The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-09-27

The whole plot was nearly upset by
| Hamilton S eagerness to see it brought
to a successful end, Being certain that
| the tunnel was sufficiently long, he dug
upward, contrary to Rose s counsel, anC
| found, to his dismay, that the hole ht
| had broken was outside the shed il
plain view of the sentinels if they chose
| to notice it. Rose then pushed an old
shoe through the hole and the next day
| by looking out an upper window saw
where the old shoe lay and made q re
calculation.
On Saturday, February 6, 1864, il
seemed almost certain that the Con,
.federates had discovered the plot. Rose
decided to push the work to an i'm
mediate conclusion. On Sunday Rats
hell was usually neglected by the Con
federates, and Rose entered the tunnel
and worked all day without food or rest,
accomplishing twice the distance that
any digger had done up to that time.
The earth was composed of dense, hard
sand. The only implement was a broad
bladed cold chisel.
On Monday morning Rose again de-
scended to the work. 1t was the seven
teenth day of that tunnel, and Rose
resolved that it should be the last.
Until an hour after midnight this
work went on. Rose was nearly a
physical wreck. The perspiration soak
ed his weary limbs. He could scarcely
initiate his lungs with the poisonous air.
His head swan.
In the agony of suffocation he drop,
ped the dull chsel and beat his fists
IN roof Of HE th fba
might of despair, when-blessed boon!
the crust gave way and the loosened
earth showered upon his dripping face,
purple with agony. His eye caught
sight of radiant star in the blue vault
above him. A flood of light and
volume of cool delicious air poured
over him. At that very instant the
sentinel 5 cry rang out like a prophecy.
"Half past one, and all S welE!'
Rose recovered quickly. He was in a
yard under a She'd with a fence bet
ween him and the sentinels. He walk
ed out on the street and reconnoitered
a little. Then he returned to the tunnel,
covered the exit with a piece of plank
and crawled back to Rats hell.
The party of fifteen agreed that as
the night was nearly gone it would be
better to wait till the next night before
to escape. IT was also
agreed that each member of the party
should have the privilege of taking one
friend into his confidence. The second
party of fifteen thus formed was pledg
I'd not to follow the working party out
till an hour had elapsed.
Rose and his companions made sue
sessful departure at 9 o'clock on the
evening of Tuesday, February 9th. But
he news leaked out, and the little kit |
.hen was soon crowded to suffOcatiOn |
With 200 prisoners, all clamorjng to get
It the entrance to the tunnel. At the |
height of the uproar some one yelled |
The guards.'' and a panic ensued in |
which several prisoners were .trampled
lnderfoot The room was quickly
implied. but the alarm proved to be
alse. and many of the soldiers returned
nd made their escape.
Great was the surprise of the con
ederates next day when the roll call
evealed the absence of 100 prisoners.
md as the fireplace had been rebuilt
" somebody and the last man out had !
overed the hole in the ground no visi-