Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-09-01

of their family. The Great Ash and the
Great Oak shafts we're now each in operation
and the workings underground had been ma
terially extended. Another cousin filed Evan
Hughes's place. and there was still sharp
rivalry between the eight Grifiths and the
eight Hugheses.
In order to make plain what is to follow, o
short explanation of tho mine is necessary
The two shafts occupied each an end of the
long side of parallelogram-th Great Ash,
or 'downcast shaft" at the south, and the
Great Oak, or 'upcast shaft" at the north.
From each shaft drift two hundred feet long
ran due east, and the parallelogram was com
pleted by running another drift north and
south, joining the ends Of these two easterly
drifts. They had thus cut clear round rect
angular mass of coal two thousand feet long
by two hundred feet broad, which they would
work away by sections and pillars until il was
exhausted. The air that descended the Great
Ash shaft, had it been permitted, would have
rushed along the straight shaft and right up
the Great Oak shaft, without ventilating the
three other sides of the parallelogram where
the men were working but massive doors
were placed close TO the foot of each shaft in
the straight gallery between them, to divert
the air through the workings. There was a
large escape of gas from the coal-face, and
the pure air that descended the Great Ash
shaft consequently assembled the Great Oak
very much charged with carburetted hydro
gen. The mine was worked on two shifts.
On alternate weeks the Grifiths party went
down the Great Oak shaft at 4 A. NJ. and work
ed until q NJ, and the Hughes party descend
ed the Great Ash at p. NJ. and worked until
midnight. Each party had its own door
keeper, whose sole duty it was to see that the
door was kept shut at all times, or closed in
stantly after any person connected with the
mine had passed through it. Although there
was a considerable escape of gas, the air cur
rent was so direct and strong that the men
worked with open oil lamps; and, albeit there
had been pretty strong blowers as sudden
spurts of local gas are termed, no danger was
apprehended by either of the gangs who own
ed and worked the mines.
1t was now three years since Evan Hughes
met his sad fate and on fine May morning
there were great rejoicings in the village.
Bunting waved from every available flag staff,
and the cutters in front Of the four ale-houses
literally ran beer. The Grifiiths were in high
feather, for Sam and Anne Shepherd had been
married in the morning. Long before noon
the brides proud sire was purple in the face
from pledging the young couple and urging
others to do likewise. Gaily dressed groups
Of youths and maidens danced around the
May pole on the village green, and everybody
was in O supreme state OF enjoyment-all ex-
cept Mrs. Hughes, poor Evans mother, and
Hannah, his twin sister. The merry making
palled on their hearts. 1t recalled the lost
one-the flower of the flock, who had SO mis-
erably perished, and who to-day might have
been Anne Shepherds husband. So they re-
tired early in the evening, and by closing
doors and windows tried to exclude the
l. -, l., f.,
tivities were being prolonged far into the
night, the mother and daughter retired to
rest. Sleep fell upon their sad eyes, and each
woman dreamed a dream-a dream so marvel
ously uniform in detail that it was as if the
two had sat and watched the same tableau.
They saw the three men sinking the Great
Oak shaft; they saw Evan charge and prime
his shot, and then attach the end of the ''fr-
ing cord" they heard him give the signal to
be hauled up they saw old Bill Conway be-
gin to turn the windlass they saw Sam Grit
fiths steal out Of the hut with the red-hot
ring and slip it down the rope they saw the
old man let go the windlass in horror, and
they saw the powerful young murderer hurl
the old man down the shaft in the face of the
shower of stones thrown up by the explosion.
Mother and daughter awoke in the solemn
midnight and discussed their dream with
trembling and with awe; and they clung 10
each other, and comforted each other, and
tried not to believe it, just then John Hughes
the husband and father of the two women,
entered and after some banter-he was in
liquor-the women again slept
at was a most extraordinary circum-
stance" Coroner Williams used to say, "but
both those women dreamed the self-same
dream over again"
In the morning Mrs Hughes met Dick Con-
A. l. A. i.
toned him about what he saw on the day he
lost his father. He indicated by dumb show
that some one was thrown down the shaft,
and that some one else was struck on the face
meaning himself.
Mrs. Hughes shortly after died. The doc
tors attending her did not agree respecting
her mAlady; but Dr. Jones. of Mold, was GER
tain that her mind was gone, and that she was
the victim of hallucinations. Hannah, the
twin daughter, now devoted herself exclusive
ly to her father. She would frequently de-
scend the Great Oak shaft while he was at
work, and carry ale, hot coffee, tea, etc, TO
him and consequently she achieved a kind
of envied notoriety on the mountain for her
bravery in descending the coal mine. She
had several admirers, but her kind words and
bright looks seemed reserved for her father.
On his part he repaid her with an afectiOnate
admiration that approached idolatry, and it
was his boast that when his head was laid low
Hannah would be lady.
On a dark December night few weeks af.
ter her mothers death, Hannah Hughes and
the idiot lad Conway stole quietly away from
Buckley village and proceeded toward the
Great Oak shaft. Her father and his com
panions would have stopped work at twelve
O'Clock, and the two nocturnal pedestrians
avoided the road by which the miners would
n,,lT IL a..
ed the pit-heap. all was still as the grave; the
horse had been loosed from the ''gin" wind
lass aud lay sleeping in his straw, and not 6
star cheered the gloomy vault of heaven
Hannah soon procured a light the stable
| door was opened the horse was harnesseC
and hitched into the shafts for raising the
coal the young woman seated herself IN the
"corve" or basket, and told Dick to Glover
| away" Into the black, yawning pit she de
scended fearlessly, aud on reaching the bot
tom stepped briskly out of the corve, pro
ceeded to the air-door at the bottom of the
shaft, and securely proPped 1t open. Ther
she walked along the two thousand feet to the
! Great Ash shaft, and also securely proppet
| open the air door there. The air-current now
shot direct along the shortest route betweer
the two shafts and by its violence blew ou
her light but she returned undismayed by
| the darkness or the inequalities of the rugged
/
tramway, until she reached her place of de
scent. Then she called to Dick, who started
the horse, and she was drawn up. The hors,
was now returned to his stable, and the CIR
and crazy lad made quick progress home
ward.
Before daybreak every man and woman
on Buckley mountain was plunged into par
oxysm of grief and wailing. The Great Oal
and Ash colliery had exploded, and, with tn
exception of the door-keeper, every man o
the Grifiths gang, who had gone TO work a
"A. NJ, was torn and soorched into shred
ard patches and sooria Of humanity. As ia
as the coroner could gather from the ante
al0rtea statement of the door-keeper, he hat
gone down the pit as usual, and had been hor
rifed to find the door open and the air blow
ing directly along the Great Ash gallery in
stead of coming along the eastern workings
Thereupon he slammed the door aud ran Il
| - 90. ,,o.e;t,Ia 10 ologa tho nna at fha oihe