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

standstill against the wall OF rock Ben
put his candle close TO the wall TO OBJ
serve the grain Of the porphyry. He
made an exclamation Of surprise. BY
the grain Of the rock we had been
travelling almost north. when we
thought we were making progress
10 the south. When OF how we had
got turned around we could not tell.
but there was no possibility OF doubt
about IL.
1--WE lost no time in retracing our
steps, but 10 our surprise. whcn We
came TO the crooked tunnel again we
saw the mouths of three drifts instead
of two. We took the tunnel that led to
the right aud were gratiied To find
that IL turned to the south after few
wards. Ii ended In an Incline some
thing like the one by which We had
entered the mine. Down this went
Ben, while waited above, SO as to be
able 10 direct him back with my voice.
Soon heard him calling TO me, and
followed.
..I.ook here said Ben. putting his
candle close TO clammy timber.
II looked and saw a chalk mark.
We've gone round in circle some
how. " said Ben. There is the Wheel
harrow YOU fell over We had better
follow our marks back and try il again
some other time
II was willing. and we walked back,
occasionally stopping 10 see the marks
on the timbers.
81 didn't notice those things before,
did you?n said my companion, as we
passed half dozen rusty picks that
must have been lying there decade,
al least.
III hadn't noticed them, either. and
soon we bumped our heads against an
old lantern hanging from the top oil
the drift. We hadn't met this before.
Then we saw more unfamiliar things,
aud we noticed that there was water
beside the old car track, while the
drifts by which we had come were all
dry as bone.
I'VE look al one another and eyi.
IDENTITY the same thought passed through
both our minds, but we kept on, aud
soon our fears were realized. The
tunnel ended in what had been years
before. cooling station, place where
the miners ute their lunch and rested
aud cooled of when they were in the
neighboring drift. We had followed
some one else's chalk marks. and we
had now no idea of,ouf whereabouts.
I'VE can't get out the way we came.
said Ben. and no work is being done
in the upper levels, so what we've 90
to DO is TO get down as far as we can
aud we're bound 10 run across some
miners then we began trying 10 lind
ourselves We took the nearest tunnel
and followed it until we came to shaft
with ladders in il. These ladders were
crumbling and had evidently not been
used for years, but we were not heavy
and they did not break. Down we
climbed To another level. This We fol-
lowed rs before.
whenever we came 10 a new shaft
we threw fragment Of rock down To
ascertain how deep IL was. Then we
would climb down as far as we could
We had Just reached one level when
rushing sound broke the stiffness. The
noise startled us for an instant, but
hurrying ahead we saw hundreds Of
rats coming out Of small tunnel, at
the mouth of which stood Wondering
| old ore car.
This cheered, US, for we decided
that men must frequent some place
near there, or the rats, which in mines
| live on the remains OF the miners
! lunches, could get nothing to eat. But
| though we hunted until we had 20 stop
aud cry again. we could find no one.
! Down an incline we went and struck a
tunnel that had evidently been used
more lately than the others. As we
/ t.,t. IL off
4 soon we saw that IL was candle car
rieG by miner. We let out shout
In ,oAour amazement and horror the
n,inar edropped his candle and ran rs
,h",',,,, 89rty devils were chasing him.
", ,,..s after him and picked up
~, .n olbut he must have turned
49, ' a ,r drift for we could not
mnJ 1;,r' III our weary search soon
h'.a. m'"' I"u less as before. We had
~, ~ - -. - in the mines good
- s"'I s'n.o oe NJ had cried ourselves
IL Nos fr which way we turned.
I'm. ~ "ia'y same dead cold walls
80 e1,.e "e's 1aSie passages were endless
,hav go, hd 10 lead nowhere. We
10y seeT Neral old cooling stations aud
!, l.ss Ne got to one and stopped. We
'.. :, Tterly exhausted. and with all
o,,r IN - fsery choking Us We swallowed
sa bf our lunch. blew out our can
H. And. holding each others hands,
IN 4asleep.
WI remember that my last thought
/. !. .xavre | became unconscious was that
n teag time aftcrward they would find
'..'t' ~ 0des. and | think / even com.
Y. ~. n.'. my face and arranged my limbs
l''~<" > make more effective corpse.
I. ~ ~ ict ofabout this struck me as being
xUInIn0 - .,I...L L lnIl aaIanA 1ruina,