Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1890-10-18

4 III ltAt haAo va AhN
mound, and looking down into n
, basin as smooth as the inside OF one
of these globes they keep goldfish
in. 1t was just a monster wash ba-
sin, white and polished as porcelain.
! In the middle of it was shaft,
round like well, and about four
feet across.
what first attracted my atten-
ton to this particular geyser was
the strange noises that come from
it. Most of the spouters just roar
ed for little, and then screamed,
and then whistled, and then all three
together. stood on the edge list
ening to the strange rumblings that
came from the shaft.
suddenly there was a sound as of
| FIVE hundred windows smashing.
1.-The brittle overhanging edge up
on which stood crumbled under me.
| tried to save myself, but more
broke off, and in an instant | was
sliding down the funnel toward the
shaft. l tried to stop myselfby jam
ming my fingers into the side, but |
might as well have tried to catch
hold of the clouds. The sides were
as hard and smooth as glass, and l
simply broke off my finger nails. l
did not slide so very fast, so could
think, but | was powerless to arrest
my progress. 1t was about fifty feet
that had to slide before went into
that hole, and down | went, gaining
speed to every foot. No toboggan
ever shot over iump-off faster than
shot into the shaft.
Il JUST KNEW WAS A GoNER.
shut my eyes, was cognizant of
that sinking feeling, lost my breath,
and'then-
Il stopped with ajolt that almost
jerked my head off About fifteen
feet below the mouth ofthis avenue
to the center OF the earth the shaft
contracted so that there was only a
couple of feet for me to fall through.
1 didn't drop squarely, so | didn't go
through. \ choke in the throat of
the shaft was doubtless the cause OF
the strange sounds that had heard
come from it. Strange to say, l
thought of that even before |
thought of getting out. Soon, of
course, got my head back, found
was whole, and determined to get
out That was as far as / got. The
sides of the shaft were OF polished ST.
lica. There was neither crevice nor
projection by which | could raise
myself
How did l feel? Don't ask me.
How would you feel if You were like a
cork in a bottle? Only fifteen feet
from liberty and safety, and yet as
securely a prisoner as if you were
, chained to the bottom of the Pacific
ocean.
81 didn't give up right away. !
tried to get my knees against the
) other side of the shaft and work up
, like chimney sweep in a flue, but ii
: was no go. The shaft was too wide.
Then | got out my knife-a good
hard, steel bowie-and tried to chin
: the wall. That knife might as wei
p have been paper tor all the impress
O sion could make on those
GLAss-LIKE WALLS.
/ kept ON, though, until my knife
;, slipped and cut my fingers anC
: then fell through the Orifice at my
feet and splashed into the water fifty
: feet deeper. That impelled me t.
: look down. The narrow place il
a the well that had saved me was only
I few feet; below it the shaft wideneC
Z again. 1t was perfectly white anC
, the water was at the bottom. Will,
Z looked down there was n giganti
;. sob and the water vanished, leavin:
:, black nothingness in it's place.
Z pretty soon it was back again
. and it began to sing. That shat
. must have connected with every hor
rible cavern under the earth's crust
It and from every one OF them came
i noise.
d "After a while, though l knew ther
le was no one to hear me, | shouted 70
help.
sr "As the sound left my lips the waite
It seemed to leap toward me. The
jumped convulsively foot or NOR
and then subsidized. Then back cam
IL my scream for help, ten times loude
n than ! had uttered it. 1t seemed a
ne ifin every cavern there was a gian
.ueIIu VIM mOChtu Hle- ldJ HOl1
I'd made my hair rise and for II time
Of was quiet.
e. Then / began to do some har
i'll thinking. II l didn't get out prett
IN shortly the water would come up t
OF spout and would be drowned like
n rat in a hole. looked down at tt
e. water: it wa ssteaming and bubblinl
b. | was counting to much on my lucl
ey Instead of drowning, i'll stayed ther
at l would be boiled alive like a lobst'
st in kettle.
nj 81 couldn't get out myself; som
in body had to come to my help.
Id took out my revolver and put it 4
~ my head. Then an idea occurred
I'D me. There were six shots in the pi
ut tol, why not fire off five in an e
| deavor to attract the attention
I'm some one who might-the chance WI
ed a wretchedly faint one-be ne
INT enough to hear. So
'Ob IpA<CEn AWAX