Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-09-07
BILL BOWEER's TRIUMPH.


the eddies circle around the great stones. AMI
found that negative aid hewidered comfort
which trouble always finds In running water
Me3uWhae Selma had gone back 10 bed. and
haG There renewed her tears. and was finding
some comfort in running water also And al
me moment when William stood upon June
prloge. Abraham Cough In suit Of fianaelS
was making bis Nay 10 lie day-shttt ia the
Str'p-aId-at-lJ- Lest YOU should Had yourself
100 much disturbed 10y the phrase. let me ex-
plain that The Strips nti-a;-ft was a coal.a.ue
80 Ialned, by It's Inmates. from the cant phrase
OF some ,Gesgy or Sanger: Now, lads, strip
Poor William regretted his holiday. and
loDged for the hour when work should bagin
agaip. He beguIled the heavy hours OF tke div
o. the composition of woe-pegone verses.
which here embalia:--
qEe sun tina; shines so bri-ht shove.
IN M, W. faHE y, ahcgt ny Mrenstul love-
Brpg nothing 10 my heart but rain.
II is very dismal thing
While my Selma has zone OF
So walk with Mr.. Abraham Cough
Mlliam,s muse was in the right It is very
dismal thing 10 the wounded Heart, grown e-o-
tist,c through its pain, that nature should
seem out or sympathy with It--that the sun
should shine and the birds should sing lust as
Still true and gentle.
Wiiiiain TOOK his humble meal OF bread and
cheese ana ais pint OF 50 OF beer at a little
stTolled home again, still very miserable but n
tllle soothed by the verse making process He
was due at the mine at o'clock. and an hour
tefore that time be was upstairs exchanging
MS SUNDAY costume for the WOrl-Gay coaly
ilanntlS, When he became conscious or hustle
| ia TIE street. Looking through the window
ne behs!d men running hauess ana coatlesS
ana unbonDe;ed. unSAawlei women ScurryiDC
along as last as their feet could take them
Every cody ran Ia one direction. aud In the
crowd he caught moments glimpse OF Selma
ana her rather. The girls face was white with
some strong excitement. and there was look
OF the Widest Imaginable fear ia her eyes
Both hands were pressed 10 her heart as she
ran A Black country Golfers instinct ia
case like This is pretty likely TO be true. WI
lam Threw his window open, and cried 10
tie hurry ing crowd
Where Is IL"
..At the Strip-aR' Att some familiar voice
called out as TIC Struggling crowd swept By.
What is ne, be cIled again.
"ShaTt on IRE, cried another voice In
answer; ana In second the street was clear.
" lillian Bowker dashed downstairs and hurled
himself along the street.
ANY body down" he gasped, as he turned
| the corner ard passed The hIndmost figure 10
| the hurryng mass. The woman knew hin.
for Gods sake, lend me thy hand, Willy
yum, she sasped N answer; My Joe's Ia,
lie caught The ShIiyeled little figure in his
great arms as though the Old woman had been
| a baby, and dashed on again. Ay. the tale was
| true, There Delched and volleyed the rolling
| smoke! There were hundreds upon hundreds
| OF people already crowded on the pit mound
aid about the SHAFT, aud from every quarter
men ard women came streaming Ia, white
| faced ara GREATNESS. William set mis- wiUhered
| burden down. and pushed through TO the edge
| OF The Shaft. There was water in the up-c lSt
aLd me engines were at work full power. Up
| came the enormous bucket and splasaed its 200
| CT 500 gallons down the burning shaft, and
dropped like stone down the up-cast and
alter long, lonG pause came trembling and
| laboring up AGAIN, and Vom!ted It's freight
| again ard dropped like stone for more.
~ @ Right just as well stand In a ring an
spit at II" said Bowker, with his face all pale
and his eyes Oh fire. Get the stinhtor5 up
| aid lei man or ten so down."
| Nin yo' lnak' one BIZ Bowker?" said g
| Or WY, cCa.-smeare1 man beside him.
| "lis, | viii Was The answer, given Ike a
/ bull dogs gFowl.
