Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-10
GHOSTS UNDER GROUND.
of BituminOus Coal
Mines.
New York SUM-

lNtW IOih
Ghosts in coal minesr said a western
Pennsylvania mine operator well L
never saw any myself. but IL should go
among my miners, especially the old
timers. and say l didn't believe there
were such things in mines. and make
light of the subject, they would be re-
luctant to continue working for me, fear
ing that some vindictive disembodied
tenant of underground chambers might
waylay and punish them for laboring for
one who regarded~ft with such irreverent
scepticism. Conclusive demonstration OF
the deep-grounded superstition Of old BIZ
luminous coal miners In this respect Is
furnished by the. regard in which they
hold what they call the Haunted Test
Hole Mine, on my property. / haven't
had any other than newly hired miners
from other fields working In that mine
for years-men who have never neafo
what the prevailing belief Is among nome
miners as to the character OF the mine.
1.-THE bituminous coal mines. as you
may know, are entirely different in their
working from the anthracite mines. Inc
coal from which Is reached by means or
deep shafts, and mined in tunnels that
diverge from the shafts on all sides ana
at various depths. The bituminous mines
In which the coal lies near the surface,
are worked by digging into the sides OF
the hills I'm slopes or drifts-often called
pits or banks. These excavations fire.
auentIy extend miles under ground, run
ming In irregular galleries and passages
here and there, until the earth, after
years of working a mine, has become
vast honeycomb or network or subterra-
mean channels. When any OF these are
worked out they are simply abandoned
and left NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. where per-
petual darkness reigns, except Wnen
some struggling miner. his supposed
knowledge of the intricacies OF the apan-
doned chambers having been at fault
wanders among them with his feeble
lamp. seeking deliverance from them.
zone great danger that lies In the UNI
known way OF miner lost In such
mine is the test-hole Of chamber. A
test-hole Is a shaft sunk in the mine TO
test the depth or thickness OF coal vein.
and these shafts are always deep ana
frequently filled with water. There are
vast lakes also in the furthest depths OF
these deserted passages, which yawn ror
the bewildered wanderer. These lakes
are where a vein has been followed In us
dip-that Is. its obiique descent from its
ways followed by the miners until II
either ceases TO be a dip and the vein re-
sumes its horizontal position again, or
goes so far into the depths that further
working of the vein becomes either I'M
possible or Improbable. In this latter
case 1t Is, of course, abandoned. Water
gradually enters the chamber until II
reaches its level, and the working be-
comes a lake. Some of these under
ground bodies of water are or unknown
depth. and II requires a stout heart In
man for him to stand on the gloomy Dor
ders Of one of these and peer out upon
it's dark water. lying In the eerie glimmer
of the light a miners lamp can shed upon
il. Then think of the staring. CHASTITY
face of a drowned miner floating there.
and coming slowly within the faint line
OF that vision. 1 have seen II more than
once, and II there IS anything that might
bring the most sceptical and stolid of
men to the belief that ghosts haunted
these awesome depths. think such q
sight with such surroundings might DO
IT, / don't think 1t strange. therefore.
that ignorant. impressionable men. pass
ing more than half their lives amid such
surroundings, should be grounded In u
like belief beyond the power Of reason
ing to change Il.
Years ago. among the men working
in one OF my mines, were two likely
young fellows. one an Englishman. the
other an Irishman. They had been good
friends enough until they both fell IN
lovo with the same girl, the daughter o.