The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-05-24
Anaera0n 9ntelli9emer.
BAT CITY, TEXAS.
4 Wonderful Gaze In Texas.

Mexico. JOnn COOtnDS ana had Ucen
in the same class and were at one time
roomnlates but it had been five or six
years now since | had seen or heard
much from him. He was located in
Texas he told me.
'I'm working mine" said he.
"a mine-in Texas? Gold or sill
ver?"
"Neithcr"
What, copper
"No."
ooh, coal then"
"Wrong again; and it is not iron, nor
tin, nor quicksilver"
"Well, WE'LL some metaphorical sort
of mine, | suppose. Some bonanza in
stock. some sheep ranch, some ostrich
farm" suggested.
"No, no; bona file mine. Fac, I'm
getting out good five tons of ore day.
And it goes fifty dollars to the ton. too"
began to wax curious, having light
attack of the mining fever that month
myself.
One cannot travel in Colorado aud
New Mexico without catching it. II is
in the air-this mining malaria. But
my friend Immediately shut his mouth.
'Not lisp about it, unless you'll come
over and see me-" he said, and could
get nothing further from him concerning
it, though we spent very pleasant even.
ing together.
This anomalous mine haunted My Gil
riosity for week, till determined to
look in on my old chum at his rev
place, and see what it WAS he held there
all To himself. So first sending him e
telegram, set off for Texas.
At F., the station indicated by my
friend, found him waiting with wag.
on and two mules and ride of ten or
eleven miles up in to the Nano estacado
brought us to his place.
1t was getting dark when we arrived,
but discerned the dim outline of der.
rick and windiass over what presumed
to be the shaft Of the mine; and there
was long shed filled with barrels near
the new board house in which we were
soon comfortably installed for the even
ing.
AS my friend did not broach the sub.
ject of his mine, concluded that he
wished to reserve it all for the next day
and after long chat with him about old
times in the East, turned into q warm
bunk in the corner to sleep soundly.
Very early next morning, as early IA
four o'clock, for it was still dark, sin.
gular noise aroused me, Mt first thought
it was a heavy wind, and that north
er" had swept down; but I missed the
bitter chill in the mir. The noise, too,
was rather regular for wind; more like
some huge Touring mill, or n 'smelter"
at full blast. John was up and moving
about.
"What is that roaring7 Is the chin
ney afre? demanded.
"1t's my mine sucking m," said he.
1T commences to suck in at about three
o'clock every morning, and makes Just
such noise as that till after light. Aud
at night it begins to bto,o off at some.
where's from six to seven, and goes till
nine or ten.'.
"You must have droll engine" said.
'Oh, 1t is not the engine at ALL" said
he. cts the mine"
Look here, old fellow - exclaimed.
"What are you giving me? What
kind of mine have you got here any.
way?"
"Come out and see it suck in," he re-
piled. cts really quite sight"
hastily rose and followed him nut.
just the faintest tinge of dawn had be.
gun to show in the far east, and seq.
ment of old moon hung very low over
the post oaks out back of the windlass
and shed but it was still dark. The
tho"Cut VIC SlCppCu ouLSlut Luc uOOE Tue
roaring noise was increased tenfold and
all out to the left of the shaft was what
loused 10 be 6 daaae cloud os the bl.Skest
of smoke, rising like an immense inyer:.
ed cone of ebony clean to the zenith
With sense of wonder such "a ! had
not experienced for years, followed my
friend out past the derrick for hundred
yards or more, 1t may be-the tremenu.
Gus ~h::riag noise getting louder each
moment-till we came to the brink of
deep cannon, or chasm, in the limestone
strata, four or FIVE hundred feet wide
perhaps, and Of unknown depth.
Down into this chasm the vast, black
whiEsiIs cloud was sdesGsidiiuy-iioi ris.
ing-with maelstrom like velocity and
force which was absolutely terrific. The
same fateful senae of blind, overmaster.
Ing force stole on me as when, years ago,
first stood at the foot of Niagara; only
now there was the feeling Of mystery
combined with it,
What is this thing2" shouted.
Bats I" answered Coombs. "There's a
bat cave all down under here-acrea and
acres of it. I've sunk q shaft into it
back there. and am getting out the earth
there, which is powerfully charged with
ammonia, aud as fertilizer commands q
good price. That's my mine. There's
no end of 1t in the cave. In places it
lies twenty feet thick. All I have to do
to it Is to haul 1t up, shit It and pack it
in sacks or barrels for shipping. It'a
better than d silver mine; no crushing
Of ores, no smelling, no expensive ma.
chinery.
Meantime the plunging torrent of bats
dived downward TO- the mouth of the,
cave without the least intermission, or
sign of cessation. As it grew little
lighter I could begin to see them better.
The column seemed to come down from
the very zenith. It was like looking
upward into thick snowstorm. To the
uproarious whiz of their myriad wings
was added a strange squeaking sound,
which had wonderfully mournfui
cadence.
The velocity With which each indiyid.
ual bat seemed to fall from high in the
sky into the pit beneath us, was the
most astonishing thing of all. How they
ever made the turn at the bottom of the
chasm aud entered the mouth of the
cave was, snd is still to me mystery.
Their descent was like the whizzinp
flight of rifle ball., Hundreds. thou.
sands, shot down each second aud were
sucked an; as it seemed, at the cavern
mouth below; and yet from four O'Clock
to eix there was no noticeable thinning
: OF the black pillar.
numbers suddenly fell of. Struggling
clouds of them, however, continued to
come for half IN hour louger, and to whir