Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-03-11
CHAPTER X.
Rob Carr.

CHAPTER X.
Rob Carr.
the days that followed the ex'
I'LL plosion there came to all the
men the unconscious realiza'
ton that the next attempt to
open the mine would In all probability
be the last If the attempt should
prove successful few months time
might see the mine again in working
order, but should another disaster oc-
cur the mine-now partially ruined
would probably be wrecked beyond any
immediate recovery.
Ten days later the helmet men were
again lowered into the mine and, aft
ar remaining underground for an hour
and Il half. came out and reported that
the force of the explosion had expended
itself principally up the air shaft and
that. although the numerous stOppings
that we had erected had been for the
most part destroyed, there were no Sc
rious falls" that they could discover
Or any special damage to the entries
which they had explored. Immediate
~ the work Of restoration began afresh.
and all day and night the helmet men
III regular shifts entered the gas filled
mine and put back In place the STOP
pings around the mine bottom III Or
der to create once more an air zone for
the workers The work was danger
nous negro. who had in some way
,uoScned his helmet and fallen uncOn-
sciouS too far from the foot Of the
hosting shaft for his comrades to drag
him to the hoist. Before the rescue
party. consisting Of three more helmet
men, had reached him he was dead.
And during these more recent days an
other miner had met his death In the
blacknesS of the entry. The pressure
Of the pneumatic washer beneath the
helmet had stopped the circulation
around the top of his head. and In en-
deavoring to loosen his helmet and re-
lieve the pain he had let in breath
Of the gas. We got him to the surface
with his heart still family beating. but
death soon followed.
Four always went down ON shift.
and twice | remember when the door
of the gas lock above the hOisting
shaft burst open. and but three hel-
meted men staggered out into the sun
light. AS the first mans helmet was
loosened Il dozen questions were fired
ut him. Whom had they left? Where
was he? And while they were talking
the second shift was already on the
hoist to the rescue.
After three weeks 1t seemed that sue
cess would reward us. An air zone
was created between the two shafts.
and helmets were practically discarded
except for exploration Into the more
distant workings Of the mine. From
the north end OF B entry the air cur
rent had been directed into the west
north portion Of the mine, and that en-
tire section had been cleared Of the
gas. There had been no fire here, nor
had the effects Of the explosion been
felt, and 1t was like walking the streets
Of a silent and long deserted city to
explore these entries. 50 hastily aban-
doned on the night Of the fire four
months before. Day and night. like
the skirmish line Of an army. the men
in charge moved slowly from place to
place ut the edge of the air zone, each
day penetrating farther and farther
from the foot of the man hoist IA the
air currents drove back the gas and
forced It up and out through the shaft.
and with these men ever on ceaseless
guard gangs Of miners attacked the
great falls In b entry and carried on
the slow work Of removing the piles OF
fallen stone and retimbering and
strengthening the weakened roof.
went on at 3 o'clock on shift that
lasted until II in the evening. and FOR
those eight hours my chief work con-
sisted in testing and marking the line
where the life supporting air ceased
and the invisible. tasteless, odorless
gas begaf. Holding our safety lamps
in the right hand. level with the eyes
when we suspected the presence OF
gas. we would watch the fame. The
safety lamp, heavy metal. lantern
shaped object with circular globe OF
heavy plate glass. is the only light 9TH
er than electricity that can be safely
carried into gaseous mine. The
lamps were lit before they were
brought into the mine and In addition
were securely locked. that no accident
or ignorant intention might expose the
open flame to the gases Of the mine.
Over the small. sooty. yellow flame.
which gives light less bright than
that Of an ordinary candle. are two
wire gauze cones. fitting snugly inside
the heavy globe, and 1t Is through
these cones that the flame draws the
air which supports 1t. The presence
Of black damp. or carbon dioxide. can
easily he detected, If not by Its odor,
by the action of the fame, which
grows dim and. II the black damp ex-
lists In any quantity. is finally extin-
guished.
White damp. the highly explosive
gas which is most feared. has, on the
other hand. totally different effect.
In the presence Of this gas the flame
| Of the safety lamp becomes pointed.
and rs the gas grows stronger the
| fame seems to separate from the wick,
und an almost invisible blue cone forms
beneath It. II the miner continues to
| advance into the white damp he Will
pass through line where there are
nine parts of air to one part gas (the
explosive mixture). and the lamp will
instantly register this explosive condi'
ton by a sudden cracking inside OF
the gauze and the eItinguishing Of the
fame. Were 1t an open lamp the ex
piosion ignited by the fame would
sweep throughout the entire workings
carrying death and destruction before
It, but by the construction Of the safe
ty lamp the explosion confines Itself to
the limited area within the gauze
cones. and unless the lamp IL moved
suddenly and the fame is dragged
through the gauze at the Instant thn'
the explosion occurs within the globe
1t will not extend beyond the gauze
So dim was the light given from these
lamps that we usually carried porta
Bile electric lamp for light. using oul
safety lamps principally for detecting