Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1890-04-25
LOST IN A MINE.

that brought the conversation around
TO mining accidents generally, and fl
nally one of the party recalled tho
Comstock horror OF two years ago,
when a cave in the Gould g. Curry
buried nine men alive.
Il had a pretty ugly experience in
the mines myself eight years ago."
said one of the party, an eX-Nevadan.
Il was Il boy of fourteen or fifteen
then, with about rs little sense Of pru-
dence as most boys of that ago, and
had a chum about as old who was as
careless as myself.
1--WE lived toward the north end Of
Virginia City, and had big back
yard in which we always planned our
expeditions. One day, in poking
around that yard, we found near an
old shed big iron ring. This was
fastened to 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, and now the whole side of
Mount Davidson is rs full of abandoned
shafts as Il Swiss cheese is of holes.
Within the town limits all the aban-
boncd shafts are filled up or covered
SO as to keep bclatcd pedestrians out of
them. The mine we discovered in the
corner of the yard had been too extern
siycly worked to allow of its being filled
up, and therefore had been covered as
described.
1--WE didn't lose much time in pryinr
up that cover and beginning the ex-
ploration 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
five. As soon as We had desc ended
hsty feet we saw the working had been
very extensive indeed, for drifts and
wines went off 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 shovels and
picks that we discovered were almost
gone with rust, and the timbcrs where
they stood were bent and crushed and
rotten. BY guarded inquiries we found
that it was in the ground of the Ophir
Mining company and drift had prob
ably been extended to this place in an
attempt to strike n ledge to the
west. We knew that the old working
must connect with it somewhere, for
the air was good aud there was a steady
up draught.
Finally the idea took possession of
the working ones, and come up that
way.
The Andes shaft was only few
hundred yards from our mine. and we
knew they must be connected. We
knew enough about the mines to take
what we thought were sufficient pre-
cautions against getting lost. The
grain of the rocks showed us the di-
rections MS surely rs y compass, so We
were not all apprchensivc. We thought
that we might be down several hours,
however, and SO took along 4 number
of extra candles and some lunch. Thus
fixed, we began to Chamber down the
old shaft. A hundred feet below the
surface we found some drifts, and
spent an hour or so in them, but all
were either blocked with caves or else
stopped in the solid porphyry. So we
had to so on clambering down the in
cline.
ben was ahead, and | saw him
stop, and then he shouted back to
me:
This is the bottom
He stood clear of tho walls and
lifted up his candle to examine the
place.
This is the bottom, he repeated.
care you surcp' | called back.
"'Yes; /"
Il saw his candle disappear amid a
crash. He called to me that it was all
right, and to como down, and | eau
tiously followed, though | could not
see his light anywhere. Soon found
out what was the matter. The miners
had built platform across the shaft,
probably to prevent things from roll
ing down, and my companions weight
had broken through the planks that
had been placed in position so long be-
fore. He had only slid few yards
down the incline, and barring a few
scratches, was unhurt. A vcry little
way below the old platform we struck
the 20O-foot level of the mine, and
started off to explore the tunnels.
After following crooked old tunnel
we came to n point where it forked.
I'VE entered the left-hand tunnel,
but found that it extended less Tn an
twenty yasds. When we camc to
standstill against the wall of rock Ben
put his candle close to the wall to OBJ
serve tho grain of the porphyry. lie
made an exclamation of surprise. BY
the grain of the rock we had been
travelling almost north, when we
thought we were making progress
TO the south. When or how we had
got turned around we could not tell,
but there was no possibility of doubt
about it.
1--WE lost no time in retracing our
steps, but to our surprise, when VIC
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 and were gratifed to find
that 1t turned to the south after n few
yards, 1t ended in an iacinc some,
thing like the one by which VIC had
entered the mine. Gown this went
Ben, while waited above. so as to DO
able to direct him back with my voice.
Soon I heard him calling to me, and
followed.
look here said Bon. putting his
candle close to clammy timber
II looked and saw chalk mark.
We've gone round in circle some
how" said Ben. There is the wheel
barrow you fell over We had better
follow our marks back aid try it again
some other time