The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1897-06-02

that blocked up the only passage lead
ing to the shaft 1t Just reached
young Jim; standing where he did, he
was struck down--we heard his screech
stifed beneath the debris. For about
five more seconds the earth seemed TO
be heaving and threatening universal
chaos; then all became still as tomb.
"a tombl We had our lamps; old
Jim and l looked, and saw that we
were cut off from the rest of the world
What happened next 1 hardly
know; was stupifed with the shock,
sick with mortal fear of death. He
and l stood staring mutely at each
other. The only thing recollect is
that his face was gray as marble, and
that line of froth stood on his lips.
''He was the first to come back to
sense. He gave one choking cry of
'JimP and staggered forward to that
black pile. The boys hand was stick
ing out from the bottom of it, clutch
ing convulsively at nothing. 1 sank
down and watched, in sort of dreary
fascination, as old Jim, uttering
strange cries, tore at the mass in a
mad frenzy. God help himl Jim was
the only thing he had in the world to
love. In less than five minutes he had
dragged him out, aud sat down to hug
him in, his arms. Dead? No; he could
just open his poor Justified eyes in
answer to his fathers whispers; but
we knew at once that he would never
again make the galleries echo his pierc-
ing whistle
''For whole hours, I suppose,
neither OF MS attempted to realize our
situation. We sat on in the dead ST.
lence, waiting for something to hap
pen. Once or twice we saw young
Jim's blackened lips move feely, and
each time his father would mutter
brokenly. 'Ay, my precious boy, wen
look after herl' Once the old man
broke out, quaveringly, into the hymn,
"Abide With Mel but he got no fur
ther than the third line. That, per-
haps, was about o'clock, but we
could keep no count of the time, as my
watch had stopped. Hour after hour
must have gone by, and still old Jim
sat, with rigid face and staring eyes,
clasping his burden. In all probability
it was morning above ground before al
last he spoke.
"'How long can We hold out, Mr..
Carson? I'm afraid to go on. I've
been goddess man all my time
That reused me. 1 examined our
position carefully. The passage was
about eight yards wide at this point,
and measured about twenty PAGES from
the end to where that solid wall oi
coal blocked our path to the outer
world. AS the bore ran level with the
foot of the north shaft, we were about
forty feet below the clear surface. We
had no food, and our lamps would
burn, say, another five or six hours
while the breathing air, hot and gas
eous already, would probably become
uncomfortable before the evening came
That was our situation, and let any
man conceive worse, if he can. Ont
slender chance of escape at the bes
left; perhaps the entire passage wal
not blocked, and we might force oui
way to the main gallery. 1 was no
afraid of death in the way that it comes
TO most people, but 1 was afraid t,
meet and struggle with it there. W.
sprang to the task, wild at the though
that those few hours of stupor nigh
have made all the difference.
.'You can guess what happened, an,
why, after long spell of fighting L
break through that horrible wall, oil,
Jim threw himself down with groal
and refused to go on. As fast as W
loosened one mass, another crashes
down in its place; at the end of our des
perate attempt we were half choke,
and blinded with dust, our hands wer
raw and we had made scarce any head
way. Barely, too, had we given III
the work as hopeless when my lam
flickered out; half an hour later, oil
Jim's followed suit.
"Total oblinonl As 1 sat and con
templated our fate, a faintness {
: mingled hunger and despair crept owe
} me. Young Jim, quite still, wa
} propped mp against the wall close BY
} Within few feet of me sat his father
) at times he would start up and shrie
4 out in nsmeless terror-at others D
would catch up his pick and hack I
: the walls with the fury Of a mania,
And worse was to come.
+ 81 think l must have tainted.
Q not seem to recollect any more unit
I the moment when became conseiou
4 of my mates hard breathing over MT
+; and of the fact that his hand was fee
: ing-or, so it seemed-foi| |my throa
I 1 dashed away, panting-under IL
shock of this new horror
t Jim, / gasped, for Heaven
n sake keep sanel If we're to go, let I
die like menP
T. ''No answer; heard him crawlir
I away, and that was all. The des