The sea coast echo., 1913-08-02
BIRDS VISIT. MINES.
British Galleries Have Many
Strange Visitors.
Cats, Mice, Rats and Dogs Not I'm
common-Animal In Pit the Cause
Of Strike With Curious
Sequel.

London.-After colliery explosion
at Llanbradach one of the rescue par
ties made a surprising discovery
Perched on tub in the mine was q
robin. Now, most collieries regard
the presence of birds, particularly
those with white plumage, about pits
as token" and the fire which
had occurred was, therefore, attribut-
ed to the intrusion Of the perky little
stranger.
Rats are not uncommon about a
pit head, and some of them reach the
depths beneath, occasionally with ia,
tai haste.
One, during the process of falling
down shaft, acquired such mo-
mentum by the time 1t reached the
bottom that when it struck a collier
there was a loud report as Of an ex-
plosion, and the man was knocked
to the ground with great force.
In warm mines, too, mice are nu-
merous. A few reach new pit IN
the trusses of hay and bags of corn
that are taken down 1t for the ponies,
and these. Notwithstanding the
strangeness of their environment,
multiply so rapidly that cats have to
be installed Id the stables.
Il might be supposed that they at
any rate, would moi lake at all kindly
to the Bubterrane 80 world. but they
soon become ssed ST thelk surround.
ings. = s
In one mine fInes pit tabby used
to knock OF VITA the men "a Satur-
day, but, unlike them, she did not
start again on Monday morning. She
was always missing till Wednesday or
Thursday, when she returned from
the old and disused portion Of the
mine.
A strike, however, plays far greater
havoc with the mouse population OF
pit than any number of cats, because
the food of the ponies and Of the men
and boys is no longer available for
the unfortunate little creatures.
When, by way of example. the Dur
ham colliers joined in the great gen
eral strike last year many of the pits
in that county were ove-run with
mice, but for some time after work
was resumed not one was seen.
Dogs also are among the animal
trespassers in mines. BY some means
a terrier entered disused pit in
Swaledale, and for eight days it roam
ed about the workings without any,
thing to eat.
More remarkable was dogs intru-
sion into South Wales pit which
has the reputation of being haunted.
The animal in question was seen
pzowling about the workings, and. as
it seemed to vanish when an attempt
was made to catch it, number of
colliers at once "downed tools and
went home
Some of them then consulted To-
cal wise woman, telling her of the
vision they had seen earlier In the
day, whereupon she predicted dis
aster. AS a result more than 200
men refused to go down the following
morning. and. though the manager
did his utmost to induce them to re-
sumo work, they obstinately deter
mined to remain idle.
And, what is more, it was not until
three days later that all the men we're
at work again.
There were two curious sequels to
this incident. One, which took place
about week afterward, was the pros
ecution and conviction of the fortune
teller for causing the miners to abb
sent themselves from work.
The other sequel happened much
more recently, and was the discovery
of skeleton of dog doubtless that
which had been seen by some of the
miners) in the workings.