The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-03-17
HIS NERVE
A Blind Struggle For Life In the
Depths of the Earth.
LOST IN THE DARK IN A MINE.

the Suffocatins Coal Hole.
To be lost in the woods or on the
plains is a fearful experience, but there
the victim has the heavens above him
and can at least see 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:
l was working alone in a room" on
the second south entry of the mine.
1t 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 'Firer' 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 a 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. | went back into the room and
I found that the blast opening was clog
/ ged so that the fire could not reach the
/ powder. had to remove the tamplng
/ and recharge the drill hole. By this
/ time the mine was filed with dense,
/ gas laden powder smoke from the other
! blasts.
In the sitting smoke recharged the
hole. tamped Ii. 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-
gulshed my lamp.
The darkness was absolute, and there
IS no darkness so dense as that Of a
mine. To my CONSERVATION | found
the matches in my Jockey box" so
damp that they would not ignite.
Then l became really alarmed. 1 was
two miles under ground without a light
in an atmosphere so heavy with gas
that it would not sustain life for any
length of time
1 dashed into the entry, ran against
pillar and was knocked nearly sense
less.
| staggered to my feet and CROPPED
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 it has been distributed through
the workings by means of these valves
and crosscutS situated near them.
| reached a door. pulled it open and
passed through. Beyond it 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. II
was all chance. / went ahead and aft
er a time reached another valve.
T If I only had light! One glimpse
, Of the number painted on the door
would tell me where was. I tried tC
feel the number with my fingers. but
in vain. l pushed through the door
and entered another tunnel, down
which | walked for hours. as it seem
ed. My head was bursting with pair
Z from the gas.
+ Then | heard the sound of running
, water. l kneIt down. dipped in my
hand and found that | was going VI
stream and consequently deeper anC
deeper into the mine So / turned
back, reached the valve and felt aloni
the pillar until found the other tun
mel opening. The gas had by this time
begun to affect my brain. and l reeleC
and staggered as | walked. / left tn,
track and walked in the ''sump" waite
up to my knees. keeping one hand oil
the wall to steady myself.
| passed through valve after valv'
and tried to keep count. but my braiI
refused to perform that simple task
At last / pushed through a valve anC
felt a blast of fresh, cold air. Wit
that breath of oxygen my reason re
turned. With renewed courage push
ed forward. Many times in following
that life giving current Of air plunge,
through narrow cross cuts, stumble,
over masses of slate, fell into waite
holes and bruised myself by strikin
against the sharp corners of the Goa
vein, but was steadily creeping neal
er to the surface.
a Suddenly | stumbled against loade
coal car, That meant that was in tn
g main entry. but how far from the eT
trance ! could not tell worked m
way along the string of loaded car
s and began to ascend an incline. Th
ID fresh air swept down the tunnel in
gale. kept peering ahead, in the hop
- Of seeing daylight, but none appeared
- wondered why. | broke into rur
and in another minute I had emerge
from the mine and stood gazing at til
II 81 ~ 9rrtN and
had left my room shortly after
Il -