Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1913-06-01
TESTED HIS NERVE
A Blind Struggle For Life In the
 Depths of the Earth.
LOST IN THE DARK IN A MINE.

Thrilling Experience of a Workman
 Who Found Himself After an ExpIo-
 sion Aono and Without a Light In
 the Suffocating Coal Hole.
 To be lost in the woods or on the plains is fearful experience but there the victim has the heavens above hiln and can at least see his way about. The terrors of similar adventure in the utter blackness of a gas filled coal mine are thus described by core spondent of the Youths Companions: was working alone in a room" on the second south entry of the mine. It was 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 off their blasts and came along the entry until they reach ed my room lighted my fuse, watch ed it sputter for q moment and went out into the entr! 10 wait for the blast.
 Several seconds passed, and there was nv explosion. My fellow miners passed out of the entry and left me alone went back into the room and found that the blast opening was clog ged so that the fire could not reach the powder. had to remove the talnpine and recharge the drill hole. By this time the mine was filled with dense gas laden powder smoke from the other blasts.
 In the stif1ing smoke I rechargcl the hole, tamped it. inserted the fuse. lighted it from my head lamp and hur- rled to the mouth of the room. The work was hastily done. When the powder exploded the rush of air eXtin guished my lamp.
 The darkness was absolute, and there is no darkness so dense as that of q mine. To my consternatiOn l found the matches in my "jockey box" SC damp that they would not Ignite Then I became really alarmed. I was two miles under ground without q light in an atmosphere so heavy with gas that it would not sustain life for any length of time.
 l dashed into the entry, ran against a pillar and was knocked nearly sense less. :.
 I staggered to my feet and groped down the tunnel. In coal mine great oaken valves or doors close the en- frances to the various tunnels. The air enters through the main entry and is sucked out of the mine by great fans at the opposite end of the mine after 1t has been distributed through the workings by means of these valves and crosscuts situated near them.
 reached door. pulled it open and passed through. Beyond 1t two tun- nels came together at a right angle. One led toward the open air, the other into the depths of the mine. My sense of direction was entirely gone, and I could not tell which to take. It was all chance. went ahead and aft CT time reached another valve.
 If I only had 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. I pushed through the door and entered another tunnel, down which I walked for hours, as 1t seem ed. My head was bursting with pain from the gas.
 Then l heard the sound of running water. I knelt down, dipped in my hand and found that I was going up stream and consequently deeper and deeper into the mine. So I turned back, reached the valve and felt along the pillar until I found the other tun nel opening. The gas had by this time begun to affect my brain, and reeled and staggered as I walked. left the track and walked in the stump" water up to my knees, keeping one 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 pushed through valve and felt blast of fresh, cold air. With that breath of oxygen my reason re turned. With renewed courage I push ed forward. Many times in following that life giving current of air 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 was steadily creeping near CT to the surface.
 Suddenly stumbled against loaded coal car. That meant that was in the main entry, but how far from the en trance I 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 q gale. kept peering ahead, in the hope of seeing daylight, but none appeared I wondered why. broke into run and in another minute had emerged from the mine and stood gazing at the stars. It was almost midnight. and had left my room shortly after 5