Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1881-09-17

WOulu come next, Wnen 1elb llBnU
touch on my arm, ar turning found
Lille beside me.
She wore light morning dress and
slippers, and was without hat; her
bosom rose and fell rapidly, for she had
evidently lost no time in coming here.
"Oh, doctor" she cried, clinging to
my arm, "I have ran all the way and
I am out of breath. Tell me where
papa is ?"
Hooked at her flushed face and eager
eyes; I noted the trembling Of her
hands, and the pink hot-house rose that
nestled in her breast, as if mocking her
agony of fear.
miss Lille, come back little, your
father was not in the mine at the time
of the explosion l have seen him since /;
he is safe"
"Oh, thank God-thank Godi" she
cried, tears starting to her sweet brown
eyes.
eyes, come back, Miss Lille, it is not
good for you to inhale that smoke ;
come back !"
Something told me to get her away
from the mouth of the pit, but it was
hard to do. At length I left her trying
to console an old woman whose three
sons had gone down a few hours ago,
hale, hearty young men, and who might
be blackened corpses for all she knew
burned and bruised past hope of recog.
milton even by their mother.
AS returned to the shaft dull,
booming sound came suddenly from
underground-thc earth shook-a roar
like the blast of a thousand cannons was
heard, and huge masses of inky smoke
rose above the fatal pit. A second ex-
plosion had taken place.
Screams from the women rent the
air, and above them all, ringing out,
[ heard the voice of Lille Hardwick
clear as bell:
"Oh, papa, papa!s
My heart stood still; crowd of men
had gathered round me, another party
going down to help the dying men below.
No one tried to stop me now; but I
could not 60 without one word to Lille.
If went to my death let her at least
know how I loved her. She was by my
side and 1 caught her hands in mine.
"Lillie, I will try to save your father
If cannot I will die with him."
ooh, thank you," she said, locking
straight into my face. "Come up alive
for my sake |"
With these words ringing in my ears
jumped on the lift and was soon spin
ming downward into the vault of dark
ness and despair. The air was thick
with noisome vapors, and we could dis
tinguish nothing ut first; but after
awhile our lanterns revealed huge
masses of coal thrown out of place, i'm
prisoning men in living tombs, for with
out fresh air life could not be sustained.
On every side the mine had been
rent and torn, and instead of the wide
passages where the men worked all was
blocked up with debris, and large shafts
of wood used to stay up the mine lay
torn and twisted, proving the fury OF
the power that destroyed them.
We gazed at each other in mute
despair-then seizing any implement
that came to hand began to work with q
will. l never knew I could handle
pick before, but I certainly made good
progress, and succeeded in bursting open
lead, one of the most important in
the mine.
"Here |" shouted, as 1 found num-
Der of men piled together. "Come and
help me out with them. Some of them
at least are alive"
By the yellow light of the lantern I
recognized the party that had gone down
to the rescue. Lilies father first. He
was insensible but still breathed; his
arm was doubled under him and broken;
what other injuries he had sustained
could nottell.
He was placed in the lift and took
my place beside him; as many Of the
other men as the lift would accommo-
date were laid there and we were soon
on our way to light and life.
The first face 1 saw on gaining day
light was Lilies, in fact / saw it as I
gazed upward anxiously; it shone white
and pure above the dark abyss of woe
FROM which we assembled like star OF
hope.
When we came into the light and she
saw her father lying in my arms rs knelt
10 support hin, she proved her courage
by neither screaming nor fainting. She
assisted me to lift him out and place
MIN on litter that had been provided
1 examined him now and found that
In addition to the broken arm Mr.. Hard
wick had sustained other injuries, none
of them necessarily fatal, still placing
his life in great danger. attended to
his wounds and had him removed to his
house, which was fortunately near, Then
I returned to the mine. All that woful
day as the sun set that night there
vera sorrn1p and wao nnii1cr In nlrrinat