The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-09-23
A CURIOUS EXPERIENCE.
waiting in a Mine for a Blast to Go
of

OF.
A man with an empty sleeve told a GU
rlous story I'm one OF the hotel Hobbies last
night. "m 1859 L was prospecting in the
Joplin lead district" he said. land with
two partners had sunk a shaft about tn.f-
" feet deep on a promising claim. AZ INC
bottom OF the excavation we started 10
drift other words TO drive a. tuhnei
at right angles. one afternoon, "hen INC
tunnel had progressed some twelve ieet' X
became necessary 90 put IN blast vas
below at the time and my TWO coHp@i,-
ions were at the top, working the "lnu-
lass. 1 drilled o. hole m the formation
which was very hard. put in a Dynamic
cartridge. tanned it well with broken
rock. no the fuse and stepped mo me
bucket Al the first turn of the windlass
the rope broke az the top and dropped
down into the shaft. The bucket fen only
a yard or $50. but ! plunged head nfal
against The side. and IL was perhaps Il
couple OK minutes before 1 could collect
my senses. Then in a flash | realized my
situation ami Jumped back into the tunnel
20 extlngush tue fuse. but 40 had already
burned down to the tamping and an
could see was little smoke oozing out
through the rocks. I could hear my
partners yelling 90 me from above, but L
knew there Was no other rope IN our
camp, and the only thing could think OF
was 10 pick out the tamplng and get az
the fuse before Do reached the dynamite
For an I knew the explosion might take
place no any instant, but / grabbed a drill
and began to claw az the ughtpacked
rock Do "a few seconds 1 realized that IL
was hopeless task. SO | dropped inc
drill and T. last resort ran back TO the
shaft and Cr0uDhed against the TAR wan.
IF live to Doe a. thousand. continued
tie story teller. OF viii never forget my
agony while I waited for the blast 70 so
on. knowing fu'l well that my chances Tor
escape were almost too small for cOmpn-
tation ~ seemed as ~ tne explosion
would never 0cur. and AN the while "a
/ horrible panorama of death ana muula-
ton was rushing through my brain.
'Nowr Now Now" kept saying
aloud. thinking each time ! uttered The
word that The roar would follow. but 10
didn't ] could have sworn that ntteen
minutes elapsed. and / was beginning To
feel a wild hope that the fuse had gone
out. when an awful thunder-clap came
and everything disappeared. Ny partner
had secured new rope and were pullhs
me out when ] recovered consciousnt So
Ny left arm had been crushed and l was
peppored all over by flying rock, but SUI
fercd most from the poisonous gases of
the nitroglycerine in the dynamite. Next
day they took my arm at the elbow. and
it was six months before got out OF bed
Strange t0 say. my hearing wasn't ar
fected and. as YOU see ] have no scars
/ on my face So / may consider myself
very lucky ON more counts than one 10y
the way. there was one very strange M
| cident connected with the affair. As
said before. 10 seemed I'D me that lay
there am intermnable time waiting ion
the blast 90 60 off 'Afterward. when
was c0nyalescent. / mentioned the mat
ter to one of my partners and he looked
surprised He told me that he was at Oh.
shaft mouth when ] crouched down. and
that the explosion occurred Immediately
afterward lie was intending 10 drop bis
coat oyer me- but didn't have time 10 take
/ IL on."-New Orleans Times-Democrat