The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-01-04
n FEARFUL SWING.
PERILoUs ADVENTURE IN COAL MINE

The "shaftmen" at our collieries, says
Chambers Journal, are selected for their
physical strength and pluck, in addition to
the skill and practical knowledge required
for their particular work. The incident
we are about to relate will show bow
severely the former of these qualifications
may at times he tested.
The work of these men is confined to the
shaft of the pi., and consists mainly i'm
repairing the clubbing" or lining Of the
shaft, stopping leaks, or removing any OBJ
stiuctions interfering with the free passage
OF the cages up and down the pit. The
coal-pit at N has double shaft, divi-
ded by "bratticing," or wooden parti.
ton. These divisions we will call A and
b. Two cages (the vehicles of transport
up ano down tie pitt ascend and descend
alternately in shaft A. AT 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 arrange
ment of the wire ropes on the winding
wheels over the plymouth. The oscilla-
ton 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 a severe frost,
these guiders had becone coated with ice,
and thus their free passage in the grooves
of the cages was interfered 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 arriving
at the passing point. The ascending cage,
whose only occupant was a small boy re-
turning TO "bank," proceeding on it's up
ward course, crashed into the downward
cage in the MARI ow par of the shaft, where,
of course, there was only single passage.
| Though the shock vas something terrific,
! the steel rope was not broken, as the engine
man, whose responsible position entailsI lie
| 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 construct
ed of iron, were bent and broken-in fact,
| rendered useless-by being thus iammed
together in narrow space. The greatest
| anxiety was felt as to the fate of the boy,
as it was seen that even if he had escaped
| with his lite after such a severe crash his
rescue would be work of great danger
and difficulty.
We may imagine the horror of the poo,
little fellow while suspended in the shat
tered cage over gulf some four hundred
feet deep, both cages firmly wedged in the
shaft, and the ropes rendered useless foi
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 indicated above. Down this,
| then, shaft NAV, whom we will call John
son, ascended i'm cage until he arr ived al
an opening in the brattice- work, by which
he could enier shaft A. He found himself
(as he supposedly 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 tho cages were sus.
pended. Under this impression he formed
the idea Of sliding down one of the ropes
with view Of hberating, if possible, the
entangleG cages and securing the safety oi
the unfortunate boy. The hardy fellow wa.
| soon gliding through the darkness on hi.
brave and dangerous errand. He had de
sceuded about forty feet when, to his hor
rOr and amaZement, his course was sudden
| ly checked by bend in the rope, aud The
terrible discovery flashed upon him that bt
,cds suspended IN the loop Of the slack rope
which here took a return course to the toI
of The downward cage.
1t will be understood that when the de
| scending cage struck upon the runners a.
| the rope continued to unwind from tn,
pully it hung down in a loop, descending
lower and lower, until the engine wa
stopped by the meeting of the cages. Thi
loop, or "bight," was naturally mistaken
by johnson for the tWo ropes, and he dis
not discover it until he found himself il
the fearful situation described, that he hat
entered the brattice into shaft A beloso
| instead of above, where the cages wer
fixed. There he hung then over yawn