St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-11-15
LETTER FROM JAPAN.
SAPPoRo, ISLAND OF YEzo
Oct. 2, 1895.


same day; but the one down train
starts within a half hour of the
arrival of the up train. We did not
learn this fact till we reached there,
but fortunately we went prepared to
spend the night if necessary. At the
office of the mine, which was a two
story foreign building, we were very
politely met by a young japanese
who invited us up stairs to a kind OF
reception room, where tea was soon
served.
After that ceremony, we were re-
quested to leave our money and
our watches while we should enter
the mine Then we were taken to
little office where we were supplied
with dirty Komono to put on over
our clothes. BY previous instruction
| had brought big green handker-
chief to tie over my head. Elizabeth
had white one, but Miss B. had to
be content with a pocket handker-
chief. We pulled up our skirts under
our komOno and the men rolled
their trousers above their knees.
With fearlully smoking tin lamp
on the end OF long rod for each one
of us, we startedin, led by this Japan
csc clerk and another fellow. At
first the walk was easy, but after
we had passed gate whose keeper
was a woman, it grew more and
more difficult. The shaft assembled,
and the beams about our heads
came down so low that we were in
thirds nearly in order to move at all.
The smoke from the lamps was
horrible. painted and gasped and
sweated and ached in my knees but
would 60 on, because | knew the rest
would not leave me alone in that
subterranean passage.
After time the one in front called
out that we were coming to a place
where we could stand upright. No
oasis in desert was ever more re-
freshing to an Arabian traveller than
that platform ten feet square, where
we stood till several small carts of
coal had come from above and been
sent by cable to the sheds below. There
was another just as difficult but
much shorter climb beyond, before
we came to the men digging or rath-
er picking coal. We were soon salts.
fed and retraced our way, which
being down hill, was less OF a strain
on my breathing powers. would
not have missed going for anything,
but have no wish to try it again.
Mr.. Pettee said the young men OBJ
jected to the ladies going to where
the men were at work; we had heard
they were not allowed, but Mr..
Pettee pressed to know why. When
he found the only objection was the
difficult climb, he told the youth that
the ladies were courageous and
were anxious to go.
The first sight of daylight we had
on our return seemed off in the dis
tance like brilliantly electric-lighted
hall. To my surprise when we
came to the place Of egress, there was
Just a little shanty, with two or
three old windows opposite the en-
trance, and that was under cover OF
a high roof The sky was heavily
clouded, too, so you can imagine
what the darkness had been. Our
faces were sights to behold with the
smoke of the lamps breathed in for
an hour. Men brought us hot water
and soap and we washed off the
thick of the dust and smoke before
going to the hotel.
After lunch and maps, we went out
tO see the town and were followed
everywhere by men, women and
especially children. As we neared
the hotel again our young man met
us and took us to look at the outside
works OF the company, the engines,
the tan by which pure air was kept
circulating below, etc. We found
that our guide was a member OF the
Greek church here in Sapporo, and
that he had seen some of us the day
we attended that church. In our
looking into shops that afternoon,
we had found a Christian man from
Niigata.
We had a Japanese supper at SIX
O'Clock, and were hardly through
when the young man from Nrgata
came in, and later our guide with an
accordian. They stayed nearly two