Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-04-03
TESTED HIS nerve
4 Blind Struggle For Life In the
Depths Of the Earth.
IN THE DARK IN A NINE.

I p 4 #E sa' ".aE - q. .
Thrilling Experience of Workman
Who Found Himself After IN Exp'o-
sion Alone and Without = Light In
the suffoeatins Coal Hole.
To be lost in the woods or on the
plains is Il fearful experience. but there
the victim has the heav G above him
and can at least g his way about.
The terrors OF a similar adventure in
the utter blackness Of a gas filed coal
mine are thus described by a CORE
spondent Of the Youths Companion:
I was working alone in a room" on
the second south entry OF the mine.
1t was s o'clock. the time for firing the
afternoon blasts. The man who was
driving the entry lighted his fuse
and came back through the entry call
ing out ''Fire! One after another the
other miners set of their blasts and
came along the entry until they reach
I'd my room. ! lighted my fuse. watch
cd it sputter for n moment and went
out into the entry to wait for the blast.
Several seconds passed, and there
was no explosion. My fellow miners
passed out of the entry and left me
alone 1 went back into the room and
found that the blast opening was clog
ged ~ that the fire could not reach the
powder. ! had to remove the tamping
and recharg< sthe drill hole. BY this
time the mite was filed with dense,
gas laden powder smoke from the other
blasts. b .... .f.s' "| q .59
"lnathe stining smoke l recharged the
hole. tamped IT. inserted the fuse.
lighted It from my head lamp and hur-
ried to the mouth Of the room. The
work was hastily done. When the
powder exploded the rush Of air extin-
guished my lamp. IT, ~"' %'@ "
The darkness was absolute. and there
is no darkness so dense AZ that Of \
mine. TO my CONSERVATION I found
the matches In my "jockey box" 80
damp that they would not ignite.
Then l became really alarmed. l was
two miles under ground without a light
in an atmosphere SO heavy with gas
that 1t would not sustain life for any
length OF time. &1 .' ~. ar
l dashed into the entry, ran against
a pillar and was knocked nearly sense
less. ~ s}E"s VI tyf .%t H
| staggered to my feet and CROPPED
| down the tunnel. In a coal mine great
on ken valves or doors close the en-
frances to the various tunnels. The
mir enters through the main entry and
is sucked out Of the mine by great
fans at the opposite end Of the mine
latter It has been distributed through
the workings by means Of these valves
and ~crosscuts situated near them. t
l reached a door. pulled it open and
passed through. Beyond 1t two tun-
nels came together Mt a right angle.
! One led toward the open air. the other
into the depths Of the mine. Ny
sense Of direction was entirely gone.
! and I could not tell which to take. 1t
was all chance. | went ahead and aft-
er a time reached another valve.
II I only had a light! One glimpse
OF the number painted on the door
would tell me where I was. I tried to
feel the number with my fingers, but
in vain. / pushed through the door
and entered another tunnel. down
which I walked for hours, as 1t SEEM
| ell. NV head was bursting with pain
from the gas.
Then I heard the sound of running
water. l knelt down. dipped in my
hand and found that I was going up
stream and consequently deeper and
deeper into the mine. So l turned
back. reached the valve and felt along
the pillar until l found the other tun-
nef opening. The gas had by this time
begun to affect my brain, and I reeled
and staggered as I walked. ] left the
track antsRatked In. the ''sump' water
npg tosmy knees. keeping n hand on
the wall to steady myself.
/ passed through valve after valve
and tried to keep count, but my brain
refused to perform that simple task.
At last I pushed through a valve and
feltaa blast of fresh. cold air. With
that breath Of oxygen my reason re-
turned. With renewed courage push
ed forward. Many times in following
that life giving current Of air I plunged
through narrow cross cuts, stumbled
over masses Of slate, fell into water
holes and bruised myself by striking
against the sharp corners Of the coal
vein, but 1 was steadily creeping near.
or to the surface.
Suddenly I stumbled against a loaded
coal car. That meant that I was in the
main entry. but low far from the en-
trance l.could not tell. I worked my
way along the string Of loaded cars
and began to ascend an incline. The
fresh air swept down the tunnel in a
gale. I Kept peering ahead, in the hope
Of seeing daylight, but none appeared.
l wondered why. I broke into a run.
and in another minute I had emerged
from the mine and stood gazing at the
stars. II was almost midnight. and I
had left my room shortly after 5
O'clock.
---" - :
The Greedy One. J.
Ha- ~ - 40 "a N AR-I