The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-11-10
PERILS OF COAL MINING.
BY AN ENGLISH CLERGYMAN.

or two neat ShaVeS, and don sup
pose there's a man on the colliery
but what could s,y the same"
The speaker was a hardy, toilsome
coalminer who had come to see me
on some parish business. And many
is the thrilling tale which. by con-
siderable pressure-for lie it known
that most of these men think lightly
and speak but little of their dangers
the country parson may extract
from his 'tellow-men in black"
among the coal-pits.
"Yes, sir; I've had one or two.
Once l was let down into the sump
in eight feet OF water
This man was "shaftman. The
SHAFT" as you know-or perhaps
you don knows the circular, per-
pendicular "welp' by which access
is gained to the horizontal beds OF
coal lying at various depths below
the surface. The depth of the shaft
In various mines ranges from tens to
hundreds of tathoms. The duty OF
the shaftmen is to keep this in re-
pair. 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 scaffold hung
to the side of the shaft; and a man
needs stout heart and a steady
nerve to work placidly suspended
over a chasm one hundred fathons
deep. The ordinary mode, however
of journeying up and down the shaft
is in the "cage"-an iron structure
open at two sides, steadied in its
course by two grooves, which fit
in two wooden "gides' extending
the whole depth, and fixed to the
sides of the shaft. l must also ex-
plain 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.
Into this lowest part of the shaft,
euphoniously termed the "sump,"
the water which oozes from the sides
of the shaft finds its way, and is con-
stantly being pumped out to prevent
the flooding of the pit.
How man could be let down into
the sump and escape alive seemed a
mystery to me. 'How on earth did
you get out?" asked. Il suppose
they drew the cage at once?"
Never" said the STATESMAN.
..'The engineman, by mistake or ac-
cident, ran her right down into the
sump, and she stuck, while the other
cage was right up at the pulleys.
lhe englne-power was lost, and he
couldn't get her up."
Then how did you escape?" l
asked, breathlessly.
why" he answered, with grim
smile, 81 had to get out the way they
catch sparrows at Gateshead."
"How't that"
"The best way l could. l man.
aged to get out of the cage. There
was only justroom enough to squeeze
up between the cage and the side OF
the sump, and l climbed up by the
timbers to the top of the water.
was near done when | got out, and
then | had % travel round about and
get out by a staple. 1t was two
hours before l got home. The en-
gine man was nearly off his head
They we're all sure | was killed, and
were seeking about how to get the
cage up again.
Wasn't it awful going down." l
said. Didn't you lose your head?"
81 can tell you it was. The cage
came down with run, and clashed
into the water like clap of thunder.
"Well," he went on, 81 knew
what was going to happen when l
felt her going. The water came in
on me, and | knew there was eight
feet above me; and thought, We'll,
its queer thing if I've come down
here to be drowned | had my
thick leather jacket on; and | swal-
lowed lot of water; but scrambled
out somehow. But it was near
thing, l can tell you.
co." 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 loops
hanging on the rope; and when the
engine drew us up again she ran
away and drew us right over the
pulley. At least | went over; and
the other man hung on the other
side, balancing. My hands were cut
with the wheel; but l held on until
they got us down. But it was a
roughish ride, was that. Well, good
night, sir.
l wondered how many lives this
man had, and how he could 60 away
so cheerfully to meet day by day the
perils of his toll.
| was talking the other day to a
man about emigration. "Tll tell
you," he said. when | was one
and-twenty l settled to leave the pits
and go to America. When the time
came, | said to mother, We'll,
mother. I'll make this the last day s
work here, and be off to America.
Mother, she was sore cut up, and
she saws. bill. I'd as soon see Won