The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-10-04
DIGGING GOLD AND SILVER.
"A STORY Of the Earth's Inside.
II. +. Cable, in Boys World.

In all the silver and gold mines oi
the world there are more than 40, ,OO(
boys, from fourteen to seventeen
years Of age, employed. They work
on push carts, do the picking up, aic
in timbering, trim lights, look aftel
the horses and mules. and many time.
develop into expert miners.
These boys live underground from
eight to twelve hours every workinl
day and their pay is not very good
1t runs from forty cents to o dollar {
day in different mines, and the work
is not always steady. 1t is hare
work, too. The air breathed is heavy
and often damp. Strange gases FL
the shafts and may explode with great
. ruin. The boys take their lives in
their hands, for no one can tell when
a heavy timber or natural wall may
fall and bury all.
In one Of the gold mines in Colora.
do, called the Grey Eagle, two boys
working at the push carts, which reg.
ularly carried out the quartz, were
performing their duty one afternoon
some 200 feet below the earth's sur.
face, when with a low rumble tic
sides and top Of the shaft ahead and
behind them fell, in.
Albert Dixon, the older boy, soon
ascertained that the CAVERN had com.
pletely filed the shaft, leaving about
them just small pocket in which
The air was none too good; but, lying
fat on the floor Of this pocket, he
found plenty of fresh air moving
there, and 80 told his companion,
Thomas Connor.
The cavern was an extensive ono.
although the boys did not know it at
the time. Ahead of them over a
hundred feet Of shaft had been filed
and back of them some forty feet.
For them to get out, the filled space
ahead would have to be shoyeled
away.
Caught just like rat" said Dix
on to Connor.
The darkness around them was like
pitch. Their lamps had gone out and
they had no matches. When anyone
could rescue them or they ever have
food again WAS serious question.
But although mine boys, they were
not towards. Now what they did
Connor told after he had escaped.
He said: IL.
! was mighty scared at our fix, but
AL, my partner, he sort Of fixed up q
place where we could lie easy and he
says to me:
s''We'll sleep when we want to,
and, when We oan's sleep, we'll sing,
and then we'll forget our trouble.
Soon as the men get to digging we II
have q chance to get out
$50 when we wasn't asleep we d
sing, al could sing Pull for the
shore, sailor like a brick; and I
knew NY Old Kentucky Home, and
some other songs. He'd sing to me
and I'd sing to him. But, when TWO
days Was gone, we was awful hungry
and week. We couldn't tell in there
how much time was gone except by
the way our stoinaohs felt.
5y2$ 53$ II got to thinking Of every good
thing ! ever bad to eat-pie, cake,
cream, bread and butter, doughnuts,
etc, but AL told me to let up on that,
cause I'd get hungrier. We cut
pieces of leather out Of our shoes and
chewed them, aud that helped our
stomaehs: Is {;.s.
'.'Then I began to get faint, but al
he cheered me up. He says right
along +
s:' ;'Ps; We're goiugto get out Of this;
help 8 coming. just hold on" !. .3
s !. 3 Isl Finally. we hears the thumping
OF picks. It sounded like Knocking
( and it got nearer and nearer. and f,va