Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-11-05

/ 80 1 took careful measurements of the
spot, and found it to be just under an
iron foundry, where steam hammer
was at work 400 yards overhead. But
the golfers stick to their own theory
! still.
A little further on we were told to
climb on all fours up a steep, low and
narrow cutting, technically called a
''gug," up and down which small
boy was dragging. apparently with the
greatest ease, a wicker basket, fasten.
ed by a chain to a rope around his
waist. AT the top he filled it with the
| coal that miner was hewing; at the
bottom he empted it into tram such
as we have described.
This was the work which the last
woman who worked underground had
to do. Her son is employed here now.
just think what a change has taken
place in !, .he past thirty or forty years!
AT the rfesent time there is not, so
far as | know, a single woman in col
liery work, either under the ground or
at the surface. in the West OF England,
though in other parts of the country
female labor is still used at the pit
top" Such was the managers CON-
ment.
Again We march on in Indian file.
stopping here and there to watch some
swarthy giant-the dim light makes
them look immeuse-drive in his pick
with dull thud and bring down av-
alanches of "black diamonds,'' or to
notice how, with sledgc-hammer and
drill holes in the rock are bored to re-
celye the charge of powder; or hurry
past, half ehoked by the puneent
smoke, where the spot has just been
fired, and the pleased workmen are
shoyeling up the copious results of
their skillful labor.
We have already noted some of the
fossils OF the. vegetable life of longs
past ages. Here we catch sight OF
living, apparently thriving, spiders,
though they are coiorless and dia-
phanous. presumably from lack of
light, and perhaps also through in
suihcient nutrlment-for what can
they find to eatP Not so the fungi,
which hang like huge puff balls, from
long threads rooted in the roof. But
they, too. are pale and almost sub
Shameless, SO that if you hold a can
die, or even clap your hand against
them, they crumble to powder. Look
ing at this strange growth, we think
OF that imprisoned miner, who. when
he was rescued, after many DAYS of
starvation, well nigh dead, was found
to be covered all over-face and hands
and all--with a kindred plant. Oh.
the horror of the quietness and still
ness IN which fungus could thus root
Itself, and flourish on living man!
Now for an adventure, if you are
venturesome," our guide cries as we
reach the top of long, steep incline
worked by horse and an endlessrope.
did you ever try tohogganing on
snowp This is a good substitute
these bits OF plank l have had made
with groove to run on one of the
rails. Sit on it so, and off we goii'
Ion we go" exactly described what
happened; for we kept umbling over,
either on the rope on one side, or else
against the rough, rocky wall of this
narrow passage. If the charm of to-
bogganing consist of judicious mix
ture OF speed and danger, this method
of going down colliery incline doubt
less resembles it closely. But for all
that, | should prefer to walk another
time.
Arrived at the bottom, bruised and
shaken, we find ourselves in a sort of
dome of coal. Its height is perhaps
fourteen or fifteen feet, and in our in
experience, we at once exclaim: ''Ah,
this is more like the real thingr'
MOI the manager answers; "you
are mistaken. This is only fault
and will soon narrow down again to
its normal thickness of five or six feet.
You fancy it is easier to hew the coal
here; quite otherwise. There are mar
row bands of 'shale' everywhere and
there in these walls of coal, and it re-
quires considerable skill and care to
keep this out of the Trans While, if
the newer fails to send up his coal
reasonably clean. it is condemned, and
he gets no pay for it. Then there is
great danger from falling stones when
the roof is too high. For example,
not long ago we had an accident here,
not without comic side to it. One of
the golfers was endowed with an inn
mense large nose. While he was at
work sharp stone fell in front of him.
1t fortunately missed his head, and
would have dropped clear of an ordi-
nary mortal; but the nose came in the
way, and from it good thick slice
was cut Off The man suffered much
pain, and was laid off for long time;
but on his return to work was compli-
mented on the vast improvement of his
appearance, and his nickname, The
Beak, fell into disuse."
But for all that, we agreed to choose
this open. well-ventilated and roomy
place to work in, if we were GOLFERS,
especially after we had been exposed
to the faint and close odor which an
other vein hard by gives out.
When we complained of nausea and
begged to be taken away, we were
told that strangers had been known to
vomit after standing by the face of this
seam of coal for few minutes.
1.-The smell serves one useful pur-
pose, in indicating at once what strata
we are working; for, as far as / know,
our guide informed us, ''this is the only
sinking vein in the district. 1t is quite
safe; there is no choke damp or other
noxious gas. | can't explain how it is
so; it is only one of the many puzzles
that confront the mining engineer.
Another is where the water comes from
we constantly have to contend with.
Look at that hole, about big enough
for hen to go through. You'll hardly
believe me wnen l tell you that five
weeks ago there was road five feet
high running down there. On Sunday
evening the deputy baililf was going
his rounds, to see that all was right
for the night men-who repair the
roofs and keep the roads good-to
come down when he found this five
foot way contracted to height of only
two feet. He crawled through to see
what had happened, and fortunately
got back safely before flood of water
burst through the spongy, fire-clay
floor. which it had crushed up in such
remarkable manner. All the work
ings below this point were Hooded and
are not yet in fit condition for coal
getting. How much worse it must be
in fiery mines, where gas rushes out in
the same sudden manner, dealing death
to scores of hapless golfers. We have
no such awful perils in this pit, thank
God! Yet our men have ample hard
ships and dangers to face. Now that
you have seen them at work, don't
omit, when occasion serves, to say
good word for those who do so much
for England's prosperity-our coll
iers."
With which parting words our oblig-
ing cicerone put us under the care of a
subordinate, who led us back safely by