Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-03-04
NUMBER 9

be impossible to get the dead weight
of his body up and over the fall. With
that one thought In each mind We slow.
ly crawled up and over the masses OF
rock. through which many journeys
had worn hazardous path. and down
on the other side. And now flashes OF
light like electric sparks seemed to
play before my eyes. sliding down
across the front Of my helmet. Ny
knees began to sway. and It Suddenly
occurred TO lie that they must be bend
ing in both directions as ] walked. IL
WIS Il hard trip to the shaft. and real.
lied how bright was the cold sunshine
on top and how clean and crisp was the
open air when they helped me or with
my helmet
On Christmas eve we lost man I'M
der very similar circumstances. Either
by striking his head or I'm some other
way he had looSencd his helmet and
been overcome by the gas which had
leaked IN. His body lay on the Tar side
OF brattice. and his weight and the
helmets which lis companions wore
So hampercd them that death came he
fore he was finally brought 20 the SIR
face.
with the completion ~ this last stop
ping the end II our terrible work
SEEMED near. and Il was with the spirit
of holiday that the men tore a the
seal from the air shaft and opened tbe
doors 20 the house at the top 20 the
man hoist Slowly the great fan oncc
moro turned ani after two hours.
when the safety lamps no longer DO
tc,t.l the presence - gas .u The air
which came out ~ the air shaft. we
cautiously d,.-, rndsd With our bel
NETS hail aSi.lr and with the compar.
atiyely bright light % our safety lamps.
the rilnr tnok on a more familiar and
homelike aspect. In q few hours. no
i.a-rr hImprrcd by helmets or condi-
iious of smoke and gas. we tore down
a.. Al!r passage through the fall. an
operation that would have taken days
20 accomplish under the former condl-
iions with the helmets. That evening
. the supcrintendent's room In the
,rirr building those who were In
charge. with the maps Of the mine
spread before them. planned the next
move In the fight and determined
which entries should next be opened
and how the air currents should be led
into them in order that the mine. tIln-
mel by tunnel and section by section.
might be cleared Of the smoke and gas.
Meanwhile dozen men under the
leadership Of Boar had remained In
the mine and were tightening the stop
pings and preparing for the work OF
the coming day. 1t was about IL
o'clock that night when Boar heard a
slight explosion beyond the stopping
by the air shaft. Without alarming
his men he began an investigation.
when two more violent explosions
threatened to blow down the stopping.
The unexpected had again happened.
StDppings once more had leaked. air
had passed into the gas filled tunnels,
and fire still existed
Without seconds delay the men
were hoisted from the mine, and flf-
teen minutes after the last man step
ped from the cage there came sud
den explosion in the mine. From the
holsting shafts huge white cloud OF
vapor shot MP into the night. Bnt at
the air shaft the force OF the explosion
was more violent. and the great dome
Of re-enforced concrete above ii fell In
n mass Of crumbled wreckage. swept
back clean from the edge OF the shaft.
II was | O'Clock when reached the
fan house. and n great full moon was
standing higl, I'm the cold winter sky.
Up from the square, black mouth OF
the air shaft tall. white column OF
vapor rose into the night and then.
when the mine began to breathe. dis
appeared. and. with our hands held
above the black hole. we could feel the
rush of air sucked back into the abyss.
At an interval OF about an hour roi-
lowing the first explosion there had
come a second but less violent one, and
again two hours later when the mine
had sucked back sufficient air to form
another explosive mixture. a sudden
kissing pun again shot out from the
shaft, breaking into three pieces two
II by IA green oak beams that we had
laid across its nIoGth iS he foundation
for seal So sudden was the cxplo-
sion that Peter Dawson, powerful
negro, who was crawling out over one
of the beams when it occurred. was
blown n distance of over ffty feet.
We found him lying beside the track
beyond a string Of box cars with the
blood running from Il bad scalp wound.
His first words were that he had been
tossed completely over the ca;s.
seen the roofs. all white with frost an
moonlight" he muttered. and The doc
tor later affirmed that Pete would have
been killed when he landed on the rail