- death rudu u made me amy cowldrr: Lnord
save uns Jack do-ani vessel In tn moinc. lid
or uts ~ 'avvls i-luck thec'll be after ietrhin'
An a In gang wurr dashed WI tn same
an NOT dr4N "a -ud'-lu X ~perr.i ult.
%, uude-lu'k -p'rrt b. hl6w'dr saved Jack
/ dn-aut know uuuy gulo-lu.k sparr.t huf th'
guido L9ord % Heaven. an lie beiu' n~'ar 4 W.
Il Vessel r'cn ID IN tune bee "a Wee bit irI-kNH
So Ja'k l.4nit ou he's peck. an ii."i "a
chamber vi the hgs %. Barley. = lnut = he
rud vessel ui. an tNIer"l IA WI th' Ds'u 'maus
"a Ia.ofS. We uns "a stud WI DOR hiood a
rluttl,.r nm ,iiv..I in ',.,ili, ~ -, s,'. -
= wurr % AUNT u iur annS sudr-u.k a- might
,t.I ,,.tl Jt.l ~ n ,.r,.,. 'l,t,..l ',a .s,J
49, hri,,'i NIX -.s't nus '''' Soy ID"
'Iurc' ID t>' sulo-lu'k sperrt dance a
- .',,,' .'. d." N w. s.,,,...,.i, e.,
Wn.lS ..t 80. -t"li. Hu URGED e.. bat n' j." n
,.q.J .nIn i.fI t ~ tmF .nt "
glunnl, mi. % me. s..t -.tv.'l.. ''"
n',i'- t,.- I. 49,. ,'7,N ~ ,.r''' ,N
am ~ ..st,' ''' ''''''"''
f,ut, ,.trr mn SON nm mol ~. i~.. f,..,
nn' i.,.t h. NJ, ,yr...l,t ~ ~ li~'l.'r y, o., ~
ff,,ift. lIfIt.,S-f 20 ,,,tt D. '' ~,
pore mis. A. tunnel me- '.t...tt' s.,. "a tom.
I GAS -I.t.k rI.. l, L. fi.. ...., &C. r., Oh
A. n...n. i'm r..r AZ. ,l'',,,l.r I'll.
tnea from urr .At N't,.on M IA Storm i- brew.
IA .,,,, II = ,.,,'. ~ t,,,. "a, l,, D" - '''"
~ .'r .,'. ,,oi 4, w. ~" ~ ,,utnu a.
fursi tI.. In.k nir VS.. i'm ia ~ n,ni,,,.i :
wuri' M .r, from we nns In al gang
~ Mss W. ms .autt,i.. t,n..t,-., .a,oJ Tool
it, nivvrr m vessel n. lads a- III hrrnr
nN,, n, o,n ~ ,, sr@nN nr,,i an an. w1n
@ TINS
Fore amy A ,vnn enid turn fairiv fhura
COON II anlth.r tr.nlhie thin n r"n-h a. wind ,,s
dashed 49,. M . 4 M ,r,u' n if,st ~ b.rt
wnu- lnl..' dead l.ai- hr,n- M I'M. s,ir M
putin GOT lamps. an rauuIn' dom ,lu-t 49,
ttv,r' ami chos,.,i ms MIN n mos T. d~nih In
liz tartn'ss 'Ihtn '..,r'ub ss ,,ov az, 'ir
Ivy,,r l,,.rn Ia "A sem, Nh i'l... t "a a.,
- = 80 "a, 90 D p, 49,, ~, ga ~, ~. ~, a. ',i
~l,i. arnln an NJ kun,, Al ia r,nf ri failed un'
ihat We wurr pinned IN The rhnn,tn.r t~hiu'
walls n nl'','ita,h tnreu.iIt Ln'vid ~, s,.r-
o'rain m tnO,r.t m ,u,'.n|ty ni,r,. ns ~,
Ia ,na'rln mr,'rv - ~ dcifli, nj mo n1r.
dee III tW4utv ON uns Wilrr nudIl.d in a .i,i,,,.
tn siz, o. loriy tut II. square, an man un-
wurr wan 4" m. h"rs.s ~ ,nI nm ,r,d ~
H., t.rruro I.
. A hdi DOR we wurr muimin Soon prayed.
SOON ElNl'd aioot III wall m hoi" q ipindIu'
u crack oi seam through Mnich We cut drag onr-
s"i oot an pprnln IN the NOME soon rurslt
JACK an wan por" lad wnn wurr he married
ON IN morrow. huonivd room IA III" gloom try
IN 10 Iona o. m, SOS he cud BRAIN INN vi hos
lrk, Aui AT r a rprlLwh"n !, IN -ropln' room
hth Put IA Ian on tur coWid ia1i OF u mon
a. wurr a 'ud. VI Els body k4ycred an croosnrd
meath ~ IaSs ~ NANNY n ton % coal. nn whlu
] had IN call o lNyery mons name aluang uus
hiNN~r a mon Keep stlli 1 m call Tat Jnck kirn-
hr's. thih Wurr sorrow lur Ia lad. an "A
hdfshn'sH Murr druN AWAY. Tn lHd 80 Wurr
lpokln lur Jaek XIII nm furgoticd his own
sair need. AN droppt on hes knees aside the
coila, III lie dark an rr"d lolke .al
my pore lame seai T.. jack sohbed he,
Wpl II bcooin % N creppi'd lass now. a tn
uH}
nall'hd ns AU"ck Dryden wan o. IN
NOME insses, had "a son lhns " We uus m IA
E"h%' IN lhl Wulr u brave wan, lplkc hes
lhllhrr an wurr IN coolest wan WI Jus.
Lax lhy pncNs. lads, sayed he. Beloike
lhyUlef hlop. an .hcll IA "A gang q dcEs II iur
uls W hthnt SIC thehg kln h'. Let unS Il x
uot mate en-. an nap pens We Ds doom Il L