Year: 1879

Not one person in thousand has
ever been in coal bank; this is val
liable item to any compiler of statistics.
Not one in seven million will want to
go in one after they have read this ar
ticle. A coal banks leading feature is
dampness. 1t is the dampest damp
place that we know of outside of river.
Secondly" as nine preachers out of a
possible ten and a half would remark,
the avenue leading to the true inwardness
of coal bank is about as contracted, /,
Jagged and crooked as the inside of hol-
lowplaster of Paris image of Julius Cesar
A narrow gauge tramway forms its floor,
and walking on the crossties is about as
difficult as straddling wet clothes line.
Notwithstanding these facts, however,
three young gentlemen of Wheeling, on
Friday last, determined to explore mine.
1t was three p. m. by the Presbyterian
Church clock, which must have been
some time in the afternoon, when they
entered the mine. They were shown
through the whole museum, and an hour
thereafter started to depart. Now the
tramway above mentioned is frequently
travelled by mules trotting in front of
loaded cars of coal. Sometimes these
mules clamp their jaws on a crosstie and
wave their hind legs up in the air like a
hundred pounds of iron flying out of a
discharged cannon. The next day the
newspapers record the fall of lot of
horseback or slate; or the explosion
of fire damp, and tell how many children
the deceased miners were unfortunate
enough to leave behind them.


Well, these three young men started
to retrace their steps and had got but a
short distance along the wslled-in route,
when behind them arose clsltter that
could be initiated in miniature by rapidly
rubbing poker along paling fence.
But it was about thousand times as
loud and reverberated in the narrow
way like million volcanoes blowing off
steam. The fact is, that bronzed,
broom;stick-tailed mule was running off
down the inclined tranway with loaded
coal car, knocking the bark off the rear
part of his shins, causing him to put
forth his very best speed. There was
not room enough for the car and >the
mule to passthe visitors, safely, and SO
the trio started off on dead run for the
exit of the mine. 1t was race for life.
Behind thundered the iron-shod mule
and the loaded car. In front rushed the
three visitors, yelling at the top of their,
voices, "Stop the mule! stop the mule !"
while they flew along like peas blown
out of bean shooter. 1t is doubtful
whether that narrow passage ever heard
such clatter, and a phonograph that
would have correctly reported the sounds
would be worth five hundred dollars to
any cantata troupe in the land.


On flew the mule, with four legs, and
tail that would have made a good
policeman's mace, up in the air seven
tenths of the time. On rushed the pal
pitating trio, fear lending wings to
their Arctic overshoes. At last light
dawned. 1t was liberty or death with
the visitors, and they were entered fol
the fastest time on record. They passed
the pole safely and sat down exhausted
on a bank of clay outside as the mule
and his fuel went whizzing out the open
ing. In twelve minutes and half by q
stop watch they recovered their breaths
and the expressed sentiment of one oi
the party who remarked, g.


if 1 ever go in coal bank again
for ten thousand dollars" was warmly
acknowledged and assented to by warm
pressures Of the hands from his compan
ions.