The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-02-02

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| life to save that of his son. He
watched him then lest he should do
| that which might neces state bis de-
parture from this world at the hands
of the sheriff. His watching brought
| him great uneasiness. Back Jake had
changed. He did not seek an oppor-
tunity to revenge his defeat in open
| fight. Rather he avoided Carroll, and
when they were together, and, work
| ing in the same shaft they could not
keep apart, he was quiet, and fair
| spoken. This was not Black Jake's
nature and the old man feared for
what was to come.
Sitting at his post, looking down ut
the three men below him. old Murphy.
in the Pickering light of the miners
lamps, caught a glimpse of his sons
face and a terror fell Cd him. Some
thing told him in those set and suilen
features and eyes that seemed to burn
with inward fire that The time had
come.
With rattle and rush the heavy
iron bucket plunged down through the
darkness and touched the water ere
it stopped, slowly turning with the
twist of the rope that, like a Thin line
of black, disappeared in the blackness
above.
Jake Murphy gripped it and sprang
inside. Only two men could so up in
it at once.
"Come Jim," he cried, "get in," and
looked at Carroll.
Old Murphy's tongue was ioosened.
Hold on, JIM" he called out. Il
want yer to help me fix this valve
afore yer go up"
Jim turned irresolute. In that mo-
ment the other man jumped in the
bucket
"All right he cried, LET her gor'
Carroll saw that the bucket was
filled. He must wait, and grasping the
lever he gave the signal to the engin-
eer on top. There was moments
pause land then. with a strong and
| sudden rush, the bucket and it's occu-
pants vanished in the darkness.
On top it was calm, still Summer
| night. Above the heads of the two
men as they stepped out of the swing
ing bucket rose the framework OF mas
sive timbers that supported the huge
sheave wheels. Twenty yards away
stood the engine-house, the steam still
| curling from the exhaust pipes. AS
they left the bucket Black Jake bid his
companion a surly good night and
started off as though for home. But
once out of sight lie turned and swiftly
and silently crept back. He passed
the mouth of the shaft, and disap-
peared in the shadow of the engine
| house.
Within the engine house Tom .Allis,
the engineer, stood at his post. Re
| fore him was the huge conical drum
sixteen feet in diameter, round which
| the snake-like cable was coiled in
| grooves. On each side OF him were
those mighty engines whose gigantic
power could, when the time came.
snatch the carriage and loaded Car UP
those twelve hundred feet of depth in
fifty seconds. With one hanl on The
throttle 'he waited for the signal to
lower. 1t came. The bell clanked, The
throttle shot open, the steam rushed
into the great cylinders, and down
dropped the bucket like n stone
dropped down well. With steady
eye Allis marked the cable as it reeled
swiftly off the drum. He never no.
ticed the slowly-revolving dial that
told of the buckets descent. For his
practiced eye bar of white paint
daubed on the cable was better
guide. In another instant that white
mark was off the drum, when the
throttle was closed, the reversing bar
shot back with crash, again the
steam rushed into the cylinders. and
the engine, with n few short pants,
stopped. The bucket swung ut the
same depth within half an inch that
il had when Jack Blake climbed on
the board. 1t was Tom Allis's boast
that if he. knew Il mans exact height
he could drop that bucket on his head
without doing more than smooth out
his hair.
He knew there was one more man TO
come up. The pump runners shift
would not expire for four hours yet.
and all the sinkers but one were up.
With his hand on the throttle lever he
waited for the signal to hoist. a
minute passed and two, but he stood
like q craven statue.
Clank. clank! clank. The bell struck
three times. 1t was the signal 70
hoist with care. as human weight filled
the bucket. Slowly he drew the throt-
tie open, and the gigantic engines,
waking from their britt rest, once
more sent the drum flying round. Coil
after coil of writing cable was wound
about it. One hand ON the throttle
and the other on the reversing lever.
Tom Allis watched the spinning drum
and the white marks on it that told
him when 10 stop. As he stood there
he felt the reversing lever shake ana
tremble. as if some one had touched
it. He bad no time to think of this. for
in another second the bucket was
within one hundred feet of the surface.
He closed the throttle and pushed the
reversing lever.
4 wild cry burst from his lips. As
he pushed it. the bar shot back with
rafting crash. but the reversing gear
never moved. The engines would not
reverse. In that awful moment his
presence of mind never left him. He
seized the brake bar and threw all his
weight upon it. The band of steel that
circled the drum gripped tight. But
what could that do to stop the mas
sive engines running at high speed?
He jammed it back and rushed from
Tho on trifla hnnSp