The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-11-11
AClOse Shaye...A Miners Story.


The cold gray dawn was breaking and
the streaks of daylight, which crept in
| through the chinks and creyices of the
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. 1t fiickered. 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 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 glad and eager eyes on their COM
panion, who had come through death to
share again their hard work, rough liv-
ing, few rewards.
80 tell you, boys, it was a close
shave" and he drew long breath. as
he raised up in his bunk, and threw of
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 / 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. could hear the timbers creakino.
Cracking, splitting like straws under the
weight upon them, and drew back away
from the coming pressure. felt the
space growing smaller, and crouched
low, almost imagining 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 fell. don't know
know how long 1 lay there, for I must
have been stunned by the fall, or else |
tainted from fear. Presently I woke
and tried to move, but could not. Twas
pinned fast by the great tImbers, which
had fallen in such a way as to shield nv
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 hu-
manity that holds in all camps of sev-
cry one to the rescue of miner in dis
tress, and l knew that in less than an
hour every one of the two hundred men
in the diggings wouldbe 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-I thought they could
reach me in ten hours. / could do moth
ing but wait. strained my ears for
sound. to break this terrible stiffness.
and in my eagerness almost fancied /
could hear the click OF picks and shovels
In the efforts to unearth me.
But, boys, there was a new horror
not one OF you thought of in your most
dreadful imaginings of my situation.
While l lay there, counting the beats
Of my heart like you do the ticking of
q clock in the dark, I 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 water was rising in
the shaft. Higher, nearer it crawled,
like the stealthy approach of some in
tangible monster. / could feel it like
an added weight on my breast. Higher
it crawled till it reached nv chin.
over my chin, it touched my lips. [
screamed aloud in my agony. 70 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.
&c Like a 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. said a last
prayer, brief but fervent. thought of
you all, my good old friends and knew
there would be many a moist eve
among you, when, in the darkness, the
light OF your cleaning lanterns would
flash 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 I 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 newer /
tOrtura af drOwpipnp No = ,,o. -
an Illusion. felt the chill leave me.
The pumps had started again. Hope
sprang like a 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. /
could hear the dull grating and thud of
the iron coming family to me though
the gravel had myself dug through IN