The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1880-12-02
means had been fastened down too

/ rasthng, cracking sound, then crash,
and huge fragment of rock rolled down
end he was only just in time to leap aside
/ before the place where he had stood was
covered with shivered portions of it as it
/ descended, and, leaping from ledge TO
| ledge, at last, with sullen roar, was lost
/ in the depth below. Still he listened,
/ for another and more dreadful sound
/ caught hi. ear-the low, swishing sound
OF falling water. He crept as near as he
could along the narrow pathway, and as
! lie cd so his face was sprinkled with the
cold spray of the torrent. lie held out
his hand, and then, touching his lip,
| tasted the water. 1t was salt!
! Still aud breathless as statue he stood
for moment; the next, holding the lamp
before him, lie was rushing with wild
speed down the broken pathway away
from the place. AS he approached the
entrance he stopped, and for moment
! looded around in bewilderment-he had
mistaken the road, and instead of taking
that by which he had come, had followed
another, which abruptly stopped-a mass
of coal had fallen and broken it of. He
! had no time to turn back. He threw his
lnmp down, and, as fortune would have
it, it was not broken, but only fallen on
one side about ten feet below; then,
drawing in his breath, he prepared for
the leap. He did not know the ground
the lamp had gone out. If he leaped
he might fall into some deep fssure; but
there wss no time to hesitate. He took
the leap and fell; the firm ground was
beneath him.
His arm wes bruised and his ankle
sprsined, but he hardly felt it. Relight-
ing his lamp, he dashed along through
the narros passages towards the main
where the men we're at work.
At last he met boy slowly dragging
slong small coal wagon. He caught
the lad by the shoulder and shouted to
him:
''Can you run, WHIP"
| Say, oi can" answered the boy.
"Then run your hardest, Will. Tell
| them in the lower main the waters COM
ing in, and in an hour it'll be flooded. "
"Fayther's there!" the boy cried, and
without another word rushed off.
Other boys were sent to the other parts
OF the main, forced by Georges stern
not let one man leave the pit till they
were all there.
Then he waited. And if any one had
seen his face as lie stood alone, q strange
change would have been noticed in it
There was now look of such triumphant
! gladness as for many year had not rest,
ed there. He stretched out his arms like
one who had just ended some weary
! labor. Then his hand sank on his bosom
and he muttered
80 God Saved saved Thou hast
kept ne from it, and 1 may yet save
them all"
| Quickly he recovered himself and went
| into small Office where he kept his books
and instruments. He took from box q
small revolver and some matches and
! went out again. He then set light to a
heap of shavings and dry wood lying near
the door, and this soon blazed up, illu-
minating the whole place.
And again he waited.
Soon troop after troop Of the men, fly
| ing at their utmost speed, reached the
pits mouth, and fearful sight it was to
see the struggling mass of men, each one,
with msddened shouts and blows, striY-
ing to come nearer to the basket But
George Heimers' voice was heard loud
above all
''Ihe first that touches that basket be-
fore 1 tell him, I'll shoot that man y
They saw the leveled barrel of the
revolver and drew back
"Those that are married, stand here. :"
And in silence the men obeyed him.
He then signaled to certain number
/ of them TO enter the basket. Not an in
slant was lost and they were hoisted out
of sight.
The other. strained their eyes to watch
the ascending mass, calculating how
soon it would return to rescue them
! Some of the men who had their sons with
them clasped them tight in their arms,
whispering messages to be given il they
were lost, for in nearly every case the
fathers chose that the boys should go in
their place; some sank to the ground
muttering prayers that they had never
spoken since childhood, and others list
ened to George Heimers as he told them
there was still hope if they would obey
him.
Jim Massey had been in one Of the
most distant working, and was one of
the last TO reach the pits mouth, and
now he stood by the wall apart. with
eyes bent down on something he held in
his banda lock of Agnes hair that she
had given him the night before.
More than bali the number of men
! were now safe; and the basket. whirled
up by those who knew just how much
/ depended upon their work, had iust left
when George, in the calm voice with
which he had spoken before, said: ''Men,
~Iorc -
about twenty lett, men and boys, whom
George had many time helped by words
and deeds; they remembered this, and
all cried at once: Next turns thine.
+ mGster-we1l come after?"
THANK you, my lads" he answered
I quietly; I'm not going this time. but 1
want to send some one in my place. Will
+ you let me?"