Weekly Trinity journal., 1878-07-27

come upi an lhey got Inc rope on as
quick as they could, draggin' Harry
Miller out of the works more dead'n
alive, trembln' like leaf. They thought
at the time thet be was scared at the dan
ger he'd been in an didn't notice how
much exhausted he was, but they found
out afterwards that he'd played IL down
In thet shaft as mean as one man can play
it on another at sich time.
*You see there was We of 'em IN the
lower drift, an when the burnin' timbers
of the upper works began to drop down
they all made rush fur the main shaft.
The cage was on an they couldn't get out
till rope came down. They could see
fickerfof light up above, an yelled till
/ they was hoarse watchin' :het glimmer
CROWN brighter'n brighter ev'ry minute,
an knowin' thet the shaftin' timber d
blaze mighty soon an cut off all hope of
their ever gettin' out. 1t was terrible
thought an you can't blame Bill Slocum
fur grabbin' the rope as soon as dropped
down to 'em. Harry Miller jumped
'longside of him yellin':
"'Let go, d-n ye, let go They can't
lift two of u.s. Let GO yersef, shouts
Slocum, tuEnin' round on him like a
tiger. II ~
"My old mothers up there yelled
Slocum, pointin' up the shaft.
"'My wiie's waiting fur me- howls
Miller. :--
"An' 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 Of
he hedn't climbed the rope as he did
Saryed hir right? Kerreet, mister,
they'd sarved him mighty well right
an no mistake, but he beat thet game
He'd jest strength enough to tie the slack
round hiswaist when he give way all st
once an hung to the end of the rope like
dead weight, an Dandy Ferguson haul
ing him out o. the fiery jaws of DEATH
Down went the rope sgain, an Slo-
cum was tied on an hauled up, Ferguson
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 sluco stresm. Two Cornish
men stood by tryin' to make him let them
roll up the rope while he rested, but he
cussed 'em and told em TO dry up ; he
saiG he was at the wheel, an he'd stay
there ef he died for it. When Slocum
came up, the FIRE was all around an over
the win'sss an the two Cornishmen
grabbed Bill an carried him out-they
couldn't stan' the heat. Ferguson sent
down the rope agin an up como Sam
Hildreth, with jist strength enough to
make far the door. The roof over TIE
biler an the pitch oil tae door posts WAS
smokin'. Jist as the rope went down fur
the forth time, an we loafa' round on the
outside watchin' Dandy Ferguson stand
| in there like man ut the stake, expect
in every minute to see him drop, an not
man of us with gumption enough to
think wha: WAS wanted, a woman rushed
into the fiery furnace an slings a wet
blanket over the bravest, gsmest man in
the State o. Californy.
"'Thets the ticket shouts Ferguson,
You're n trump, whoever you are my
girl, an j won't furgit ye, live or die
AN be dida't. 1t wasSam Hilbreth s
sister Maggie, an when she came out of
the smoke an fame with her dress in a
blaze, she calls out sharp to the men
"'Keep the blanket wet. There's wa
ter in the tank. I'll marry the first man
thet throws bucket o. water over Dan
dy Ferguson-I'n marry him Of he's a
Chinaman.'
"Then's her identical words, mister. -
The men didn't need no further orders,
cause, you see, Maggie iIildbreth was
the han 'somest girl in the country, an the
best, and .hsd exiry young bucl, fur miles
sroun' close at her heels all.the time,
handicqppipi each other fur smiles. But
her brother Sam saved her from them
galoots- her fur better man, by
victim the blanket himself.
about this time the heat was terrible;
one man in the drift an, another half way
up, crawlin, slowly to the ragin' surface
on top. crswlinl fast enough in ordinary
circumstances, but hardly fast enough
with dead acin' down on his savior at a
two forty gait. When Jack Harmon
came out o. the shaft he stood minute
or the scantfin', swayin' back an forth
like drunken man, blinded by smoke,
an bewidered, an eff Ferguson hsdn't
caneht him he d gone back agin,
1.-TWO more Of US had got in with
buckets o. WATERLOO all there was in
the tank; but it seemed to dry off as fast
as we poured II on fur the blanket was
smoItin'. When the rope went down for
the last time, to haul up Joe Hsrbel, the
seantlin' was bfrnin' an the upper tim
bers was ,baginnn TO blaze. The whir-
in smoke hid Ferguson frem us, but we
knowed thet of he didn't come out purity
soon the whole shebaag d give way an
bury him the sides were in lightblaze
an the place where the win'lass stood
was the only spot where ever Dandy Fer
guson could a worked II must bin an
awful strain on him-that last pull-but
he never owned It, and bimeby up comes
Joe. the bravest man in the camp, !
reckon, barrin' Dandy Ferguson, cause
you see lie wouldn't tech the rope till
they'd all been hauled up; he tied every
man on except the coward Miller, an