The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1878-09-21

| HocIcu now IaSC man THINKS IN times
OF danger. Jim Slocum thought of his
brother, the dry timbers, the engine, the
cage, an water all in a second, but tibet
was all. He didn't hev time to think OF
the fact tibet there wasn't a bar'l of wa
ter within mile of the mine.
Somebody rushed up to the tank
ther was about tubful there. The fire
was playin' round the biler an the en-
gineer he'd turned the safety cocks to let
thet out. They all rushed every which
way yelIin' fur 70 pes, ladders, anything
as eff ladders could reach down two
hundred feet to where the men was.
They was clean gone with excitement,
an didn't know what to do, and the fire
roaril1' and cracklin' like the devils own
blaze.
"Some rushed one way an some an
other, while some of them stood starin
into the hot black smoke an yaller fire,
dazed, scared, helpless. Quicker'n it
takes a man to tell it a man jumped
through the door of the histin' 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, yaller hair.
"It was Dandy Ferguson.
Gle didn't wait fur nobody, but
iammed big scantlin' thet two men
couldn't lifted, down over the shaft.
Then he yelled fur rope, an told some
men near the door to fetch him the OF
win'lass thet was lynn outside, near the
dummy.
"You never see men work like they
did as soon as there was q head. The
rope an the win'lass was brought into
the works on the jump, an fastened to
the scantlin'. Down went the rope and
Ferguson shoutin' after it. Pm here
boys, an Pll stay till / roast Then he
| grabbed the crank an spun the rope
round the bar'l EASTERN it ever was rolled
| before. He used one hand first an when
she frightened he laid the other on.
Isl 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, and they got the rope off as
quick as they could, draggin' Harry
Miller out of 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 afterwards tibet he'd
played it down in tibet shaft as mean as
one man can play it on another at SIGH a
time.
You see there was five eff 'em in the
lower drift, an when the burnin' TIM
bers of the upper works began to drop
down they all made rush for the main
shaft. The cage was on an they couldn't
get out till rope came down. They
could see a flicker of light above, an
yelled till they was hoarse watchin tibet
glmmer CROWN brighter'n brighter
ev'ry minute, an KNOWN tibet the
sheftin' timber'd blaze mighty soon an
cut off all hope of their ever gittin' out
1t was a terrible thought, an you
can't blame Bill Slocum fur grabbin the
rope as soon as it dropped down to 'em.
Harry Miller jumped 'longside of him
yellin':
"Let go, d-n We, let go! They can't
lift two of as Let go yourself shouts
Slocum, turnin' round on him like tiger.
GO My old mothers up there yelled
Slocum, pointin' up the shaft.
go My wife's waitin' fur me,' bowls
Miller.
can with that 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 eff he hedn't climbed the rope as he
did. Starved him right. Kerrect, mis-
ter, they'd a. sarved him mighty well an
no mistake, but he beat that game. He'd
list strength enough to tie the slack
round his waist wen he give way all at
once an hung to the end of the rope like
dead weight, an Dandy Ferguson a
haulin' him out O the fiery jaws O death.
"Down went the rope agin, an Slocum
was tied on an hauled up, Ferguson
workin' the win'lass like a giant. The
cords stood out on his neck like black
snake whips, an the sweat poured off
him like a sluice stream. Two Cornish
men 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 eff he died fur it. Wen Slo-
cum came up, the fire was Ill around an
over the win lass, an the two Cornish
men grabbed Bill an carried him out
they couldn't stan the heat. Ferguson
sent down the rope agin', an up come
Sam Hildreth, with jist strength enough
to make fur the door. The over the
biler and the pitch on the door-posts was
smokin'. Jist as the rope went down fur
the fourth time, an we loafin' round on
the outside watchin' every minute to see
him drop, an not a man of us with
gumption enough to think of what was
wanted, woman rushes into the fiery
furnace an slings wet blanket over the
bravest, gamest man in the state o. Cali
forny.
"'Thet's the ticket shouts Fergu-
son. You're trump, whoever you are,
my girl, an | won't forget We, live or
die
"An' 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 tibet blanket wet. There's
water ia the tank. Pl marry the fust
man tibet throws bucket o water over
Dandy Ferguson-Pll marry him eff he's
a 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, and he'd ev'ry young buck fur miles
aroun' close at her heels all the time
handicappin' each other fur smiles. But
her brother Sam saved her from them
galoots-saged her fur better man, by
victim the blanket himself.
About this time the heat was terri