Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1884-05-15

pOTJS anu COuCusslOuS Ol HuintEOuS CA
plosions around them and the shrieks of
the engines whistle in the distant tun-
mel; but as every day before had passed,
50 did this one, until the regular number
Of cars had been loaded and it began to
get dark outside of the mines. Then
packing away their tools in small box,
they hung their dinner and tea cans on
their shoulders by small cord, and
walked slowly down the chamber. When
they reached the gangway JOB stopped
'sAre you going through the tunnel2"
he asked.
eyes" answered Dennis. quietly, the
rim of his hat shading his eyes from his
lamp.
Job shook his head. "Youll go
through it once too often, I'm afraid, (" he
said; :" but mind, varied youl You'd
better take more time and 60 out Of the
slope with me"
"Oh, mop laughed DEM s. "My
sweetheart is waiting for me, and must
hurry"
''she,l wait in vain some day." said
the old man; and nodding his head until
his lamp nearly fell from his hat, he
turned down the gangway muttering to
himself.
Dennis watched him minute or two,
and was almost persuaded to follow him,
but shaking off the impression Jobs
words had made with a shrug of his
shoulders, he started up the gangway
that led to the tunnel, whistling a gay
tune to drown his thoughts. His heart
was light in thinking of his sweetheart,
and he walked quickly along, passing the
many deserted chambers that dismally
echoed his footsteps.
The coal glistened in the light of his
lamp that cast weird shadows Of himself
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.
In the Greenwood mines, as in many
of the large minesin that vicinity, arsmall
locomotive was used to draw the loaded
cars from the workings to the "footn Of
the shaft, distance Of nearly three
miles. 1t was an odd-looking machine,
with no sign of smoke-stack or sand
box, these parts of the engine being on a
Jewel with the top OF the boiler; but it
did the work of many mules, and drew a
long train of mine-cars over the under
ground railroad at fair rate Of speed. 1t
made great deal Of gas and sulphur
fumes, and the heat from the fire
crumbled and loosened the top rock; but
being necessity, it was used by the com
pany in spite of its disadvantages. 1t
was very closely and compactly butt
The passages it traversed were generally
Stunned by the miners, who dreaded the
bad roof over their heads.
The Greenwood locomotive was larger
than such engines usually are, having a
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 liftr as
it was called, being connected with the
shaft, and the bottom lift" with the run
mel, 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 formation. The
miners always Stunned it, fearing to be
caught BY the engine or cars; and as it
was barely high and 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 of Jobs warnings and contrary to
the orders of the company, as it was a
short cut from the chamber where he
worked to the foot Of the shaft
On entering the tunnel he had blown
out his light Whistling softly 70 him
self, be walked as fast as he could ths ough
the dark to get where the air was purer.
The gases were esuffocating and the black
ness of the place blinded him, but h .
cared not for these triaes so long as he
could see his sweetheart an hour sooner
than if he had gone around the longer
ana safer way. There were no turns for
him to make; the tunnel was straight
and he had become so accustomed to feel
ing his way over the ties and pieces of
coal that had fallen from the cars that hs
seldom stumbled.
To one unaccustomed to the mines the
intense darkness would have been appall-
ing. Dennis, however, had been used to
it since he was small boy, and his
heavy, hob-nailed boots kept unrhythmi-
cal time to the tune he was whistling
He was not good whistler, nor was the
tune an attractive one, but so absorbed
was he in thinking Of her from whose lips
he had first heard it, that he did not hear
faint roar and rumble behind him.
Nearer and palmer it sounded, rising and
falling on the heavy atmosphere, but the
dull thud Of his boots drowned the hum
of the train as it entered the gang
way at full speed, nearly a mile below
him
Unconscious OF his danger he plodded
along, not knowing that the engine was
running 50 late in the day. He had over
half mile TO 60 yet before the main
gangway could be reached. and as the