The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-04-19
LOSTiIN THE COMSTOCK.

ing accidents generally, and finally one
of tbeparty recalled the Comstock horror
of two years ago, when a cave in the
Gouldl& Curry buried nine men alive.
IL had pretty ugly experience in the
mines myself eight years ago" said one
of the party, an ex- Nevadan.
81 was boy of fourteen or fifteen
then, with about as little sense of pru-
denoe as most boys of that age, 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 expe-
ditions. One day, in poking around that
big yard, we found near an old shed a
big iron ring. This was fastened to a
heavy plank cover that hid the mouth of
an old shaft. This cover was hidden 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 David
son is as full of abandoned shafts as a
Swiss cheese is of holes. Within the
town limits all the abandoned shafts are
filled up or covered so as to keep belated
pedestrians out of them. The mine we
discovered in the corner of the yard had
been too extensively worked to allow of
its being filled up, and therefore had been
covered up as described,
eve didn't lose much time in prying
up that cover and beginning the explora-
ton 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-fve degrees. AS
soon as we had descended fifty feet we
saw that the workings had been very ex-
tensive indeed, for drifts and WINES
went off from the main shaft In every
direction. We went into several of these,
but always found ourselves stopped by a
cave, for the workings were very old.
Some shovels and picks that we discov-
cred were almost gone with rust, and
the timbers where they still 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 probably been extended
to this place in an attempt to strike a
ledge to the west. We knew that the
old workings must connect with it some.
where, for the air was good and there
was steady up draught.
FINALLY, the idea took possession OF
us to 60 from our mine into some of the
working ones and come up that way.
''The Andes shaft was only few hun
dred yards from our mine, and we knew
they must be connected. We knew
enough about the mines to take what we
thought were sufficient precautions
against getting lost. The grain of the
rock showed us the directions as surely
as a compass, 50 we were not at all ap-
prehensive. We thought that we might
be down for several hours, however, and
so took along a number of extra candlee
and some lunch.
"Thus fixed we began to Chamber down
the old shaft. A hundred feet below the
surface we found some more drifts, and
spent an hour or 80 in them, but all were
either blocked with caves or else stopped
in the solid porphyry. SO we had to e
on olambering down the moline.
"Ben was ahead, and saw him stop
and then he shouted back to me:
This is the bottom.
"He stood clear of the walls and lifted
up his candle to examine the place.
"'This is the bottom, he repeated.
"Are you sure" called back,
Eyes; r.
81 saw his candle disappear amid 1
crash. He called to me that II was al
right and to come down, and cautiously
followed, though could not see his ligh
anywhere. Soon found out what wa
| the matter. The miners had built a plat
form across the shaft, probably to pre-
vent things from rolling down, and my
companions weight had broken through
the planks that had been placed In posi-
tion so long before. He had only slid &
few yards down the incline, and, barring
few scratches, was unhurt. A verl
little way below the old platform w
struck the 200 foot level Of the mine an,
started OFF to explore the tunnels. Afte
following a crooked old tunnel we cam
to a point where it forked.
eve entered the left hand tunnel, bu
found that it extended less than twent,
yards. When we came to a standstil
against the wall of rock, Ben put hi
candle close to the wall TO observe tn
grain Of the porphyry. He made an ex
clamation of surprise. By the grain o
the rock we had been travelling almos
north, when we thought we were max
good progress TO the south. When o
how we had got turned around W
could not tell, but there was no possi
bility of doubt about it.
eve lost no time in retraeing GU
steps, but to our surprise, when we cam
to the crooked tunnel again, we saw th
mouths of three drifts instead of two
We took the tunnel that led TO the right
and were gratifed 10 find that il turne
+ to the south after few yards. 1t ende
E in an incline something like the one b
I which we had entered the mine. Dow
this went Ben, while l waited above, 8
as to be able to direct him back with m
voice. Soon heard him calling to me
and followed.
Look here, said Ben, putting hi
candle CLOSE to clammy timber.
~ looked and saw chalk mark
a "'We've gone round In a circle som,
how said Ben. There is the whee
! barrow you fell over We had bette
2 follow our marks back and try it agaiI
some other time
Il was willing, and we walked bacl
occasionally stopping TO see the mark
on the timbers.
." 4 didn't notice those things beiOr'
/ did your said my companion, as "
passed half dozen rusty picks thl
!, must have been lying there decade, 4
d least.
Il hadn't noticed them either, an