The Florence daily tribune., 1899-02-23
MEET DEATH FeARLESsLY.
Entombed Miners Pass the Time In
Playing Gumcs.

Playing Gnmcs.
A mining story would be considered
incomplete without a narrowing de
scriptiun of the hero 3 sufferings during
an underground catastrophe. People ex-
pect it. and never doubt that the scnsa-
tions of the imprisoned miner are nc
curateiy pictured. But those who have
had experience in rescuing colliers from
living tombs know that the men do not
always act in the sentimental manner
attributed TO them. On the contrary
not a few of them face their horrible
death smilingly, refusing to give way
to vain regrets and tears.
When a great mass of coal fell in a
northern pit, completely blocking up
the side passages, 20 men and Il, vs. were
trapped in IA remote part of the work
ings. To dig these unfortunate fellows
ont "A relief party worked madly but
the coal was hard, and at the Close of
the first day the fearful women at the
pit brow we're still waiting for news
Another day passed without good It'd
ings, and it vas not until the third
morning that faint humming sound
of coal They re alive, shrieked one
of the party, land singing hymns to
show their faith!''
After that all worked with redoubled
energy, straining their ears meanwhile
to catch the chanting of the under
ground choir Ii soon became evident
however that the miners were not
singing at all They were laughing and
shouting like children, and the familiar
cry of Ducks off was clearly heard
by the anxious rescuers Two more
hours of superhuman effort followed
and then the black partition gave way
revealing the pale ard haggard miners
in the very act of playing n game dear
to the collier's heart Hello. lads! We
didn't expect to see yel' laughed one
of them. stopping to replace the lump
of coal which served as the duck '
"Ah. reckon yen stop an hev game
wi us afore we go backY'' And the half
famished men and boys actually insist,
ed on finishing the game before they
would allow themselves to be taken to
the shaft
After a very similar accident in an.
get through the coal in time to be of
service, and five sturdy miners We're
found dead behind the cruel barrier
That they had died coolly and fearless
ly, though. was beyond question, for on
the damp floor We're scores of little mar
bles made from compressed coal dust
and two of the men We're lying at full
length with their fists screwed upready
to flip. Their wan faces smiled even
in death, and this touching proof of
their unfailirs optimism brought tears
to the eyes of every one who entered
the pit
Falls OF coal and floods are terrible
catastrophes, but the average collier
fears an explosion of fire damp most of
all, One occurred not so very long ago
in u little Midland pit, and Is good men
and true We're shut off from the cage by
tons upon tons of coal The anxious
crowd ut the pit mouth waited until
the foul gas had been cleared from the
cutting and then began their work of
rescue, with little hope of saving their
mates from the suffocating fumes of the
fire damp Progress was rapid, however,
and before long the relief party got into
the narrow passage
Here they saw n sight which fairly
made them gasp, for the . colliers were
on the floor, some of them dead and
others sitting mp and unconcernedly
singing comic songs A little farther ON
was football, improvised from the
colliers shirts and caps and bearing un-
mistakahle signs of recent and rough
use. We thowt rs long as we'd got to
dee we'd dee kickin. explained one of
the survivors, 80 we rugged up foot
ball an punched it abart in t dark
George theer fell dahn dead as he wor
scOrin goal but we went on playin to
pass time on. an then t gas cleared off
bit.
Only four of that brave bevy of min
ers came out of the pit alive, but they
assured their questioners that the Others
had laughed and sung in the very face
of death. -Cassell's Saturday Journal
The Ants Intelligence.
=. A..