The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-04-12

ton. Nobody had seen Sturgis.
Four of the victims and three Of
the volunteers still remained below.
In that gloomy. subterranean world,
dl.organized by the fact that the ex-
ploslC, had occurred at closing time.
when all were making for the mouth
Of the shaft, it was each for himself.
Nonr knew where his comrade lay.
AS the elevator waited at the en-.
trance Psrcoe ani half dozen more
volunteers climbed in. The button
was pressed and the cage shot toward
the earth.
1t halted where the slope ceased.
and the men disappeared in the gloom.
shouting to one another. Pascoe did
not hear them. They knew the scene
Of the accident-but he was bent upon
a single quest. He ran lightly over
the masses Of fallen slate and shale
which choked the entrance to Sturgis'
new heading, and then. crouching.
made his way cautiously under the
overhanging. untimbered rocks. Far
behind him tiny electric lights twink
led, cluster of fairy lamps, but their
light did not penetrate into these sub
terranean recesses. Sometimes Pas.
coe. advancing now at snail,s pace.
with arms outstretched. collided with
boulders. sharp Of edge and jagged
of tooth, which bruised and cut him;
then again he was climbing upon
masses of disrupted cliff, blasted by
Sturgis and not yet removed from the
irregular gallery.
Then. just as Pascoe found the mar
rowing tunnel too small to permit fur
Their progress. he heard q feeble an.
swer to his cry. He turned and CROPPED
his way toward the source Of 1t.
stumbled over . body. and found him.
self kneeling at Sturgis' side.
Thank Cod" he shouted with the
joy that comes to all men who are
given the saving Of human life. At
that moment he forgot Mary, forgot
re yeas Of slow cruelty. the useless
Sc Of tho nan ivi-~ at his feet.
WI 5" Ge'tl. ovid We back the joy
Of living to both of them. Are you
hurt, Sturgis?" he shouted.
my legs ere broken, I think" the
miner answ r, :. "..Jnebody shouted
fire damp at tlc end of the gallery,
ant .@l or to ser. passed ne;r
somebody's fuse. The dog had left it
burning. and taken to his heels. l
got the charge and the rock. Who are
your"
Pascoe did not reply to this ques.
ton. I'm going to hoist you on my
back" he said Get your arms
round my neck and bend your head
to the level Of mine. to avoid bump
ing. Ready? Now"
Sturgis groaned as Pascoe raised
him, and his legs trailed uselessly.
! Pascoc forbore to touch them; thus
the labor was almost intolerable He
fought his way almost by inches out
Of that inferno until the twinkling
! li"hts in the distance began to sepa-
IL aud the central gallery ap-
! peared.
lie was almost upon 1t when sud
denly his tongue seemed to fill his
throat; he could not breathe. He
heard the man on his back cry once
and begin choking Pascoe knew
well what had happened. They had
run into a stratum of fire damp, which
had filtered ont Of its gallery into the
central passage.
Purple in the face, unable to draw
a breath, he staggered on with an CT.
+ fort almost supcriluman. He felt his
lungs bursting; then all at once he
was drawing in great gasps Of air
again, and tho distant shaft appeared,
a glimmering thing, ghostly in tho
obscurity
] He Gid net dare set Sturgis down,
for the deadly fire damp might be
upon them Mt any moment again; be-
blutS, tllt IttAl III Ills lliJbANu 100
would hCcomc intolcrable with further
handling. llc heard the mans cuick.
sharp intakes Of breath and stumbled
onward, 10 lad covered thirty PAGES
when the fro damp was upon him
again
lie felt h's senses leaving him.
The lights in The distance changed into
swinging lanurns. He knew that he
could go no further. Very gently he
fell to his knees. letting Sturgis' body
slide off his back upon the ground.
His last thoughts would be Of Mary;
he thanked God that he had been per.
mitted to see her once again.
He thought he heard a distant call,
and tried to shout. but his mouth
only opened aimlessly. Not q sound
came from his closed air-passageS.
But 1t was at that moment that
fresh body of volunteers swung into
the gallery: at the same moment, too.
one Of those faint STRINGS Of air
which take the place of wind in the
mines. hurried the thin gas into the
heart Of the workings. The newcom-
ers fell over the bodies and bore them
to the elevator Ten minutes later