The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-13


found there removed from the mine and
given decent burial The mine was again
abandoned. and will probably never be
again opened.
a friend ~ mine. an old miner. who be-
I gan life picking slate In the coal mines of
I ~ aies. and who has spent THE greater
part OF his years underground. once told
me story which viii doubtless Poe class
iled as FISH yarn by every man who
has ever tried go walk under the water
o. crawl upon the bottom Of q river cor
swimming tank. Briefly his story Is
this.
He and a boy were working Ia one of the
long galleries o. a coal mine The gall
lery was NOT level. but for several hun
ured feet from the main saUavay OF the
mine had a downward pitch. 1t then
took an upward inclination for several
hundred feet more Near this mine We're
other old workings which had been for
% long time abandoned. and were ful Of
water.
one day the workngmen in one Of the
galleries broke through into one of the
Hooded mines. and the water rushed in.
10 ran into the gallery where my friend
ana the boy We're working completely
Milling IL for sd feet. Owing TO the sol
iclty Of the formation through which they
were digging. and 10 the upgrade Of the
gallery. the air could not escape but was
compressed, ana the water stood up
against the body of compressed dir Ike
a straight and polished wall,
mis- was a condition of things from
which there was no apparent escape.
4he old coal cutter, however. did not
lose his head. but sat down calmly. and.
as he said. 'hgeered I'm out" thus.
They could not live on air. compressed
arr not being any more nutritious than
any other kind. To wait until the water
could be pumped from the gallery would
dHord a glorious example of patience. bur
IL might be "a matter Of weeks months
or in case their friends supposed them
dead, years. How great the flood vas he
did not know. 1t might occupy all the
interior Of the nine or only the lowest
portions knowing something Of the in
I terror OF the old mine from which the
water came he was inclined TO believe
I mat only enough burst through TO ill the
depressed section Of his gallery At any
rate, there was only one Of two things
Tor him and his companion TO do-wait
there and enjoy their big bubble of com
pressed air until they died. or walk
! through 500 or 40 feet of water and climb
up the ladders.
Having fingered un cut he explained
| his idea to the boy As IL was their onI.
chance for life the bow was willing
/ TO give it trial The cid miner then
took the boy on his shoulders, astri9e of
I MS neck, fastened the lads feet BIZ tuck
/ ing them under his own leather bel-
I TOD him to let his BODY hang straight
] down, Hled his lungs with air and hold
/ his breath as long as he could. and then.
[ with a long inspiration. he plunged into
/ that smooth and CLASSY wall of water
/ and began his struggle for life II was
/ an AWFUL walk. The water entered his
/ ears and sang weird songs, gorgeous fire
works flashed before his ewes and he
/ was dazed and staggered. but he kept
/ ON steadily. Al first the hoy on his back
/ Struegedly madly, but soon became still
] and hung limp ami apparently Htalese
I To HIM that desperate struggle seemed a
/ journey Of years. but as ne was giving up
/ the fight his head emerged from the
/ inky wafer and he breathed again. 4
/ minute more and he stood upon com
/ parauVely dry ground. The boy after
( the proper means of resuscitation We're
/ applied, regained consciousness and re
] covered.
Several year ago, while working in the
/ Spring Valley Drift mine in Butte coun-
Is, l met with an adventure which may
/ or may not have been responsible for
! long period Of i'll health that followed
The Spring Valley Drift Mine was what
/ miners call bad hole" There was only
one way of entry and eXit-down "a deep
! shaft through a long tunnel and then up
an inclined shaft 100 feet and from the
/ top of this shaft to any of the gangways
/ which radiated from it like the sticks of a
/ ran. In the inclined shaft was d chute
into which the gravel brought from the
! gangways in cars, was dumped.
The tracks of the gangways We're laid
/ with a heavy grade and the ears We're
| supplied with strong brakes Sometimes
1 a brake would wear out and then the
car would be run into one of the numer-
/ Gus side drifts, Sprayed and the brake
I sent TO the shops for repairs. a few iron
/ cars were used, but the most of them
We're wooden affairs, very large, and when
/ VII soaked with water all that two men
! could push up the grades when emptv
/ One night-it was about / q. m-the No
gang. with which l was working, was
/ putting il set of timbers. An AK was
/ needed, and the boss said TO me: Some
body'5 stole our dog; go down to No. 6.
look IN the side drift there and see if
| you can't find dog there"
I took my candle and went No 6 gang
way was 800 feet away, and it happened
that there was a very small force at work
that night. Nos. ., 8, :, and were empty
/ and the men working in /, and T. were
a long distance from No. &. Just as ]
/ reached No. a drop of water fell upon
the fame Of my candle and extinguished
. it. 1 felt in all my pockets for matches.
/ but could find none I was perfectly famil-
/ lar with the interior Of the mine and 7
/ was sure that if there was an AK or dog
/ as We called it, in the short side drift
/ could find it in the dark by feeling for it,
J 50 l went on.
] was STOPPING and feeling with nv
I hands, when l came in contact with the
/ end of wooden car, and felt il move to-
I ward me. L threw my weight AGAINST it,
I bur II continued to move down the track
which was unusually steep. I tried vatnlv
/ TO check 1t. If let it so il would rush into
7 the gangway and plunge into the chute
ana cause no little amount of trouble and
/ expense Gradually the car ana ] worked
down from the drift. I couldn't stop thar
/ ear. / CROPPED under and around it bur
I the brake had been removed For more
than two hours l pushed and CROPPED and
/ sWore and halloed for assistance and then
worn out and aching in every limb and
/ bone l gave up the fight jumped to one
( side OF the track and said:
Now go it! Confound you. go itr'
And the car went about foot There
I was something lyiug on the rail thar
/ stopped it, Went back to my gang and
! told the boss about it. He said il didn't
/ matter, but had better take light and
! see that the car was securely "spragged. -
/ 1 went back, and there was no car on the