The record-union., 1897-09-19

to my shoulders but Henry, who had
been working on a little ahead of me,
had an arm free.
Something had to be done at once
Henry helped me with one hand to get
mine loose. the one that held the can
die. Then together we managed to
light it. 1t burned free, with a bright
light.
We looked around. We were clear
above our arms, and above us the shaft
was in fair condition. The rope hung
as we had left it. 1t did not take many
minutes to get ourselves out from the
debris, nut we were feaIfuIly cut and
bruised. Our clothes We're torn nearly
off, and we We're black as negroes, ex-
cept where the sweat and blood streak
ed our faces.
We sat and rested. We had worked
past the first station without stopping,
and We're between that and the sec
ond, which was about twenty feet
above the tunnel Our candle was
scarcely an inch long, and we blew it
out While we rested, to save it for the
work that remained. That would not
have been much for active men-only
to climb up on the rope to the upper
tunnel, and walk to the open air; but
we We're about used up. Henry thought
1t was night; 1 thought not, but
thought it was late in the afternoon
1t was too dangerous a. place to sit
and rest longer than we had to, for
the timbers had all fallen, and the
hanging wall of slate, clear now for
sixty or seventy feet above us, and
Tracked split by the earthquake was
likely to fo q onA
at any moment.
Henry said, Let's go on We relft
our inch of candle, and he stuck it
fast in his hat. We We're so stiff and
bruised we could hardly move, but
slowly and painfully, by aid of the
rope, we made our way out of the shaft,
Henry first, and close behind him.
At the top we blew out the candle,
sat down on the timbers. and rested a
few minutes; then I lighted the can
die again, and we started for the mouth
of the tunnel. Henry was all used up-
great deal the worse off of the two,
though he was so much the Younger
and stronger, for he had taken the
heaviest part He kept getting weak
er, and tottered in his steps, and his
nerves seemed to have collapsed, now
the danger was over, for he shook with
sobs rs he walked. l got close beside
him and steadied him as best [ could,
but 1 began to get frightened about
him. We came to the turn in the tun-
mel, and when we went to turn it, Hen
+ry staggered, lurched, and fell 1 tried
to save him, but it was sudden, and I
was pretty weak myself He fell heav-
lily, and the light in his hat went out.
1 was so shaken myself that I
screamed out, thinking he was dead.
Then [ thought perhaps, he had only
tainted, but l could not get it out of
my head that he lay dead there in the
dark beside me- / did not stop to grope
for the light, but got down and laid
him over on his back and Strengthened
him out, so that if he had any chance
left to breathe he might take it. Then
started and ran in the dark for the
entrance of the tunnel. An old miner
gets so that he can make his way in a
straight tunnel without any light, and
go pretty fast; somehow you can tell
a change in the air if you are close to
the rock without seeing it,
1t was about two hundred feet to
the entrance, and I reached it easily.
The sun was pretty well down in the
west and everything was quiet It
had been in my mind all along. and I
suppose more still in Henry's, that if
We ever got out alive we would see the
hill shattered and the cabin flung over
the ledge; but it stood there, not moved
or hurt at all. The tembIor had been
much harder down in the mine. it
seemed; and the slate going to pieces
so easily, and the condition of the tim
bers, were what had made it's effect 81
great.
I yelled loudly, but no one stirred
anywhere. There was not a sign of a
living being about. [ ran across the
gulch to the foot-wall tunnel, where
there was plenty of water. There was
dipper at hand, and I drank hasty
swallow, and dashed a dipperful over
my head and face. Then I filled the
dipper again, and hurried back as fast
as 1 could without spilling it ALL
I yelled again and again as I went.
but everything was quiet as death. /
supposed George and Joe were hunt
ing US in the tunnels, and Henry's wife
with them. tore my hat in~two. and
threw one half on the trail and the
other at the mouth of the tunnel. for
them to track me by, and then ran in
with the dipper of water to Henry 1t
took me some time to find my way in
to him in the dark, and my strength
was almost gone.
l found him just as I left him. l
lifted his head, and tried to force the
water between his teeth. 1t was no
use. I thought he was dead, sure, but
10 Sba1 tho y1-a for f,xyo7. hi
made no move. L was desperate. and
giving one more yell, for the possibility
of help, [ began to feel about for the
fragment of candle, thinking that if l
could only get light 1 might find some
thing that could be done for Henry,
though l had little doubt he was dead
AS I CROPPED around, I heard the min
er's signal in the main tunnel. [ seized
a rock and answered it, and then l
gave up and lay down. Every miner
on the coast knows that signal-rap,
rap-rap-rap-rap- don't know but
it is known everywhere where there are
miners. You hear that rap, rap, rap
rap-rap in the middle of work IN a
mine, and every miner there will drop
his tools and rush for the mouth of the
shaft. 1 knew when I heard it the
boys were looking for US, and had been
signalling for hours; and I knew when
they heard my answer they would be
with US as quick as they could get
there.
In few minutes 7 saw their lights
coming down the tunnel, and got to my
feet Henry's wife was with them. She
never said one word when they came
up and saw me-clothes torn to pieces,
face blackened and bloody, and prob