San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1881-12-01

Tho crank Of water-wheel. This crank
was : master-piece. 1t had an~arm or
leverage Of two feet, and was forged
from the iron axle OF our wagons, and
its dungeons or bearings were turned
in n lathe of our own contriving. This
was heavy job for our own resources
I'm. il was finished after an age ut
seemed to us) of toll, puzzling anu
Iperspiration, and we had produced ma
chipery that was capable of raising to
height of nearly thirty feet many tons
Of water per day, and which answered
III our requirements for drainage so
lot we were able to reach that long
sought "bed rock" at depth OF ninety
feet below the present bed OF the creek
T will mention here that our pump was
twelve inches square inside, and had a
stroke of four feet, raising the water
twcuty-nine feet into our drain, whence
il flowed out to the surface 1000 yards
Town the canon. aH'. =,
We had reached bedrock" but had
not "struck it very RICH" and were
ri, ming drift or tunnel, on bedrock
across and up the gulch in search OF
the "ray. streak" which we were hop
ing every day to find, when the an
nolncement of q startling accident was
made. Here was the ruin of our hopes
and the death of our friend; for there
was little room to hope for any other
result. .g- b..
1t must not be supposed that much
time was wasted in such reflections; for,
telling Bill to rouse the entire camp, L
rashed off to the mine. Such OF the
men as had heard of the occurrence
hurried from their work, bringing with
them their picks and shovels likely to
be needed, and the miners from wet
diggings came clad in coats, high boots,
and helmet-shaped caps of India-rub-
Der, and looking like knights in armor.
KNIGHTS they were, too, for that matter,
for. though armed with shovels and
picks, they were as daring and as gen.
erous as ever belted prince who rode
with lance at rest to right imaginary
wrongs; and they We're ready now to
risk every danger to save the poor fel-
low buried in the mine beneath.
On reaching the scene I found our
machinery apparently uninjured, but,
looking more closely, discovered that
the pump was raising not drop OF wa
ter and it would not be long before the
entire mine would be flooded. The
pump must be relieved at once or we
could not hope to save the mine, much
less TO rescue our friend. Calling Bot
Piper, a tall, black bearded miner, who
had worked at his trade in every mining
country from the English channel to
the Pacific ocean, and who, in skill
courage, and experience, was the mining
oracle of our camp, l pointed him te
the pump, which was wearing itself ou
in vain, for it lifted no water.
Bob" said I, eve must fix tina
pump! 1t is our only hope to save
little Jimmy"
"We'n fix it," replied Bob, quietly
"The pump is starved-choked up a
the bottom. Well fix it; and as for thu
poor lad, we'll get him out"
Bob was west of England man, ant
his dialect stuck to him.
SWELL git un out, Benny; I think h
, bean't dead. I've helped to dig men GU
in the old country and this too, an
God will help us we'll git un out now
won't us, Benny"
Benny thus appealed to, answered
with an emphatic "You bet, and tn
next moment he and Bob, followed b.
two others, were clambering down tn
steep and slippery flight of ladders tina
led into the mine, until their candles
glimmering like stars, were one by on
: swallowed up in the black shaft. Axe
had been sent down in the bucket, an
in q few moments were heard blow
ringing on the mass of wood and iro
4, that composed the barrel of the pump
, They were cutting holes to let the wa
, ter into the pump below. 1t had a
, ready risen above their waists, and tn
9 mouth of the lowest drift was nearl
a submerged.
, The machinery was cracking an
j.