The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1884-07-26

the old man; and nodding his head
until his lamp nearly fell from his hat,
he turned down the gangway mutter-
ingto himself.
Dennis wathched him minute or
two, and was almost persuaded fol- |
lowhim, but shaking of, the impress
sion Jobs words had made with u
shrbgl Of his shoulders, the started up
the gangway that led to the tunnel,
whistlihg gay tune to drown his
thoughts, His heart was light in
thinking Of his sweetheart, and he
walked quietly along, passing the
many deserted chambers that dismal
echoed hisfootsteps,
The coal glistened in the light of his
lamp that cast weird shadows Of HIM
self ON the pillars and props, and in
thinking of the face and form that
were beautiful to him, he forgot the
warning words Of job, and plunged
boldly up the incline leading to the
vein of coal above. 1850
In the Greenwood mines, as in many
of the large mines in that vicinity, a
small locomotiye was used to draw
the loaded cars from the workings to
I'the' "footp of the shaft, ~ distance of.
nearly three miles. it was an odd
looking machine, with no sign of
smoke-stack or sand-box, these parts
of the engine being on a level with the
top of the boiler but it did the work
Of many mules, and drew a long train
of mine-cars over the underground
railroad at fair rate of speed. 1t
made great deal of OF gas and sui
Ipher fumes, and the heat from the fire
crumbled and loosened the top rock !;
but being a necessity, it was used by
| the company in spite of its disadvant-
ages. 1t was very closely and COM
pactly built. The passages it traversed
were generally summed by the miners,
who dreaded the bad roof over their
heads
The Greenwood locomotive was
larger than such engines usually are,
having long tunnel to go through
and up, WHICH led from one vein of
coal to another. The two veins were
separated vertically, by twenty-five
feet of rock, the "top lift as it was
called, being connected with the shaft,
and the "bottom lift with the tunnel,
which, with its connecting passages,
was over mile long.
The tunnel had been cut through
rock and coal and was necessary
| owing to the peculiar clay" of the for
| nation. The miners always Stunned
r it, fearing to be caught by the engine
| or cars and as it was barely high and
t wide enough for the locomotive to pass
| through, there was no room on either
= side to get out of the way Dennis
however, used it frequently, in spite %
Jobs warnings and contrary to the
+ orders OF the company, as it was /
) short cut from the chamber where ht
i worked to the foot of the shaft.
I On entering the tunnelhe had blow
out his light. Whistling softly t.
b himself, he walked as fast as he coulC
. through the dark to get where the ai
,. WAS purer. The gases wereasuffiooa
}, ting and the blackness of the place
| blinded him, but he cared not for thas,
triaes( SO ! lphg as he could see Hi
| sweetheart an hour sooner than if b,
4 had gone around the longer and safe
!. way. There were no turns for him /,
G make the tunnel ,Yas Straight, land b
= had become so accustomed to feeliny
Y his way oyerthe ties andpieces5o OF GOA
| that had fallen. from the cars that b
II seldom stumbled t+Nt 1Aa#@ w
To one unaecnstomed to the mine
Il the intense darkness would have beef
s appalling. Dennis. however, had beel
used to it since he was small boy
+ and his heavy, hob-nailed boots KEEP
u unrythmical time to the tune he wa
II whistling. He was notsa good whist
D. Ter, nor was the tune an attractig
( one, but so absorbed was he in think
e ngoflier from wlieselips heshad fits
a heard it, that lie did not hear a faih
Iroar andstumble behind him. NeaIe
il and palmer it sounded, rising and fail
y ing on the atmosphere, but the du
re thud of his boots drowned the hum 9
A. the train as it entered the gangwa
70 at full speed, nearly a mile belov
Al him.
II Unconscious OF his danger he plot
d ded along, not knowing that the el
&c ginc was running so late in the da,
< He had over half a mile to go befm
n, the main gangway could be reacheC
lie and as the fans outside had stoppe
~ running, the air in the tunnel WI
growing more foul every minute. !
" was difficult for him to breathe, an
ly it was so warm that the perspi
ry alton ran down his face in sma
ne streams.
IS He was walking as fast as he coul