The sun., 1893-07-27
pLUCkY JOHNNIE MAIN.
Burned Almost to Death, lie CrnvI- Home
on His Hands and Knee,.

NoRw1cH. Conn. July 25.-In the wild. rude
town OF North StoninGton the people burn
many coalpits. They are In remote and wood
cd valleys that are rarely visited. save by
hunters. woodsmen. and trout fishermen. and
while his coalpit is smouldoring within its
slanting. circular wall OF green turf. its owner
for weeks. quits his home and lives the life OF
hermit in hut. watching the great smoking
mound. tending 1t almost unremittingy
day and nisht. 1t Is necessary for
him to do that lest the stacks OF
cordwood set on end within the pit
shall burst into q blaze and n name
quickly consume instead of charring
tho wood. Every two or thrcc days his hired
man" comes and spells" the burner in the
hut. and three tin, es n day the mans little boy
brings meals. hot coffee In u tin pail boiled
pork. corn bread, and cold potatoes. to- tho
watchmnn at tho pit. In this way THOUSANDS
OF bushels OF charcoal Are burned among the
lonesome hills OF Noluntowr. Griswold. and
North Stonington onch year. and thence 1t is
carted in "schooners." lofty-sided wagons. 20
the Norwich and Providence markets.
A few days ago Mrs. Andrew Jackson Main.
who dwes with her husband. a coal burner.
in remote and wild part OF North Stonington.
sent her lO-year-o old son at noon into the
woods. more than n mile away. with n warm
dinner In "A pail for her husband who was on
guard at his pit. The stout and chubby little
lad. who. like most country boys. feared moth
ing aileId. trudged sallantly OF across the
lots. AMI disappeared within the thick
shadow OF tho forest. His mother watched
him out OF sight, and then waited several hours
vainly. growing anxious all the time. expect
ing him to return.
The boy. however. had met with q curious
and friEhtful accident. and only his native
l.. ..ul, 4.
death. After entering the woods Jack. who
was familiar with all the forest land OF the re-
gion. plodded faithfully along. and in due sea.
M p had eaea
away from, his guard duty temporarily, had
gone to distant Eart OF the . woods an and the
where his father would be sure to find It when
he returned. Then melted bya natural curios:
top OF the pit. as he had seen his father do
when he sought to learn the condition OF the
But Jack was no. acquainted with the con-
near the thinly screened crater, or his foot
turf suddenly gave way beneath him. and In
sIaRy he into h
How long he was imprisoned in the great
sealed oven whose steep tall walls m 1t would
se'@' cRid and how manassd
unable to tell buy out Of onn the tl1ss
self headlong down the coalpit sides. and
rolled on the earth in a delirium OF agony and
fright Lucky for him 1t was that the ground
covered with green herbage and foliage. and
so the moisture and green leaves OF the forest
brush speedily extinguished the flames that
were devourinR him. Indeed. almost all his
scared from head to foot. Yet little life was
left in his sturdy frame and somewhat OF
spirit In his stout young country heart. For
an hour he lay on the wet ground helpless.
painting. palpitating almost hoping to die to
escape his intolera bio pain. and then slowly
and painfully he got on his rugged little legs,
but only to fall helpless again and again.
Then a brave idea entered his head: he could
creep. And 80 he did. Over the rough stones
and thorny, brakes. parting the bushes with
ing to recruit his enfeebled strength on
he went his face set toward his far-oH
home-this valiant and heroic little North
Stonngton country lad in bomespun crept all
the way across that rough land. mile and a
nali to the door Of his home. There his
mother met him: caught him in her arms. and
bore him to his bed; The wounds on his
OF feebler organization would have proved
mortal imm ediately.
It is not certain as yet that Jack will be able
to survive them. For several days the old
country doctor believed he must die. but he
rallied and now he is almost ready to promise
that he will recover. Both his father and
mother have been unwearicd in their devotion
to him. and now that the doctor says his way
to recovery is through the process OF skin
their arms and submitted them to the sur
ReOn's knife.