Year: 1859

was born and brought up in the neigh
borhood of the salt works of NJ.
Ny father was second engineer, and filled
the situation of assistant. The scene oi
our mining operations, at the time of the
event which | am going TO narrate, was in
narrow valley, lying close 10 the foot Of
perpendicular cliff of rock about one hum
dred feet high. On its bare sides neither
grass nor shrub was 10 be seen, and scarce
any inequality was visable, whereon the
foot of the climber might find resting
place. In fact it was considered unscalea-
ble for distance of two miles when it sunk
down gradually at either end to the level
of the plain. Ascending the cliff, one be-
held on the summit wide plain, stretch
ing off in the distance from the sharp edge
Of the precipice, and from that dizzy point
could look down upon the works of the
miners below, close under its sides.


Upon the top of the cliff which have
been describing, ! was strolling listlessy,
late one Sunday afternoon, thinking of a
strange and sad circumstance which had
happened about year ago in our family.
Ny only brother, lad Of fifteen, had gone
out early on a summer morning to shoot
ployer on the heights, and from that hour
had never been heard Of When last seen,
be was mounting tie cliff from the eastern
side, and though (when alarmed at bis long
delay) we made immediate search and in
quiry, we never gained further information.
70 speak of our family distress and my
own heart grieving for my well-beloved
young brother, is not now my purpose;
but it was the only subject of my thoughts
on that .Quiet summer evening, when all
the noise from the works was hushed, and
the stiffness seemed tenfold by contrast


approached very near the edge of the
cliff. was now at its steepest part, and
looking down its smooth sides, thought
how terrible the fall would be; but my
brother could not have fallen down. La
that case his mangled body, at least, would
have been found.


was recalled to myself By strange
sinking of my feet My first confused idea
was that tho soil had given way from the
edge of the cliff, upon whose utmost verge
stood, and that / was about to be pre-
cipitated to the bottom. l became dizzy
with horror, for / felt at once that l could
not recover myself, SO studded was the cav
ing in of the earth beneath me. I made
one stumble forward, felt ringing and
crushing in my ears, and then | lost all fur
tber sensation.


It must have been many hours before
was sufficiently concious to know that still
existed. Sick and bruised, was long una
BE to raise myself from the postrate posi-
tion 10 which became aware at last, that
was lying. 1t was quite dark, and every
portion Of earth or stone that / touched
was wet, and smell of damp salt prevail
ed the close atmosphere. though l had
fallen into an exhausted salt mine, but soon
remembered that had been standing on
the edge of the cliff. 1t was an impossi-
biiity. Then came the idea that must
have fallen to the bottom and the loose
earth and stones had fallen over me. That,
too, soon found equally unlikely, and,
after cropping about some time on my hands
and knees, (every movement one ofintense
agony I became sure that my prison was
cave of some extent. Too weak 10 move
further, lay down and endeayored to
think Of my position. 1t seemed hope
less one. Twas certainly in one of those
caves formed in the salt rocks, and some
times found BY miners, running far below
the earth's surface. / had no idea how far
had fallen; it might be but few feet;
u might be many hundred. As yet could
find no trace Of the passage through which
/ had dropped, but remembered that
had Q case Of matches in my packet, and i.
was not long before 1 succeeded in drag
ging them out though it was it was ex-
cruciating pain to my bruised limbs to move
them.


Having no taper, I determined to be
sery careful of the matches, and to improve
the short moment Of Light, during which
one would last, I rubbed it very carefully
against the sole of my boot, then hardei,
then furiously-but it would not ignite -
They were too damp - everything was
damp; the matches were useless. With q