The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-07-27

were hurled to death. Kelley's wifi
mad but u few moments before brough
her husband his dinner, and when sh
heard of his death she rushed frantical
ly to the shaft and was with difficult,
restrained from jucDing down.
AT number three, two were killed b,
q cave. One OF these was Il Hughes, O
Oconee. GA another occasion MAJ
was scalded to death by the koistins
engine at that shaft and several badl,
Injured. At number four, three los
thelr lives. One, q young Irishman. il
trying TO jump into the oucket as il
was started down at six in the morn
ing, missed and fell hcadlong, his body
mail lodging among the timbers o.
the shaft near the bottom. As he fell
one OF his shoes, which were of a Decu
llar Kind, was wrcnched from his foo,
and dropped at the feet of the workmeu
below, and these, hearing the commo,
tlon just overhead and recognizing the
shoe, knew who was killed. MIR. e. D.
Foster, OF Richiand Oconce, then a
youth OF sixteen, was employed in the
tunnel and was standing within three
t"et OF where the shoe fell another
was killed by a drill hammer falling
from the bucket upon his head. A
German, whole business was to 90
around every two hours and fill the
miners lamps, was on his way to mouth
Oh shalt number four to go down and
I'LL lamps, when In some way unac-
counted for the materials in the box in
which he carried them exploded and
killed him. The men worked day and
night, Sunday excepted, by shifts, di-
| vlued into three reliefs Of eight hours
each.
1t isa pity that road which prom
Cn nah f,,t, l.
and Charleston in particular should
have failed Of completion, the more
particularly since it was SO near finish
ed. The work was stopped in 1888 for
want OF funds, but it would no doubt
have been renewed had not the war
came on so soon. An effort was made a
few years after the war to set the en-
terprise on foot again, bat it failed,
owing, no doubt, to the fact that the
State was In the hands OF plunderers.
During the last winter Of the war
Capt. Il. ii. RUSSELL at The head of "A
company OF slXteen-year-olds, was sta
TONED at Tunnel Hin, and the youth
iul soldiers divided time between fish
ing deserters out of the mountain fast
nesses and throwing rocks into the
yawning shafts. The boys soon incur
req the hostility OF those men in whose
breasts patriotism was at heavy dis
count, and rumors often ascended the
hills that the deserters weremovlnp on
them in body. Oac night, when the
mountain was wrapped in snow and the
boys In slumber, the Captain decided
TO test the mettle Of his yeal ling sold
iers.
Acting under secret instructions, the
picket dashed in from the post mile
away and pounding the boys quarters
n. hn l, "a
a-comin, " soon had the little camp in
an uproar OF confusion. Some OF the
boys got into their brecches back side
foremost, and John Zachary. nephew
OF the Captain, buckling on the pano-
ply Oh war rs he ran, rushed to head
quarters ito see what l. nclc Tom was
going to do about it," They were soon
under arms and moving steadily toward
the picket post, the point where the
Clayton road branches of. Just before
reached this the command was deplov-
ed and matted, and Il reconnoitcring
party, one OF whom was iu the secret,
Jim Bcarden, Of Oconee, | believe, sent
forward Presently the party return
ed, but to the eXpectant soldiers with
oated breath and dilatcd eyes their
footballs in the snow made them an in
Vulnerable host, and the little fellows
pulled Ddck their musket hammers and
fixed for business. The officers could
hardly restrain them from firing. Of
course, the reconnaissance disclosed
false alarm and the boys were marched
BACK to camp, and by morning were
normal and were throwing rocks down
into the tunnel again. One OF the sur
vlvors related this incident to me re-
Gently, and added "We'd we shot
once anyhow" When | queried de-
murely if he did not think they would
have shot twice, at least, he replied,
with catch-on glance, Yes once at
the deserters and once for camp
w. a. DICKSON.