The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-06-16

No man goes more cheerfully on the
way to death than the miner. One
would think that the eternal darkness
OF the pit would make men miserable
and morose. Instead, the men whose
lives are spent in perpetual gloom are
bright. light-hearted, and eminently
content with their lot. In the winter
time they see the light of heaven only
on Sundays; for during the other days
1t is dark when they go to their work
and dark when they return; that is,
| if they return: for from the moment
they step into the cage that is to take
put themselves within touch of death
| in thousand ways.
What dark hole death may spring
from. of course no one knows The rope
may break, let the cage fall thousand
feet down. and smash sixteen human
beings into an unacceptable mass
of the days work. something might go
wrong with the -guides-thfs
thing happens rather often-then the
upcoming cage catches the down-go-
| ing one, and the men and boys are
ground very small.
| AS man walks slowly along the
| tunnel to his work, perhaps a slight
| fdgetiness on the part of Nature
| loosen the stones in the roof. The
stone that drops may seem to only
| touch the mans cap. But the touch
| is enough. His comrades carry him
| home on a rough stretcher of wood
with some tar-canvas over him. The
poor mother and her children weep.
| The dangers in the "face"-that is,
at the actual work of cutting the coal
are so many that it would be quite
impossible to mention all.
But the eminent danger is the Red
Death! Scientists have long been at
work trying to discover and eliminate
this source of wholesale slaughter.
They know that two things, and two
things alone, are responsible; a large
accumulation of gas and an exposed
artificial light. AS the work OF break
ing out the coal itself produces gas,
that evil is inevitable: and as artificial
light is necessary to do the work, why,
that evil is also inevitable. Taken
separately, these things do no harm.
But the moment they come together 1t
is the signal that a few hundred simple
souls are called by God.
Red Death fills the black roads. It
flies raging, blazing, through the long
galleries. seeking whom it may devour.
It comes out of the darkness with a
roar. It's fury shakes the earth. The |
roof trembles, breaks, and down comes
the mountain in myriads of pieces. The |
dust mingles with the great flames; |
the volume of fire becomes too vast |
for the narrow tunnel The side walls |
crumble, burst out, and give the blaze |
more room. The ground rocks under |
the mems feet: they totter and fall; |
and the appalling fire-torrent rushes |
over them.
Every man and boy in the pit cries
out with terror They know that the |
rolling thunder they hear is the roar
of death. Even the horses-there may
be three or four hundred of them-un-
derstand why the roads and walls are
trembling. Then men, boys, and horses
rush out. The only way to escape is
where the light of day comes down
the shaft.
This is far away from where they
are and they scream with the horror
that is upon them
Just as they turn the corner of their
little gallery to get to the main artery
they see the fire. It fills the whole
road. It is a great river of red, blue,
and green. The gases and dust of the
roads Give If MANY cOIOrS
The men, the boys, the horses, rush
on before it. It will overtake them.
But they rush on. with the poor hope
that they can outrun death.
The long, narrow tunnel becomes a
tumble of human beings and animals.
The men shout, the boys scream. the
horses neigh and scream with terror,
and trample on the weaker creatures.
The dust rises in black clouds. By and
by that dust will help to make the
flames more fierce and strong. Then
it will gain on the living mass rush
ng before it, and men, boys, and |
horses will lie down, quiet, and the :
will pass over them. &
Even if they escape this monster Of I
Red Death, he has a follower more t
erribe than himself. For behind the t
lame comes perfect whirlwind of fur a