News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-02-20


he had anticipated. The terms of thu
alnion were rejected. 1t was decided
by the other owners that a force of
anen should be at once placed at work
with steam shovels on the stock piles
$50 as to move the ore and in case
there was trouble the troops would b,
called out Stuart refused to take ac-
ton on his own mines. He would not
yet precipitate matters by getting new
men either for the stock piles or the
mines, He came back home the next
day with the feeling that he was at
present in a condition of indecision and
waiting. He could not sympathze
with the strike, he did not believe the
union was wise in refusing to let the
Champion miners go to work, and he
could not help feeling that a great ca
gamity of some kind was impending.
1t was two days after his return that
che event occurred which really shaped
and nodded his whole after life. The
mines were still manned by pump men.
They had not been called out by the
SllllOI. lUI the IGdSOu luuL IL ODCG lIG
water in the mines rose above the diff
ferent levels and flowed in among the
timbers the mines would become ruin
ed. and the loss would be as heavy fol
the miners as the owners. in case the
strike ended and work was again re
Sumed. From six to eight men remain
ed at each mine. There were an engi
neer, an assistant engineer, two fire
men and three or four pump men, &C
cording to the size and number or
pumps. These were kept going day
and night, as the water rose very rap
idly if left to flow.
Stuart had gone up to the Davis
mine, one Of the newer ventures of his
Gather and recently developed. Its
greatest depth was 900 feet. 1t had Il
nnanhole with ladders and a shaft at
some distance from it for the skip" oil
iron carriage used for hauling ore to
the surface. There were six men a,
this mine in charge at this time.
Stuart had come to the engine house
and was talking with the engineer
when Eric came in.
Stuart called him over to the dry
room, where the miners changed their
clothing for miners dress.
eric, | want to go down into the
mine. Won't you go with me? l want
to see again for myself what the wor,,
is, and besides there is new pump a
the bottom that | want to look at"
Eric consented, and the two soon haG
on the miners dress and were going
down the ladders. 1t was getting late in
the afternoon, and they left orders with
the engineer that when they gave tn
signal from the bottom be might lei
down the skip, and they would CONT
up in that.
For an hour they explored different
levels. Stuart was restless and seemed
tntent on realizing as fully as possible
just how the miners worked. He climb
ed up into difficult places and even
fred off a blast in one chamber, using
one of the powder sticks left by the
men when they came out.
At last he and Eric stood at the bot
tom of the mine. This was an eXcava
ton about IA feet across, and the wa
ter ran in very much as if it had beer
a cistern. BY leaning back against the
could be seen Eric was sitting thus
with his back to the ladder rounds anC
iis feet in the water which ran over
the floor of the mine about four inches
deep and Stuart was examining the
pump at TIE other side of the shaft
when a terrible thing happened A
noise like the roar of q torrent grew
about these two men, and before Eric
could get out from his position agains
the ladders mass of iron ore came
rushing down the manhole, breaking
out rounds of the ladders as it fell. and
bounding from side to side. struck Erie
on the shoulders with terrific force an(
threw him face downward in the wa
ter.
Stuart was at his side in a moment
Tie raised him and by the light of thu
candle in his hat saw the nature of tn,
accident. He could not think whethe
the mass had fallen or been thrown
purposely into the shaft. He dragged
Eric away from the foot of the ladder
de was seriously injured. With tn,
one thought of getting him to the to
as soon as possible Stuart seized tn
lever ut the bottom of the ore shat
and pulled it back as a signal to tn
engineer to let down the skip. Their
was no answering signal, and Stual
pulled the wire rope again. Still no al
swer. lie looked up through the mai
shaft What was that? The pump ha
suddenly stopped below. But what wa
that great light at the top? 1t must b
nearly shutdown now. Something wa
on frei The truth flashed upon hi
that the engine house over the mai
shaft was on fire, The ladders affor(
ed escape for man possibly. but ne
incumbered with a body, and a dea
body perhaps at that. Stuart dashe
water in Eric's face, and he groane'
lie was not dead, but unconscious. An
then the whole situation forced itse
into Stuart's mind. He was prisont
with a helpless wounded man at Il
Bottom of mine 900 feet deep, the e
CINE house was on fire or some accidel
had happened to prevent the lowerir
of the skip, the pumps had stopped, al
the water in the mine was rising rapi