Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-08-08

Mdnnaltan, New, Aug. Ito be
whizzed up and down 2OO-foot
shaft for two hours, with a maniac
at the throttle of the hosting ma
chine, is the experience vouchsafed
to Jack" Wright, miner employed
in the Jumping Jack mine here.
At noon one day recently Jack"
who has good appetite came up
from the lower levels to eat his
luncheon in the sunshine. At one
O'Clock he stepped upon the bucket"
by which his companions had already
dropped back to work and signaled
to the engineer at the hoist, who was
in plain view. to lower him. The
latter, John Pugh by name, started
to comply. He had released the
brake and the big drum about which
the cable was coiled had ALREADY
made several revolutions when Rich
ard Perry walked into the hoist
house.
OIOp IhuI puShSI. HS Sdlu.
Pugh, his eyes glued to the paying
out cable, paid no attention. Perry,
the former engineer at the hoist,
had been fired several weeks before
for drunkenness, and ever since he
had been lounging in harmless
drunken befuddlement about the
works.
stop that bucket" repeated Per-
ry.
wait a minute till get Jack
down." said Pugh, with a concila-
tory manner.
stop that bucket" said Perry.
There was something so insistent
in the command that time Pugh look
ed up. He glanced up into the muz-
zle of a 45-Colt, behind which two
eyes, out of the sockets with manical
frenzy, glared.
"Wait minute" Pugh started to
say, trying to gain time.
Perry gnashed his teeth, placed
the cold muzzle upon Pugh's temple
and cooked the gun. Pugh put on
the heel, jumped out of the rear
window and went down the hill to
get help.
Perry calmly established himself
upon the vacated stool, his cooked
six shooter conveniently at hand.
He released the brake. The drum
began to revolve, slowly at first, then
faster, till it hummed. Then, just as
the extermem of the cable was al
most reached, Perry jammed on the
brakes, relocked them, jammed them
on again, and brought the thing to
a stop at the place on the cable
where a piece of twine showed the
reaching of the lowest level. I'M
mediately however, he threw the
electric controller forward a notch,
then another, then full on, and the
drum began to revolve in the other
direction. Up wound the cable, the
drum fairly buzzing. Perry kept his
eyes on the shaft. Suddenly the
bucket whizzed out of the opening
up into the sunlight. Perry threw
off the controller. snapped on the
brakes, and the bucket stopped
bare six inches from the top OF the
gallows frame. Then off came the
brakes and down swooped the bucket
into the shaft again. When 1t got
down 1t came up again; when II
was up it went down again-all at
full speed. And this is the game that
for two hours, alone upon the top OF
Gold Hill. the mad engineer played
AS for Wright-meanwhile he was
not having a nice time. When Pugh
had made his discreet exit he mad
found himself in a motionless bucket
swinging idly between two levels
He was just reaching over 10 ring
,wo hells for further descent when
the bucket started down. His satis-
faction was of short Duration how
ever Down dropped the bucket at
a speed that jumped Wright's heart
into his mouth. There were dig
drops of Precipitation upon his non
est brow when the thing stopped with
a Jerk. He as on the point OF clam
herring down when, "Z-z-z-z- tue
bucket began to slide upward rhe
speed increased to a mad one
This time he was sure there was
something wrong. and So very wise
~ he dropped to the bottom OF the
bucket making himself as small a.
nossible and anchoring himself win
- - hack I'D he shot;