.-lN max another, said the man.
| Al ne. An me- "An' Inc" cried a dozen
| Rig TIE bowk, somebody" said the love
| l0Tn verse niaher. taking at once and as by
right the place lie WAS born FOR. "Blu-Joe-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Wi re"
| Tie crowd divided and the I've made for the
| Offices, and loud there in row, a numuer or
halfe -5bapt machines or metal, each having
! d Sn al Itst atu pumping apparatus attached
| to II. These were neW coon fFgn the gener-
Ous haDC CT ScieIcE--a FTeLch contTiFance, as
be paI0e atitXed 20 each set forth-'-L EXlinc-
| teur." Each CT The men seized one OF these
| and bore IL 10 The edge OF the Staff, the crowd
| onCe more making way. 4 bucket, technically
called bowk." some TWO feet deep and eigh-
teen inches wide, was affixed 10 the wire rope
which swung above the burning shaft. Tie
Ing. a dozen garments were nung - him at
once. lie wrapped himself I'D like a mummy
and bound cotton handkerchief over his face.
Then. with the machine strapped securely
across lis shoulder. lie stepped one foot In the
bucket ana LAID haId upon the rope. 4 man
Tar forward with slender chain. which he
passed rapidly round the volunteers waist and
mixed TO the rope Which supported The howk.
Another thrust an end OF rope into his hand,
AID stood by to reeve out the resi- as he de-
scenGed. Then came the word: short
STEADY The engine paated. the rope tight
ened, tie clumsy Ilgure, with the machine
bound about II. swung into TIE smoke, and Ia 4
death-nke Sulloess, with here and there
sJnothered gasp, the man went down. Ills
-ccmrade at the edge Grlbbled the rope through
his cCai-Dlackened myers as de!icately as
though II Lad been Stiken thread. Then
came sudden tug at il: AID the word WAS
flashed 30 the engiDe-room, and the creak or
the wheel ceased, and the gliding wire rope
Vas stu Then, ror space OF nlgn minute,
not d sound was head, out every eye was on
The rope, and every cheek was paIlid with sus-
peDSe, and every heart was with the nero in
the fiery depths below. Thea came another
warning tug at the rope, and again the word
flashed 10 the clgiae-fcon. The wheel spun
rCurd, the rope glidcd, QuiVeTej, stopped. the
figure swung up through the smoke again, was
selZed. lowered, landed. When his comrades
laid hands upon him, the 7anIel garments fell
from him IL huge bl2chenea lakes, so near to
the flaueS Rad he been. He cast these gar
ments from him, and they fell, half finder, at
has feef. Then he drew of the handkerchief
which bound his tace, and, at the godlike.
heroic paior CT his cOGntenaDce, and the set
lips ana cleaning eyes, women whispered pan
tfngiy. .'God bless him. and the breath OF
those bold fellows was drawn hard. Then lie
reeeG, ana pair OF arms ike d bears were
round him In second. In Two minutes more
he was outside the crowd, and a bottle or
whisky. which come from nobody knew where,
was at his lips as he lay upon the ground, and
Two or three women ran Tor water. And while
all this was doing, another man, as good as he,
was swinging downward in the binding smoke.
So fierce q leap the flames made at this nero
that they caught him fairly for moment in
their arms and when he was brought to the
surface, he hung limp and SenSeieSS, with
great patches OF smoldertng fire upon his gar
6ntS, and his hands and face cracked aad
Dlackened. But the next man was ready, and
when he. In turn, came TO the light, he had
said good. by TO The light forever In this world.
Not this, nor anything that fear could urge,
could stay the rest. There were nve-and-thirty
men and boys below, and they would have
them up or die With that godlike pallOr on
their lips and cheeks, with those wide eyes that
locked death In the face, and knew him, and
dclied rundown they went j saw these
things who tell the story. Man after man de-
hed that fiery he'll, and faced its lurid, smoky
dark ess unGismayed, until, at last, their Vdlor
won the day.
The ioye-lorn William had but little room ~
his heart for superfiuous sentiment as ne ialu
bis LAND upon the wire rope, ana SCI MS loot
In ire bowk again. Yet just nope W as lteISI
I