The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-12
GHOSTS D GROUND.
sUPERsTIT1oSs or BITUHIToUs
COAL MINERS
labyTtuths or subterrnnean chss-
bers where BARK Lake. nnd panscrous Pits
Hawn ror Lest Nainers-The Tragedy ef the
HHnnnfnn Kena.nnin Gniirrn Ioln 81 . Nlner.

lawn nor lest S1iner.-Ihs Tragedy % the
Enaanten Tess-nore Gallery Toia ~ . Wiser.
Ghosts in coal mincsI' said a western Penn.
sylvaniA mine operator. well, lneVer saw
any myself, but II I should go among my miners,
especially the old.timers, and say / didn't be-
ievc there were such things in mines. and make
light Of the subject, they would be reluctant to
continue working for me, fearing that some
vindictivc disembodied tenant Of underground
chambers might waylay and punish them for
laboring for one who regarded 1t with such ir-
reverent skepticism. Conclusive demonstra-
ton of the deep-grounded superstition Of old bi-
luminous coal miners In this respect II fur
nished by the regard in which they hold what
they call the Haunted Test-Hole Mine. on my
property. 1 haven't had any other than newly
hired miners from other fields working in that
mine for years-mcn who have never heard
what the prevailing belief is among homo min.
es as to the character Of the mine.
The bituininous coal mines, as you may
know, arc entirely different in their working
from the anthracite mines, the coal from which
is reached by means Of deep shafts, and mined
In tunnels that dlverge from the shafts on all
sides and at various depths. The bituminous
mines, in which the coal lies near the surface,
arc worked by digging into the sides o. the hills
in slopes or drifts-often called pits or banks.
These excavations frequently extend miles I'M
der ground, running in Irregular galleries and
passages hero and there, until tho earth, az.
ter years Of working q mine. has become . vast
honeycomb or network of subtenanean chan.
nels. When any Of these are worked out they
arc simply abandoned and left unmarked-re-
gions where perpetual darkness rcisns, ex.
cept when some struggling miner. his sup
posed knowledge OF the intricacies Of the aban-
doned hambers having been at fault, wanders
among them with his feeble lamp, seeking do
liverance from them.
"One great danger that lies In the unknown
way Of a miner lost in such a mine Is the test
hole OF a chamber. A test-hole is a shaft sunk
In the mine TO test the depth or thickness OF q
coal vein, and these shafts are always deep
and frequently filled with water. There arc
vast lakes also in the furthest depthssof these
deserted passages, which yawn for the bewil-
dered wanderer. These lakes arc where a vein
has been followed In its dip, that is, its obl!que
descent from its horizontal plane In a mine. A
dip is always followed by the miners until It
either ceases to DO a dip and the vein resumes Its
horizontal position again, or goes so far into the
depths that further working Of the vein becomes
either impossible or Improbable. In this latter
case it Is, OF course, abandoned. Water gradu-
ally enters the chamber until 1t reaches Its level.
and the working becomes q lake. Some OF these
underground bodies OF water arc Of unknown
depth, and 1t requires q stout heart in o man
for him 30 stand on the gloomy borders OF one
Of these and peer out upon its dark water, lying
lamp Ia Ino cs seFi she stR npon it {. ' Then hs tS.n ( n NJ ths
staring. ghastly face of q drowned miner tloat-
ihs , n TIA. sn 9is fion'n fh ;l2.i see T,'h II MORE sns faint ,han
he most %skePticI and stoIlid Of men TO The
depths, l think such a sight with such surround.
!nss might do it don't think 1t strange. there
iiUse' mora Sne' , is%nSfss ail iiHaFei iiTes amid m saeh p sSs.
roundings, should be grounded In a like belief
Years "a ago Oar among he mem working OF dnsn X one ne of
my mines were two likely young fellows, one
an Epslishmap. the other an Irishmap. They
a miner who was new to the working. The
young 1rishman.. who was in consequence much
eiated. the Englishman becoming detected In
showed in many ways his Jealous hatred Of
mote part of the mine, and early in the day the
EnRlshman came out to where a group Of other
hurry back with him. as bis cempenion had
They found the fallen mass and soon removed
IT The young 1rishman was crushed beneath
IT. They bore the dead body outside. There
was q sharp deep wound in the centre Of The
on his body made by the cave-in. The marvel
Of 1t all was that the Englishman. who had
been working at the same bank. should have
escaped without having even been touched by
any OF the falling mas.
The Englishman continued working in the
mine. but many OF his fellow laborers cult, de-
clarins there was something wrong; that there
wSs a soynss5I,s ao9I, B fs Barn BsTT9ey,s death of
believed tina. the miner had been killed by the
wound IN his forehead; and that the wound had
crushed him. A palmer charge OF foul play
could not have been made than that. but we
paid no attention to it, and the Englishman re-
manned at his work. but IL was noticed By those
who worked with him that he never would 60
into that part of the mine where the Irishman
was found dead beneath the cave-in.
One day a month or more after the tragedy
IN the mine while this miner and a number OF
the main gallery, using one light, which was a
torch such as is used in political night parades,
drausht, but a chilly one. such as none OF them
caused the sudden blast. The darkness be.
miners, who knew the workings we'll. started
e. e another NOT part OF the mine TO get a new light.
OF the workmen exclaimed;
".ionder's a light down BY the gallery open
THE voice was the Englishman's. The others
looked in the direction he had indicated. but
saw no light.
any rate, and I'll 60 fetch him back insist.
ed The E~nslishman.
as he could, in the darkness toward the main
sgSllesy;, Which NH was only a fey yards away;
Sone VI 'nc miners followed him. IL seemed
but a few seconds. according to the story OF the
miners when a cry OF anguish filled the depths
and an aRoniLed voice cried:
Mercy. Barney. Mercyl'
This cry was followed by another shrek,
and the terrorired miners heard a loud splash,
as OF some heavy, object falling from a height
into water. While they were standing thus
the miner who had gone 10 fetch a iisht re,
turned with one. After hearing the tales the
frightened miners had TO tell, that miner ex-
claimed:
Rob has fallen into the test hole
Nv 18th difficulty he induced two mr. thraa ~
the others TO accompany him to investigate the
matter, True enough, when they came to the
test hole, the water in which WAS several feet
below tho top, and threw the light Of their torch
down into II, they saw the body OF the English
man floating, They managed to raise the body
from the hole. They carried il to the outside
OF the mine, Then. in the centre OF the dead
EnGlishman's forehead, they saw exactly such
q wound as bad been In the Irishman's fore
head The deduction TO b. made from all this
was plain, to the. excited and superstitious
miners The Englishman had killed his rival
by a blow with the sharp end OF his pick. they de-
CARED and then telled The mass OF dirt and rock
upon him.. The wrath OF the murdered man
had come in due time. e~ktingniL hel in ghosily