The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-23

dirty water which it has brought up, ant
there is an mir Of expectancy among tn,
workmen, and an inauiring smile OF
the face of Mr.. Thornton, the superin
tendent. Something is clearly expected
of you, for it is established that you are
not what is called by the miners .'spec.
linen fend," or unmitigated sample.col.
lecting nuisance, and it is assumed that
when you came hither to investigate YOU
"meant business.
You take the hint, and follow Mr..
Thornton to a room, where, amid good
deaaof joking, you put on some clothes
and,ssach clothesl If you have one spark
of personal vanity, "all hope abandon,
yc who enter here" for even your kind
guide has to turn away to hide a smile
when he sees you in 0veralls which will
not meet in 'front.' and are precariously
tied with ragged string, an ancient
flannel shirt, the sleeves of which hang
in tatters around your wristbands, and
cap which might have come over
in the Nayfower, and has a smoky lamp
heoked Dinto its fast decompesing
visor. As You approach the moilfh Of
the shaft the engineer genially remarks
that there "ain't much danger" and
whenfShe bucket has come up and been
partially eemptied, the by-stan,lers re-
peateshy advise you to be careful about
getting in. As you climb perilously over
the side, you think of the Frenchman
who, starting in the fox-hunt, cried out:
"Iake noleece, mes amis, zat l leaf every
zing to my vifew And when you are
crouched down 70 that Mr.. Thornton
can stand on the rim above, you do not
think at all, but know, that you are what
Mr.. Mantalini called ~ dem'd moist,
unpleasant body" Mr.. Thornton makes
grim remark about it being as well to
have some matches in case the lamps 20
out, gives the word, and down you 90.
Understand that there is just about
room for the bucket in the shaft, that the
latter is slightly inclined, and that you
catch and jar and shake in nerve-try-
ing way; and understand, further, that a
person should carefully study his tenn
perament and possible disabilities before
he takes contract to 60 into deep
shaft.
At a certain depth-it may be 500 or
1000 feet Tin some Nevada mines it is
2,6O0)-you stop at side drifts or cross
cuttings in which men are at work, and
here you see, walled in by rock, the fis-
sure vein. Some are STOPPING" or cut
ting pieces away with the pick, others
holding the steel wedges, and Others
them tremendous blows with
They are, by the way,
in the habit Of accompanying these blows
with gutteral sounds the hearing of
which induced special correspondent of |
The gentler sex-ignoring the fact that |
they receive IS per diem, own chronometer
watcheA and have fine bank accounts, |
and silver spoons on their tables-tn
write soul-moving description Of the |
,Oor down-trodden miner, imprisoned II |
rom the light of the besst d day, utter
ng terrible groans as he toiled his life |
away for the enrichment Of the tlolted |
nd pampered capitalist. Other men,
'gain, are drilling, loading, and tampi.g
or the Shots" which are to tear the
ock in pieces; and you will probably rp-
member a pressing engagement to ''ineet
man" ut some distance from the mine.
md induce Mr.. Thornton to ring for that
moist car, and take you up before they
light the match.