The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-06-07
DEATH FROM STARVATION.
The Most Horrible of All Forms of Ending
Life Is by the Lack of Food.

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Life Is by the Lack of Food.
The most horrible death of all is that
of starving. The most vigor is lent to it
by being imprisoned in cave or mine.
Some years ago was working in coal
mine near Padua, o. The distance from
the mouth down to the first vein, whers
was working, was SO feet. It was an
8-foot.vein and had been well worked,
SO that many large chambers were made,
and plenty Of space was had to move
about in.
A miners life is rather wearisome and
lonely indeed. You haya to labor all
day long in the gloom, WITH only little
wick lamp on your cap to break the in
tense darkness. The life is much too
hard for the recompense. Then, ones
life is always in danger. Great rocks
are liable to and do frequently fall.
Explosive gases and firedamp are gener-
ated, and the first approach Of light
sets them off. The mine is then wrecked,
and the miners well, I was once caught
in a mine wreck, and in that great vein
ut Padua. I was working very quietly,
away back from the shaft of the mine,
and all alone.
My labors were interrupted by dull,
smothered roar that was followed by
falling earth, and then realized that I
was penned in; that the mine was
wrecked, and that my life was worth
very little. The noise soon died away,
and things were much as they were be-
fore. But little distance from my DO
sition the earth had fallen and blocked
the path. I was at first overcome with
fear. | imagined that I could hear my
brains grinding in tunnel. Then lost
all consciousness. When awoke again,
was somewhat more calm and began
to move about. crawled along over
great banks Of earth that had fallen for
distance of fully 100 feet; then I heard
groans, and knew that was near some
injured miner. But here my progress
stopped, and had to quit.
A few hours later my light burned out,
and then my misery was complete. For
eight days I remained quite near that
one spot, hoping against hope for deliv-
erence. It came eventually. I heard
the sound Of picks, and soon the glimmer
OF miners lamps shone through various
crevices. When an opening was made,
/ crawled out, and I assure you that
gave thanks. Yes, that's why people
say I look old now, when am only
So, and that is why my hair is gray.
But assure you that an aged expression
and gray hair are endurable, but to
starve to death in a mine is the awfulest
and deadliest way to beat out a mans
existence in this world that I can con-
ceive of.--Interview in Chicago Journal.
An Egg Snake Among Lot of viperines.
Among number Of viperine snakes
of about the same size is snake that
lives on eggs. He is about as thick as a
lead pencil, but that doesn't prevent his
swallowing large pigeons egg whole,
nor even hens egg at pinch. It dis
locates his jaw, but that is a part Of his
professional system, and when the bust
ness is over he calmly joints up his jaw
again and goes to sleep. He is eccentric
even for snake and wears his teeth on
a backbone, where they may break the
eggshell so that he may spit it away.
When hefrst stretched his head round
an egg, the viperine snakes in the same
case hastily assumed him to be very
large tadpole, and since tadpoles are re-
garded with astronomical affection by
viperine snakes they began an instant
chase, each prepared to swallow the en-
tire phenomenon. because snake never
hesitates to swallow anything merely on
account Of its size. When finally the
egg swallower broke the egg and pre-
sented to their gaze the crumpled shell,
the perplexed viperines subsidized and re-
tired to remote corners of the case to
think the matter over and forget it-like
the crowd dispersed by the circulating
hat of the street conjurer. Arthur Nor
rison in Strand Magazine.