Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-02-08
PERILS on A. COAL MINE
D iNGERs Z C UTTERED BY MINERS
IN THE COLLIERIES.
Some Marvellous Escapes from I'M
stantnneOus DeaLh-SaVed only by
DisplnY OF Great Nerve.

Display OF Great Nerve.
Escapes! Yes, sir; I've had one or
two near shaves; and | don't suppose
there's man on the colliery but what
could say the same"
The speaker was q hardy, toil-worn
coal-miner, who had come to see me on
some parish business. And many is the
thrilling tale which, byconsiderable pres
sure-for be it known that most of these
men think lightly and speak but little of
their dangers-the country parson may
extract from his''fellow men in black"
among the coal-pits.
Yes sir; Eve had one or two. Once
was let down into the sump in eight
feet of water"
This man was STATESMAN. The "shaft,n
as you know-or perhaps you don't know
is the circular perpendicular "well" by
which access is gained to the horizontal
beds of coal lying at various depths before
the surface. The depth of the shaft
in various mines ranges from tens to
hundreds Of fathoms. The duty of the
shaftmen is to keep this in repair. Often
their work must be done sitting with one
leg through loop attached to the steel
wire rope by which they are drawn up
and down, or standing on simple scat
fold hung to the side of the shaft; and a
man needs a stout heart and steady nerve
to work placidly, suspended over chasm
hundred fathoms deep. The ordinary
mode, however, of journoying up and
down the shaft is in the "cage," an iron
structure open to two sides, steadied in
its course by two grooves, which fit in
two wooden guides" extending the
whole depth, and fixed to the sides of
the shaft must also explain that the
''sump" is the very bottom of the shaft.
The shaft is sunk a few fathoms lower
than the lowest seam of coal that is being
worked. In the lowest part of the shaft,
euphoniously termed the "sump," the
water which oozes from the sides of the
shaft finds its way, is constantly being
pumped out, to prevent the flooding of
the pit.
How could man be let down into the
sump and escape alive, seemed mystery
to me. GLOW on earth did you get out8"
I asked. 81 suppose they drew the cage
up at once2"
"Never," said the shaftman. "The
engineman by mistake or accident, ran
her right down into the sump, and there
she stuck, while the other cage was right
up at the pulleys. The engine power
was lost, and he couldn't get her up"
"Then how did you escape2" asked,
breathlessly.
"Why," he answered, with a grim
smile, II had to get out the way they
catch sparrows at Gateshead."
CLOVIS that2"
"The best way could. l managed to
get out of the cage. There was only
just room to squeeze up between the
cage and the side of the sump, and !
climbed up by the timbers to the top of
the water. l was near done when l got
out, and then l had to travel round about
and get out by a staple. 1t was two
hours before got home. The engine
man was nearly off his head. They were
all sure was killed, and were seeking
about how to get the cage up again"
"Wasn't it awful going downS' said.
"Didn't you lose your head2"
II can tell you it was. The cage came
down with a run, and clashed into the
water like clap of thunder"
"What did you thinkS" I asked. 81
wonder you kept your senses"
"Well," he said, 81 knew what was
going to happen when felt her going.
The water came in on me, and l knew
there was eight feet above me; and
thought: well, it's queer thing if I've
come here to be drowned l had my
thick leather jacket on; and I swallowed
lot of water; but l scrambled out some
how. BUTT was near thing, can tel
you.
"Oh," he continued, "there are queer
things happen. Once, another man and
l were drawn up over the pulley. That's
not the big pulleys, you know, sir; but
the little wheel with the small rope, {
few feet above the shaft, which we use
for shaft work. This other man and
had been at work, sitting in the hoops
hanging on the rope; and when the en-
gine drew us up again, she ran away,
and drew us right over the pulley. Al
least l went over; and the other mar
hung on the other side balancing. M!
hands were cut with the Wheel but
held on till they got us down. But i
was roughish ride, was that. Well
good night, sir"
wondered how many lives this maj
had, and how he could go away so cheer
fully to meet day by day the perils of hi
toll.
The following may show that gratitud'
to higher power is oftener felt than ex
pressed to the outer world. Pardon a lit
tie preliminary detail. Square tubs, OIL
four wheels, running on tram lines along
the workings of the pit, are used for draw
ing the Goals to the shaft. On some oc
casions, as when going to distant par
of the workings, one or two tubs will b.
drawn by pony, each tub carrying per
haps four men. When the seams are low
there will be space of only few inche
between the edge of the tub and tn
"balks" of timber placed crosswise to sup
port the roof of the coal seam; thus tn
men must keep their heads down to tn
level of the edge of the tub.
son one occasion, said my informant
"three of us were crouched down in a tub
The pony was going at walk up sligh
rise. l can't tell you how it happened
but I must have raised my head un
consciously above the level of the tub
l felt my forehead touch crossbear
in the roof, and before had time t
reflect, | knew that l was in deadly peri
The forward movement of the tu
iammed my head between the beam an
the edge of the tub. l gave myself
wrench, trying to get free; but | couldn't
All this of course passed in fraction {
second, and gave myself up as dead
Now comes the most wonderful par
At the very time my head touched th
roof, in the very crisis of my agony {
mind, when the whole situation flashe
| ON mo +ha ,,onv stonned No one ha