Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-11-01

Yes, it's true, and I'll say it ag'in-
I'd heap liefer stand still, aud see a
si1-shooter p'inted at ne, with an en-
emy's finger on the trigger, than see
q candle fame a-p'inlin' toward me!
Cause why, you mought, by some
means, get over the bullet but You
can't ne, er get over the fame; faint
no use to laugh, cause it's SO, and
thsre's no miner but what knows it,
and knows a mans doomed when a
fame p'ints him out. There amt no
dodgin' it, nor palaverin' it, nor brib-
in tit just follers man round, and
p'ints straight at him, like finger
p'intin' to q signboard with 'Dead
man" writ on.
Most people thinks that accidents
in mines is quick and sudden; now,
that amt so at all, leastwise as far as
warnin's is concerned. Inever knowed
trouble to niue, or to the miners,
but what some one had seen signs of
danger that we miners knows how to
read.
You see them two lamps hangin' up
yonder in the corner, with dust >and
cobwebs all over 'em? Well, I
wouldn't have en- lighted, not if I had
to go in darkness all my life for want
of 'em!
There's story to 'em both-one's
short one, and t'other long one.
I'll tell 'em both-the short one first:
had q mate, Bob Williams-me
and him worked together most Of the
time, and one day I noticed the flame
of my candle fickcrin' and twistin'
about Till it p'inted rig( at Bob, and
there it kept steady for two honrs or
more, follerin' him round, when he
moved, as if it was tied fast to him.
My heart feltas heavy rs lead-I
knowed it meant mischief; but [ didn't
say ,nothin' to Bob, except warnin
him to be extra careful about the blast
for me and him was blastin' that
day.
Well, he got through all right, and,
as we stepped on the cage to be drawn
up the shaft, I began to think the
candle-aame was givin' warnin' loo
soon for once. though I might
a-kuowed better, too; but I felt kind OF
queerish ag'in as I saw it a-stretchin'
out, long and thin, p'intin' still tow
ardBob, while the cage went slowly
ap The shaft. /,
Az ggewcas
kind of leap, and at the same second
4 Bob gave a loud cry, and staggered
backward off the cage-we was both
standin' up and holdin' on to the
chains-and down he went hundreds
of feet, dashin' his poor body all to
pieces against The rough sides; aud, ,as
he fell, my light went out.
It's never been lit since, and never
will be, while I'm livin man.
That's the short story-I just telled
it to prove what said about the can
dle-fame; the one Tm comm to now
is the one I promised you, and the
flame gave warnin' then, too, as 1t
alters does, if it's watched proper by
them as know it.
It was all in the papers about the
trouble at Barwood shaft, but it's
mighty different thing, the settin' in
an easy chair and readin' about acci-
dents, to the bein' in 'em and sliferin'
'em yourself, can tell you, special
when there's somebody along with you
as you care a heap more about than
You do about yourself, and that's how
3 it was with me, as you'll see present
ly.
Barwood mine was one of the finest
coal mines to be found anywhere, and
had been worked many long year,
and it's owners was as rich as the old
fellow I've heard tell of-a king named
Cry-sis, or Crow-sis, it don't matter
which.
Twas just married when I got the
chance of bein' overseer of the men in
the Barwood mine. It was q pretty
responsible post, though, OF course,
there was higher ones. I had to see
that the men did their work proper,
and follered the orders that were give
me for 'em by the manager.
There was map OF the mine
a-hangin' up in the office, and used
to study itreg'lar, so as to get all the
turns and twists in my head; aud the
more l studied its lay, the more an
idea crept into my mind and wouldn't
be got out. It was just this:
TIE mine, as I said, was an old one,
and the part we was workin' in now
wasn't the oldest part. There was one
part that had been abandoned, because
once, years before, the water had broke
through and drowned 20 men, and all
their tryin' hadn't ever got the water
out ag'in; it was spread all through the
mine below old Barwood shaft like the
great underground lakes I've read of,
and lookin' down'into the big, gaping
mouth of the shaft, you could see the
water gleamin' 200 feet below.
So the owners had to sink another
shaft away off to the lett of the old
one, over mile away. and then they
commenced workin' ag'in. They had
been diggin' in kind OF circle from
the new shaft, stretchin' away in
every direction, and as pondered over
that map, it grew on me like, that one
Of the levels was gettin' entirely too
close to the old Barwood shaft, and
there might be danger of the penned-
up lake a-bustin' through, and drown
in out the new mine just rs it had
done the old one.
The idea wouldn't leave me at all,
and I got so restless and uneasy that
my wife noticed it.; but when I told
her at last, she laughed and made fun
of my pertendin' to know more than
the manager.
''You promised to let me go down
with you some day." says she, land
now you must take me down with you
tomorrow. Poo! to think of your
bein' afraidp'
I tried to turn her mind, but go she
would, and, as never broke my word