The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-01-13
THE MINE BY. THE SEA.

THE MINE By THE SEA. e6
"A strange sight In a coal mine. Wen
derfully picturesque with its streets ane
lanes and alleys, its unending corridor.
and countless &c chambers OF tho dead
The men there, with blackened faces
add scs,tty attire, seem of another race rr,
from those abeyef ground and the
feeble lights cleaning in the midst OF
the darkness gave a weird, unreal as.
peetto the seene, 5sa.sosu1 g. Ii 9aGif Z
The only sounds heard are those OF
the coal wagons slowly pushed along by
boys towards the mouth of the pit and
inthe narrow passages, where the men
are at work, the clang of their pickaxe,
as they cfeave their way through the
great rocks ofscoal.o Men are not the
only beings here. There are horses
that have not seen the daylight for
many anyeaa. to draw the wagons ia
the broader passages, and sometimes if
the light OF the lamp is turned toward
the ground, the right little eyes Of rats
(how they came to that underworld /
don't Know may be seen peering ont
ofao0ks among the walls. There is an
almost fearful sombreness about the
plsce. Thoughts that the DAYLIGHT
wonld at, once dispel seem to haunt the
ar and the voices of the. men as, they
wander about, each one, Gideon-like.
with bis lamp and pickaxe, have a
deeper, follower tone than. above
Tor two daysa storm, long, remem-
heTed on the coast, had been raging; but
the men IN the mine, accustomed as
they Were, to- hearing the roar of the
waves above their heads, paid little heed
tothe increased noise. George Helm
ers alone had noticed it, and each day
mad spent more time. than usual in ex-
amlnllngg Iall ng the supports of the roof. ,.3.l
TWAS now night time, and he had
been experimenting sorleI rather dan.
gerous work in the lower levels, of blast
ing with gunpowder, which, much
against his advice, the owner had Or
dered. cred This being done, leaving further
orders Tor work with the men. George
turned away aud walked alone in the
direction ne. q Of the pits mouth, CARRYING
IN IN one hand alarge canister contaifrinS
the gunpowder; in the other his Iamn
ana u, TIE heavy stick that, on account of
MS lameness, was his constant com
panlon-R Even in the imperfectalight 1its
Ailghe nave been seen that, great
,enange had passed over his face; it was
haggard and pinched-looking; there was
d strange restless glitterin his eyes and
now and thea his lips parted with in
Voluntary, ,quivering movements. quick
y pressed together again with that
s.srn' SET expression that was now habit
ual to them. fcE ss3i3,9j u; t,''S7- t'7- a
;, Inst instead Of leaving the mine, "a sudden
seemed to strike him halfway.
ana ne turned aside and enteredsa mart
u tle mlne long deserted ON account of I
working too near the bottom of the sea.
Ou' which recently had been opened
lam and though, George had MANY
tiles warned the owner, of the. dancer
''.VeaKenfng the supports of the roof
%ge quantities of coal had been taken
!, All wa was still as he advanced THROUGH
ne narrow passages, but soon tbese
'iaened into a,1noreopen space. and asii
y n..le entered the noise Of the tumultuous
'a, ss.ers overhead was fearfully loud.
,oi9 eraught of air smote on him and
= naae .,e nun N shlyer. The place was known
Q .he eelliers as the '"Bopgart's Holen
= lshe 'Ghost's ,Hole.n il was "a, inn.
nense .ls,, low-roofed hall, one of those |
'a'afai caverns that exist beneath tha
g ahd land; and in the centre was AMI
osss' a INTO whose depths no human he
- hau ever penetrated. The work
hau been carriedSFo alono the |
", ,ues and a rude pathway led halfway
reat' T. a9ruptly stopping above the |
I'm! Inc poor light which George had u-d
ny - onsya q, harrow circle round him. |
ou.i os ne Knew the place well and eau
ya'y ~, stepping along. reached the |
,as ars where the lastSwerkinrs had been
.ssss ana (which was so. low thai be
;siu ~ Ioqch, acll with his hand the black
my roof, to which gigantic loafh- I
'me fungi ctlng.tt tEg7S - 1d r"Hl
varl a. h;s.S! hS 5000 there, wild fancies stole
'''i 'en ! hid. Eoud above sounded 'the
aa..a boom-cf the surf, and be-
esasa,na ess laytwfapped in eternal dark
H., H., Iae great mine, stretching, for
'nes '. INTO me depths of the earth He
,n;s, sn 70 nlmseif ona projecting rock, the +
da e. roI powder ON the ground at his
ue' oaa, ana the lamp held between his
D"u "na.' We're his thoughts just thenp /
aroe,.I vm .hot at all-but, there was one,
,ora ,eoer than the clamor of the waves
.sth h. nlefe terrible shan the abvss be-.
oait isitt u ~ 9inThe had lost all, aall! He
rons frea freS, upon his lifs<=an had gone
hen II iSsi Isat i Lae beginning. and now,
.anao un At last the cup Of sweetness had
to be SO near his l;ns. he nod nod
e,r en- It dashed away. He rround nc I h;s
e'n with rage and then b;s noss;an