Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-07-21
A Coal Mine Horror.

l. Inc BOY Is the son of poor widow. an,
10 aiIhouSh out fourteen years of ace. con
tributcd largely to her support. hi,
name is James Gallagher The man Bar
IT rett, IL seems, was in the habit of abusinc
f., Tue lad In most shameful manner. hav.
" ing no apparent cause save n mnr,
! personal antipathy. The bov stood in
/, mortal lear of Barrett A week or so arr
n tie latter had been tyrannizing over vounu
Gallagher with more than usual crneltv
and finally swore that if he did not onit
! us slght at once he would kill him, at the
9 same time running toward the bov with
! his PICK raised us ifto strike him. Gala.
sher ran screaming away from his perse-
Cu'or, ana made directly into the aban-
; uohed chamber, never stopping TO look
where he was, in his fright, only thinkino
OF getting out of the reach of Barrett
Il Alter running for some time the bow
stopped, and for the first time saw that he
r was In the worked-out mine. Even then
terror of his cruel task master was upner.
most in his mind, and it was not until the
llttie mine lamp on his cap began to grow
am ana lnally went entirely out that be
! awoke to the terror of his situation.
G III there is chamber of horrors any,
where IN The world, it is Il coal mine that
mas been worked out and deserted. It's
iaoyrlhth OF silent corridors responds to
the least sound with the most denonincal
'ehoes, ana noXlous gases generate in the
pools OF Shiny water that exude from The
walls and drip down upon the slippery
Lloor Pitfalls filled with water that nc.
cumulates without interruption abound in
these nolsomc halls, and myriads of hun-
gry rats, bold and even aggressive, haunt
the desolate chambers hundreds of Geol
below the earth's surface, and over all the
most oppressive darkness. There is no
darkness like that in IL mine, it is so dense
ana heavy that one feels its weight upon
uilli us II ne were beneath falhoms oft
wafer; anu the eye does not become
accustomed to its pail sufficiently to pene
trate 1t IN the slightest degree On every
Slde the constant drip, drip of TIE un |
| wholesome water is heard, and the noise
ol rats which frequently displace some
| oose boulder OF coal as they scamper over
H. ana setd 1t tumbling to the floor,
awakening thousand horrid echoes and
sendlng them reverberating through the
deserted chambers.
IL was INTO such place us this that
young Gallagher found himself without a
light alone and entuely ignorant of the
way out. Ills first thought was to shout
aloud Tor help, but the sound of his voice
lfavelslng the devious corridors and
yelling back to him his cry, prolonged
and multiplied hundred times, as if so
many hendS We're mocking his Distress {
so frightened the boy that he could not
gather courage to repeat the cry, and he
commenced groping his way along in
silence in the direction he thouoht n,oot | ,
ilkely would lead to the entrance of the +
NINE lie mad proceeded some distance
aiong lhe SHINY wall when certain f
uililculty OF breathing and choking SEN d
sat'oh warned MIN that he was trespassing ,
wnere the greatest of all terrors to the
MINER iredamp, prevailed, and he hastily +
retraced his steps with the intention Of II
turning INTO the first corridor he came to. n
IL was IL long time before he reached one Il
:. - .ui "cu u oh " .he llSht, ana he entered |
IL anu lolloWed II Tor Il quarter of an h0nr ,
eJ,,s hainn oac MS way along one side of it and h
corri1ors nv ~ :, '''i mug amy OF the il
hooano lo'9 otossinS IT. 50 Ihat ne might not S
ooIlod h;,1I So'i"'ou II circumstances com 5,
FFoddanl,, ,'ii W "s"lh lcCrace MS steps. IL
9' fnnnd ~ & ~ P'U'!ls ms 1901 forward, lie d
ronnvor ~ bis oI' h,I ii ~ anu pGiorG he could C
o;t III; ''iS ot'''iioe ne lell headlong INTO a
r,1. L;S. or i,I - io.u oae III contact with one Ii
ro@a;n h;n 'Ho coH. oAo"sa.on' lie attempted to W
, Sens nf ,U., nr,,t puo ne was overcome with o
10 sI;u,o " ny nInlohess anu leli pack INTO tc
notto @ of anu ,ha oG%c 'laI covered the Jagged tt
] y. 'ne Pi', now iohS he lay there ct
., Ht'e elle poy o'd not know. lie re
ranDI;.1 ,anI ~ iilinsell WIN Il knowledge of IN
T"I'"t NJ, i p|.h ~ h's fingers ana toes AT W
o nv u'e' noV ieallze "here ne was; but tt
4o III ponu'''ole aarkhess, and cold, damp pI
w. 'lp.ioio 1'l soon recalled Ills situation. CT
,n ,'t,Irt dro" up nas n''hua ana leet TO make Ii
w. n,r'n,aI " "iioe' "heh an army OF rats pI
o"ap va apon po.op AWAY IRON ABOUT nm: They Sc
I,n rn o'1a ;, n'S oouy ana lfalled Their cold, S;
,.;.J '''ia ~ nis lace. TIC sprang up fe
h'' iIi ~ 'ni 'oN VI tollor 'haC again started III
ho 'h' J,oo''o''ro''h9 'e. echoes through the 10
1'''''''i' 70
,,t ma'et 't water everywhere al
H.. lo' " 'f0p oufinA'' II
IRON from the ieenn OF his hands and feet, th
IalH'Sher knew mat the Fats had been to
'hawihg at his l1esh; but he did not Stop be
ihahe any Investigations until he es- AL
apea irom the pit and was again on his VI
way otch 10 The place whence he had gr
tarted. 10 get out of the pit he fonnd 1l
argsI siJeS 'JeS ,n,i W,ce nc ne clamoered up its to
n1, and u.s. w "",n lio almost reached the 20
n1'nn ,' 20 Th tn'uy ','neS leli back to the th
'ov.GH' "G',l ., ne Viiiru lime trying was sue. m
d anI CIV tio ufow l'mseii ont exhaust lik
oo, oc ,hn nc l"y Gown on the sa
oe, VI e''1 ou' iuot LOT several minutes th
aan onlbor; nI ri'au 1h,iehg'n 10 proceed. and an
aom .a S''.nelins himself up hurried away an
o H., ."e Ipv' wnicn was SO iull OF terroro ST
,aas n,'n, .u;, " nete'er ne reached the first lh
oss ;o oorliuoi W ne sat down on iuttng JOY
,et ,eoe ,h y, ooa' anu LOT the Fst time found TAI
ers " , ,o ,ha ta'' h su nawea Two OF his fin IRA
eis e'.ore ~ .eI oohe' mad eaten away the the
ppers VI us shoGs ana the flesh of two of al,
Is SleaV toes. lie had often heard old are
AN ilhels ieale' over their lunch in the dis esc
Id cLainoel tne experience OF men lost cal
lilhes "ua attacEed by rats, and now Ca
~ realty Oh the thlng nearly overcame clio
liu WIN holtof' ana he almost swooned we
' hnI