The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-09-04
GHOSTS IN
DEEP MINES

which develop among the men who
toll in the dampness of the mine de-
clares the Butte (MontD correspond
ent of the Philadelphia Record And
of all superstitions there are none
more weird than those of the grave
yard shift The graveyard shift is
the dead of night-usually between
II D. III. and a. m.-and IL is then
that the "tommy-knockers' are most
often heard. Nearly all Of the big
mines of the west are in operation
constantly during the "a hours on
every day and the seven days OF
every week. A great mining plant
does not shut down on the Fourth
of July or even Christmas, The men
are driving the drills, the shots are
being fired, the broken ore shoYeied
into cars and carried out through
the shaft or tunnel and the DIG
mills are grinding, pounding and roar
ing for 365 days in the year ne
miner who works steadily has no
variation in his life He is as far
away from the world as the sailor at
sea, and the conditions are far more
propitious for the birth and growth
of superstitions,
Suddenly, in the never-ceasing drip,
drip of the water, no hears some
sound-the regular ring OF hammer
not far from him He is puzzled. for
he knows that he is alone in that
part of the mine. Never doubling tire
accuracy of his understanding, ne
takes his candle from the rock and
tramps through the tunnel toward The
sound of the drilling. He stops to
listen. 1t seems above and he CLIMBS
up into a raise whcre ore has bee"
taken down from above the tunnel
The drilling ceases The miner
stops in surprise He is alone, 500
feet below ground, except for THIS IN
known companion. There is a mo.
ment of silence, intensified, it seems,
by the drip. drip, drip of the water and
the utter darkness.
Not far ahead the miner suddenly
hears new sound Some one is walk
ing rapidly through the tunnel with
a regular tread, splashing in the mu@
and water The miner his candle at
his side, quickly follows He almost
runs in his haste to find his compan-
ion. But the tramp and splash Of the
feet are always just ahead
of him He stops and shouts
Hey! Who are you, there?'
No answer comes, and he calls
again and again Still he hears in
the darkness the tread and splash OF
the phantom feet All at once
strong man is filled with fear lie
begins to tremble and grow cold and
then, in panic of dread, he turns and
fees. stumbling and plunging through
the tunnel to the shaft.
And the mine has mysterious voices,
too. A veteran miner tells OF
strange warning which came to him
once and a narrow escape from death.
lie was working in mine in Montana
in charge OF the pumps, which were
kept constantly going to keep the
mine from filling with water. When
each crew or shift Of men finished
work he would regularly make an in
spection of the five pumps which were
in operation.
The ore was lifted from this mine
on an inclined shaft The cars, which
run on wheels up such shaft, are
called "skips,' and 1t was the break
ing of skip which came near be-
ing fatal that night The pump in
spector had visited four of the pumps
aud was about to start down the shaft
to the fifth. which was 500 feet below
ground, when. as he tells me, he felt
q peculiar feeling of fear and a voice
directly over his shoulder said to him.
Don't you go down that shaft to-
night
The miner stopped. He seemed al
most 10 feel the breath OF the voice
against his check Then he told him
self he was foolish to heed any imag
inings. and he went down 70 the
pump. When he reached the 5oo-foot
level he began at once his inspection
pf the machinery. Back in the tunnel,
which extended away in the darkness.
the water stood nearly filling the pas
sage. over a mans head in depth.
A hundred feet above an ore car
hlled with tons of rock was emptied
into a skip which was started mp
the inclined shaft toward the surface
4 moment later the man working al
tie pump heard a crashing, a terrific
rafting sound He realized at once
that the skip had broken and that
The tons Of rock were tumbling
toward him down the shaft. Instinc-
lively he nattened himself against the
wall. aud the rock came like an ava
anche. Most Of il he escaped. but
Seavy pieces struck his shoulders.
causing painful bruises. But that was
not the worst.
soon the air was filed with hiss
ing steam. The load OF ore in its fall
had broken steam pipe above. and
the inspector knew that in few min
uies more he would be smothered
The steam was binding II was hot
and sitting in his nostrils and his
lungs But he had little time 10
think Only one course was open
He plunged into the icy water of the
tunnel and swan Of into the dark