The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1894-09-21

out ten, twenty, thirty lives. UsuVly
she remains calm, and takes one 1T
time with method and precision. She
need not hurry. She possesses eter-
nifty. After blast, the smoke, faint
ly luminous, silvery, floats silently
through the adjacent tunnels.
MINE MULES.
Over in wide and lightless room
we found the mule stables. There we
discovered number of these animals
standing with an air of calmness and
self-possesssion that was somehow
amazing to find in mine. A little
dark urchin came and belabored his
mule China until he stood broadside
to us, that we might admire his in
Vulnerable fine qualities. The stable
was like dungeon. The mules were
arranged in solemn rows They
turned their heads toward our lamps.
The glare made their eyes shine won
drously, like lenses. They resembled
enormous rats.
1t is common affair for mules to be
imprisoned for years in the limitless
night of the mines. Our acquaintance,
China, had been four years buried.
Upon the surface there had been the
march of seasons, the white splendor
of SHOWS had changed again and again
to the glories of green springs. Four
times had the earth been ablaze with
the decorations of brilliant autumns.
But China and his friends had re-
manned in these dungeons, from which
daylight, if one could get view up a
shaft, would appear tiny circle,
silver star aglow in a sable sky.
Usually when brought to the sur
face these animals tremble at tie earth,
radiant in the sunshine. Later they
go almost mad with fantastic Joy. The
full splendors of the heavens, the
grass, the trees, the breezes break upon
them suddenly. They caper and
career with extravaganza mulish glee.
After being long in the mines the
mules are apt to duck and dodge at
the close glare of lamps, but some of
them have been known to have piteous
fears of being left in the dead dark
ness. They seem then, somehow, like
little children. We met a boy once
who said that sometimes the only way
he could get his resolute team to move
was to run ahead of them with the
light. Afraid of the darkness, they
would trot hurriedly after him and
SO take the train of heavy cars to
desired place.
MINE DANGERS.
Great and mysticnlly dreadful is the
earth from a mines depth. Man is in
the implacable grasp Of nature. 1t
has only to tighten slightly and he is
crushed like bug. His loudest shrek
of agony would be Us impotont as his
final moan to bring help from that fair
land that lies, like heaven, over his.
head. There is an insidious, silent
enemy in the gas. If the huge fan
wheel on the top of the earth should
stop for a brief period there is certain
death and panic more terrible than
any occurring where the sun has shone
ensues down under the tons Of rocks.
If man escape the gas, the floods,
tho "squeezes" of falling rock, the
cars shooting down through the little
tunnels, the precarious elevators, the
hundred perils, there usually comes to
him an attack of miners asthma and
slowly racks and shakes him into the
grave. Meanwhile he gets SO per day
and his laborer $1.25.
In the chamber, at the foot Of the
shaft, as we were departing, group
of the men were resting. They lay
about in careless poses. When we
climbed aboard the elevator, we had
moment in which to turn and regard
them. Then suddenly the study in
black faces and crimson and orange
lights vanished. We were on our
swift way to the surface. Far above
us, in the engine room, the engineer
sat with his hand on lever and his
eye on the little model of the shaft
wherein o miniature elevator was
making the ascent even as our elevator
was making 1t. In fact, the same
mighty engines gave power to both.
and their positions are relatively the
same always.
OF a sudden the feeting walls be.
come Aecked with light, 1t increased
to o downpour of sunbeams. The
} high sun was aaoat in o splendor O.
spotless blue. The distant bills wert
arrayed in purple and stood like
monOrchs. A glory Of gold was upol
{ tho nearby earth.
OF 473, 206 persons of school age i