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

lass thet was lyin' outside, near the dunn
my. You never see men work like they
did as soon as ther was 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 shouting after it. I'm here,
boys, an stay till l roast. Then he
grabbed the crank, an spun the rope
round the bar1 Eastern it ever was
rolled before. He used one hand first,
an when she frightened he laid the other
on. Si Holden wanted to help him but
he wouldn't hev no interference. Time
enough, says Ferguson, when I drop.
It wasn't long before half-naked body
came up. They got the rope off as
quick as they could, draggin' Harry
Miller out of the works more dead n
alive, tremblin ike 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 thet he'd played it
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' 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 flicker OF light up above, an
yelled till they was hoarse watchin' thet
glimmer CROWN brighter ev'ry minute,
an known thet the shattin' timber'd
blaze mighty soon an cut off all hope of
-. %or. h la
thought.an you can't blame Bill Slocum
fur grabbin' the rope as soon as it
dropped down to 'em. Harry Miller
jumped long side of him, yellin'
s. Let go, darn ye, let go They can't
lift two of us. Let go yerself, shouts
Slocum, turnin' round on him like a
tiger.
I" MY old mothers up there, yelled
Slocum, pointin' up the shaft. ~
"sMy wife's waitin' fur me-, howls
Miller.
can, 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 killed him on the spot
eff he hedn't climbed the rope as he did.
Served him right? Kerrect, mister,
they'd sarved him mighty well right an
no mistake, but he beat thet game.
He'd jist 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 haulin' him out O.
death. Down went the rope agin, an
Slocum was tied on an 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 of him like sluice stream. Two
Cornishmen 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
Cornishmen 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 for the door.
s'The roof over the biler and the pitch
on the door-posts was smokin'. Jest as
the rope went down fur the fourth time,
an we loafn' round on. the outside
watchin' Dandy Ferguson standin' there
like man at the stake, expectin' every
minute to see him drop, an not q man
of us with gumption enough to think
what was wanted, woman rushes into
the fiery furnace an slings wet blanket
over the bravest, gamest man In the
State O. Californy.
IS sThet's the ticket, shouts Ferguson.
you're trump, whoever you are, my
girl, an I won't furget ye, live or de-
'sAn' he didn't. 1t wasSam Hildreth's
sister Maggie, an wen she came out
the smoke an fame with her dress in a
blaze, she calls out sharp to the men.
"sKeep thet blanket wet. There's
water in the tank. I'll marry the fust
man thet throws bucket of water over
Dandy Ferguson-I'll marry him eff he's
q Chinaman.'
sTThem's her identical words, mister.
The men didn't need no further orders,
cause Maggie Hildreth was the ham,
soonest girl in the country, an the best,
an he'd ev'ry young buck fur miles
aroun' close at her heels all the time,
each other for smiles. But
her brother Sam saved her from them
galoots- her for better man, BY
wetting the blanket himself. About
this time the heat was terrible, one man
in the drift an another halfway up,
crawlin' fast enough in ordinary circum-
stances, but hardly fast enough with
death racin' down on his savior at q two
forty gait. Wen Jack Harmon came
out O. the shaft he stood a minute on the
swayin' back an forth like q
man, blinded by smoke, an be-
wildered, an ef Ferguson hedn't caught
him he'd a gone back agin. Two more
of us he'd got in with buckets o. water
bout all ther was in 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 begin-
min to blaze. The whirlin' smoke hid
Ferguson from us, but we knowed thet
ef he didn't come out soon the whole
shebang d give way an bury him; the
sides was in light blaze, an the place
where the win lass stood was the only
spot where even Dandy Ferguson could
a. worked. It must "a bin an awful
strain on him--thet last puH-but he
never owned it, an bimeby up comes
Joe, bravest man in tie camp I reckon,
barrin' Dandy Ferguson, cause you see
he wouldn't tech the rope till they'd all
been hauled 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 sides ev'ry once in awhile,
as if they'd lick the life-thread IN two.
ssAs Joe grabbed the upper chains the
shaft lit up with hiss an roar, as if
the fire was mad at losin' its prey. Joe
got out and Ferguson staggered away
from the windlass, but his luck went
back on him at the last minute. He
stumbled and fell just as he came to the
tramway at the door, an the whole side
of the bnildin' came down on him with a
crash. a hundred men forgot danger
an death, an rushed into the flames,
but Miller, the man that played it so
snealSin mean down in the shaft, got
to him first and dragged him out. Ev-
erybody thought he was dead, an the
crowd carried him an Miller-who