The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-05-03
LOST In A NINE.


cent mining disaster at San Leandro.
that brought the conversation around
10 mining accidents generally, aud IL
nally one OF the party recalled the
Comstock horror OF two years ago,
when cave ia the Gould * Curry
buried nine men alive.
II had pretty ugly experience in
the mines myself eight years ago,
said one Of the party. an ex-Nevadan.
II was boy of fourteen or fifteen
then, with about as little sense OF pru-
dence As most boys OF that age, and
had chum about as old who was as
careless AS myself.
I'VE lived toward the north end OF
Virginia City, aud had big back
ward Ia which we always planned our
expeditions One day in poking
around that yard, we found near an
old she'd big iron ring. This was
fastened 10 n heavy plank cover that
hid the mouth of an old shaft. This
cover was hid BY couple Of inches OF
dirt.
When the first big excitement
struck the Comstock everybody went
To digging, aud now the whole side OF
Mount Davidson is as full of abandoned
shafts AS a Swiss cheese is of holes.
Within the town limits NIL the aban-
boned shafts are filled up or covered
30 as TO keep belated pedestrians out OF
them. The mine we discovered In the
corner OF the yard had been too extern
siyely worked TO allow Of its being filled
up, aud therefore had been covered AS
described
I'VE didn't lose much time in prying
UP that cover and beginning the ex-
pIoration of what We found. The
shaft was evidently an upraise from
some drift Of the lower mines for it
went down at an angle of about forty
i've. As soon as We had desc ended
fifty feet we saw the working had been
very extensive indeed for drifts aud
wines went of from the main shaft in
every direction. We went into sew
eral of these, but always found our
selves stopped by cave, for the work
ings were very old. Some shoyels and
picks that we discovered were almost
gone with rust, aud the timbers where
they stood were bent and crushed and
rotten. BY guarded Inquiries We found
that IL was ia the ground OF the ophir
Mining company. and driiA had prob
ably been extended TO this pliee ia an
attempt To strike ledge ia the
west. We knew that the old WORRYING
must connect with IL somewhere, Nor
the air was good aud there was "A steady
up draught.
FINALLY the idea took possession of
us TO 90 from our mine into some Of
the working ones. aud come up that
way.
The Andes shaft Was only a few
hundred yards from our 'mine. and We
knew they must befsconnected. We
we sspnent were sa ines iT pr pre- .
grain 80 81 Getting lost. The
rectIons :. Iovhs owed ius the di-
e.uons as surely rs a ,or,.s.~. "a ws
,,s, 49, nol All pprehensivsj.l(e tho,, cl,
.nA' we might be down Ses.~.i' ho,srs
n'wever and so took alonx s...,,..,l,ar
~ ostra candles and some l,,uch' T,.',s
IA we began To chamber <low. ~,
a smart A hundred feet k~lr~,.l.~
iace we found some Min -..x
Pen' an hour or SO Ia Them l,..>' ~
800 eilher blocked with cayes,.f 800
.Ppeu ia the solid porphyry. - -'-'
ALL Ta 70 70 on clambering down the' ~
ktiuts - t@T
neu was ahead. and | saw ~.
ssoP ana then he shouted bact 80 =.
This Is the bottom, III
,,..e stood clear OF the WALL -,
$3.50 up MS candle to examine ,ha
ms " the bottom. he repeatad
ere. gre you sureP 1 called back
r.sh saw ms candle disappear amid /.
rash He called TO me tbat I, a'u
.sa'I. aau 70 come down. and / can
- ,onowed. though / could NO,
4, ~ nsnt anywhere. Soon / found
- putt platform across the sh.s,
~ yIoay 70 prevent things from roll,
y down, and my companlon's ,. III
~ broken through the miami ~
- zen placed In position so long be' i
~ re had only slid a few y.rJs 4
sne luciine. and. barring = fsw !,
ratcheS was unhurt. A va lew y
y a below the old platform we .,r -s.,1 "
!. -vV-ioot level OF the nina .nS y,
~, on 70 explore the tnnnsIs =
!. .ouo~ihg crooked old ANIMAL
zane 10 point where Il fort 80 o.
&c entered the left-hs1d tonna IA
te4oo khAk IL extaod.1 " :.