The Republican journal., 1881-07-28
Down in the Ophir Mine.


ence than he had, up to that time, admitted
the vlleSt sinner would ever undergo,
even after lab0ring under the disadvan-
tage OF not being alive. The foreman OF
| the Ophir mine was led into the secret Of
the scheme, and, being good Christian,
| at once saw the practical utility of the
| plot. 1t was elected to descend the
Ophlr for the reason that the quality OF
Whlskey then kept in the Ophir visitors
| dresslng-rooms was superior to that Of
any other north h-cnd-mine. The Justice
mine really had finer brand of liquor,
but the mine was down in the lower end
OF Gold Hill, and as the descent was to
be made after the Colonel had delivered
his lecture one evening, it would be in
convenient to visit mine very far from
the international Hotel, where the Col
0nel and his family-Wite and two daugh-
| tcrs--Were lodged. The matter of whs-
| key is, unhappily, one of great considera-
! ton in a visit to a mine, for the reason
that the effect of descent upon strang
| er is a strange weakness, which it is nee
esSary to overcome upon reaching the
surface with stimulants or a days sick
ness is the inevitable consequence.
After the lecture the reporters called
at the hotel and escorted the Colonel and
his family to the Ophir works. Ingersoll
was in lively spirits. lie had lectured to
a crowded house; had Just received news
that he had been violently abused by San
| Francisco theOlOgians, and was about to
| experience novel SGnSatlOn-and a de-
llghttul one, too, the reporters assured
| him. He chatted and laughed, and in
reply to some hints that some portions of
the mine might be a little warm, replied;
''Bring it on; | am not afraid of any
natural heat, here Or hereafter. TrOt on
your lowest levels The ladies were
taken in charge at the hosting works by
the wife of the colored Office porter and
supplied with miners clothes in the la
dies dressing room. The men rugged
themselves out likewise in blue flannel
shirts and pants and hob-nailed shoes.
The entire party were given long oilcloth
coats to wear going down Oh the cage, as
the verticle shaft was wet, the dripping
water pouring down on the visitors like
rain. "AlI set cried the foreman, and
the seven persons packed in the cage
We're dropped down to the 40 foot lev
el at nm uncomfortable rate to the visitor
making his first descent. Take off Your
coats here" said the foreman, as they
stepped out on the iron floor Of the sta
| ton, III the presence OF a crowd of car
boys and miners. The ladies demurred.
but the Colonel being assured that it was
the customary thing, that the ladies
would be too warm with and greatly IN
convenienced by the coats, he encouraged
them. "Why, certainly, girls, take OFT
your coats Everybody takes them OIL
down here. That's all right, wife, tell
the girls to take their coats Oft; there's
nothing to be afraid Of" and the young
ladies shyly emerged from their coats,
looking picturesque in their rough blue
miners suits.
Nothing was ever seen like the spirits
Of the Colonel. He danced a double
shuttle on the iron switch plates to the
delight of the miners and scared the Ia
dies with stories Of gnomcns and spirits
"'Call this hot, eh p he laughed to the
foreman; "oh, show me something warm
can't you I'll freeze here" The fore
man Winked SoIemnly to the reporters
and replied: "Well. we amt got no very
hot drafts here now, but come this way
and I'll give you something little warm
er than this" Then all branched eff
from the crOsscut little east OF the sta
tion and walked north toward the face OF
a drift being run toward the Union
ground. The air changed instantly as
they turned north 1t was warmer; it
kept getting warmer It's they proceeded.
1t grew hot. The foreman led. Inger-
soil followed, after him the ladies, and in
the rear came the reporters. 1T is cool
along here remarked the foreman, ''but
it is a little warmer in the face of the
drift" Ingersoll was putting like Il por-
poise but he still seemed cheerful. 'Come
on girls, this don't amount to much
Talk about your hot mines; don't see
where they come in" When it became
so hot that breathing stung the lips and
nOstrlls the reporters suggested to the la
dies, without attracting the COlOneIs at
tention, that they had better not go any
further.
lngcrsoll pluc1ily plodded ON, carrying
his candle aslant and pceringa Il little ann
iously ahead until they met a miner with
his head down rushing out of the drift
"Where did you come from, my man ?"
asked Ingersoll, as the miner passed him.
"Come from the face of the drift, old SON
replied the miner without stopping.
Something in the manner of the man in
terested lngerSolI, for he yelled after him
"And where are you going Z"
Going to hi to cool off, replied the
miner, who evidently did not distinguish
the ladies in their miners costumes. In
gersoll halted and said to the foreman
"Perhaps we had better not 60 any fur
ther; see the girls are not following
As he came back and met his wife he
whispered huskily; EVA, if | thought
there really was place hotter than this
we'd go Join Methodist church this very
night" Then they went down on the
incline three hundred feet further in the
"giratf." While the ladies were being
interested in the compressed air en-
CINE, the eXhaust-pipc of which formed
ice III temperature almost not enough to
roast meat in, the foreman told lngersoll
he had 4 curious natural phenomenon he
wanted to show him.
Ingersoll followed him down an aban-
dOned drift where the air was so hot the
oldest miner would not work unless Il
fresh pipe was first introduced. When
he came back he was shirtless, drenched
with perspration, and scarcely able to
walk. Everybody was afraid he would
faint, and the party prepared to ascend.
"Eya," said the Colonel to his wife, al
have been to a place hotter than
"Robert.' ~
"les, dear; was only going to remark
that it was hotter than
''All set" said the foreman interrupt
ing the intidel, as we scrambled into the
giratf. The foreman gave the bell rope
three slow pulls. "What does that mean ?"
said the Colonel.
"That is the signal to hoist
"Well, my friend" "cgasped the Colonel,
''if you get us to the surface uncooked |
will write you an obituary that would
make an angel turn green with envy,
when get to Chicago" and he sank back
in dark corner of the graft. pale, en-
hausted and subdued.