New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-12-22
Y HO!.F, NUMBER 153.
AClose Shaye...A Miners Story.

blfOuSu tIlt Cut1hS tuu CIeNlccS VI Gu0
rough, ill-ftted doors and windows in
the primitive log hut, already began to
overpower the glimmer of the one can
die, which, from its socket in the neck
of an empty and tallow- dripped bot
tie, had struggled. to illuminate the
gloom. It hickered. sputtered, blazed
up, sank lower, and went out, and
as if to celebrate the victory of
the day the sun sent its first golden
beams through a wide crack in the wall,
straight across the face of the resurrect-
ed man. The hardy miners, who stood
Or leaned in picturesque attitudes half
hidden in the gloom of the cabin, looked
with g lad and eager eyes on their COM
panion, who had come through death to
share again their hard work, rough liv-
ING, few rewards.
IL toll you, boys, it was close
shave,' and he drew long breath, as
he raised up in his bunk, and threw Oft
the worn blanket which covered him.
" The first warning of the danger was
the shout from Tom there: Run for
your life! She's cavingr l dropped
my pick and started, but the warning
had come too late. The first giving way
was at the mouth of the drill, and the
weight of the earth kept falling toward
me. Icould hear the timbers creaking,
cracking, splitting like straws under the
weight upon them, and l drew back away
from the coming pressure. | felt the
space growing smaller, and crouched
low, almost imagining l could keep be-
low the terrible crushing weight, and
yet knowing that in an instant it would
be upon me. The uprights trembled,
then crashed and l fell. l don't know
know how long 1 lay there, for l must
have been stunned by the fall, or else I
tainted from fear. Presently l woke
and tried to move, but could not. Twas
pinned fast by the great tlmbers, which
had fallen in such way as to shield my
head and body, while holding me i'm
movable. l opened my eyes and was
confronted by darkness so intense it
could be felt. My first thoughts were
as to the chances of escape from this
frightful burial. knew the law of hui
manity that holds in all camps of ev-
cry one to the rescue of a miner in dis
tress,' and l knew that in less than an
hour every one of the two hundred men
in the diggings would be taking his turn
at the work of digging for me. reck-
oned the time it would take them
twenty-five feet from the surface, about
the same distance from the shaft; work.
Ing in either direction through the
coarse gravel thought they could
reach me in ten hours. could do moth
ing but wait. l strained my ears for q
sound to break this terrible stiffness,
and in my cagcrness almost fancied |
could hear the click of picks and shovels
In the efforts to unearth me.
"But, boys, there was new horror
not one OF you thought of in your most
dreadful imaginings Of my situation.
While lay there, counting the beats
OF my heart like you do the ticking of
clock in the dark, | felt myself grow
ing cold. First my back, then it crept
up my sides, then my arms, over my
hands, higher, higher. closer. closer,
what could it be? My God! The pumps
had stopped, and the WATERWAYS rising in
the shaft Higher, nearer it crawled,
like the steathy approach of some in
tangible monster. l could feel it like
m added weight on my breast. Higher
it crawled till it reached my chin,
over my chin, it touched my lips. I
screamed aloud in my agony. TO be
saved from the crushing of the earth
upon me only to die by more tortur-
ING and terrible means-to die alone
here in the earth in cold and darkness.
1t was horrible. But the terrible fate
came creeping, relentless in its very
stiffness and slowness. 1t came over
my mouth, up my lips to my nostrils.
"Like flash came the pictures of
my life. They were hard, rough
sketches, most of them; hardships and
trials had made up my life almost since
! left my mothers knee; but there was
brightness enough in the darkest of the
pictured days to draw me back like a
cable to life, as felt it slipping away;
but death stared me in the face, and |
could do nothing but die bravely here
alone in the gloom. l said last
prayer, brief but fcrvent. thought Of
you all, my good old friends and knew
there would be many moist eye
among you, when, in the darkness, the
light Of your cleaning lanterns would
fash on my dead white face. closed
my eyes to shut out the horrible gloom
and the water in its cruelty crept over
my nostrils. and l was gone. But SEN
sation did not die Could | believe it
the water was going down; lower, lower
below my chin-sinking, sinking. Was
/ dreaming, Or was this only a newer
torture Of drowning? No. it was not
an Illusion. felt The chill leave me.
The pumps had started again. Hope
sprang like q ray of sunlight into my
brain
1t was only a temporary stoppage
after all, and began again to speculate
upon the strokes of willing hands that
were working for me On either side I
could hear the duh grating and thud of
the iron coming family to me though
the gravel had myself dug through in
the search for gold. But again | felt
that rising chill. The pumps had
stopped again. 1t was useless to hope.
This lime death was surely here. 1t
rose higher; slowly bat surely, almost
insensibly, it crept over my breast, over
my chin, my lips my nostrils. died
again and again. | woke to find myself
still pinioned in this crumbling vault,
and again heard the nearing blows OF
your steady work above me. Ishouted
to you vainly imagining l could hurry
you on. | dreaded, with a shiverins
fear, the rising again Of this stealthy,
creeping, crawling monster which stood
ready to deyour me: bat your coming
would be too late. II came again. Six
I times | died there, alone in the dark
ness and gloom-died with the sounds
OF salvation ringing in my ears, with
succor only q few feet away-died alone
and helpless. When | woke, here in
my cabin, and saw the. old familiar
faces bending over me, the same wan
light glimmering through the window,
| thought my spirit had come back to
my living haunts. But it is rcal-it i;
myself: Ah, boys, it was a close
shaver
The experiments begun ten o,
twelve years ago for naturalizing in
certain parts of india the best varieties
| of the ci!lchoua or Peruvian bark tree