The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-05-29


| he answered.
Brown was now several hundred feet
| from us. Mitchell and | stood to-
| gether, shielding our faces with both
hands. for the flying bits of sharp
coal were not only dspuietine, but
positively annoying. ] again said that
we should be moving out. or, at least,
to place of safety. wncre we could
/ await Browns return.
with Mitchell 1t was n struggle for
mastery between his pride and his
| Judgment. While he was dciberating
there was a tremendous dcafening
rush of air through the gangWay,
throwing us forcibly off our feet and
against a pile of coal in the road.
Both lights were put out, and the
hats blown off our heads. 'rhat was
followed by crash after crash Of roof,
| until the falling rock seemed to be
almost upon us. 1t was some time be-
fore either of us was able to speak.
Fear. or the surety of death. at least,
| makes towards of us all Some men
may tell YOU otherwise, but If they
toll the truth they will also tell you
that of all the emotions of this thing
we call life, that one which prccedcs
grave danger while there is still
hope, is the most enchanting and over
rowering, and the one which makes
you its slave at once.
Mitchell spoke first, and said that
in cropping about he luckily put his
hands on one of our lamps. He then
tried to light match. and to our
dismay failed. The air was damp and
heavy now, and for the first time chill
ly. the last fall having evidently
drawn from the old workings: for we
, were in the bottom vein. Without any
preliminarieS we inStintively began to
crawl over the piles of coal that lay
in the road. We suffered bitterly with
the shooting particles from the pillars.
for many times they cut our faces
deeply and the blood oozed freely. We
continued in this desperate and dis
heartcning way to retreat until we
presumed to have reached a place of
safety. whore we might await Brown,
if he We're still alive and able to get
there.
Brown came in a half hour. He had
neither light nor lamp. His face and
hands were cut and bleeding. and he
only escaped frim the last fan with
his life. IT'S all down" he said;
never had so close call in my life
Let us get out.
In the total darkness our way out
was tedious and difficult beyond de-
scription. We had one lamp, but we
failed in lighting it. The damp air
affected the matches and made it inn
possible to ignite them by friction. Still
we hoped to follow the road by keep
one foot on the rail and by sliding it
along make what progress we could
That was practicable of course. after
we had passed the 'working" pillars,
and our passage was no longer retard-
ed by fallen coal. We had moved in
this manner possibly quarter of a
mile, when we We're stopped by a
great obstruction right across the road
Brown was leading again. and he
lost heart for the first time. when
he said 1--WE are closed in" Another
fa!l had occurred since we had passed
there in the morning. 1t came. too.
without any warning, at least without
any reaching us.
The end WAS seemingly in sight now.
Ahead of us, so far as we could learn
by climbing the cave-in. even to the
very roof the fall was complete, and
our way of escape wholly shut off
On the other end of the gangway. as
'Hp''l'i ny IplON u, lHt lull WAS so
extensive that it brought down cham
bers and heading.
The bravest of us trembed. Death
was indisputably imminent. viewed
from any side. True, we had no case
Gus air TO fear; for the seam we we're
in is above the level of the sea. and
evolves no gas. No one saw us enter
ing the mine, and The chances of get
a fl,n
of our failure to return, was too re-
mote to contemplate.
In maddening fear We pushed be-
tween props and along the pillar look
ing for an entrance into the airway.
which parallels the headway. But
there was none, Our condition chal-
lenses description. The anguish of
mind was quite sufficient to drive one
crazy. We got together and talked
the situation over, but there was no
hope. Experience was banled: srnti-
ent nature overcome. In mute dciec-
tion each one stood alone, utterly
broken in spirit and secretly wishing
the end.
And while We stood within the shad-
oW, awaiting the menaced blow. what
is life, after all, | unused. Work and
worry, disappointed ambition. broken
hopes, place for things transitory
and vain, sometimes the prelude to an
ienominious end, and always to thai
long, last sleep, which comes to us all
as sure as the eternal succession of
day and night"
But | noticed that as soon as we Lost
hope We also lost fear Is that our
cowardice translated into our courage
Is the transition i'm emotions tho f,r.o