Year: 1866

A Paris correspondent of the Nation re
lates the case of well-known mining en-
gineer, who is vouched for as being maj
of talent and education, of cool and meth
odical temperament, and about thirty years
of age, and has become, most unexpect
edly to himself, the hero of nine days
wonderment on the part of the Parisians,
from the fact that his hair, black and usu
ally luxuriaut, has been whitened in 8
single night under the impression of q
dream.


ave should not give place to the nara
tive of this singular adventure" says the
editor of the Pays, in whose columns the
incident was originally mentioned, "were
it not that Mr.. C--is personally vel
known to us as a truthful and honorable
man, and has himself furnished us with
the account we publish, affirming on oath
the absolute exactness Of every detail
therein given"


From the account thus given to the
public it appears that M. C, when in
specting certain mineral tracts in Brittany,
stopped one night at little roadside inn 3
few hundred yards distant from mine
which he had never seen, but which he
proposed visiting the next day. Having
walked many miles in the course of the
day, NJ. c., on reaching the inn, fell
tired. He accordingly went to bed early,
fell asleep at once, and dreamed, he asserts
the following dream: He thought he had
Just been appointed to the managership Of
the mine in question, and he was busy in
experimenting the work of the miners,
when the owner of the mine appeared on
the ground. This man, rough and ill-bred,
addressed the new manager rudely, re.
preaching him with his inactivity, adding


"lnstead of standing there, with youl
arms folded, seeing other men work, you
had better 90 down into the mine and draw
the plan of it, as you engaged to do"


Il will 90 down and begin the drawings
at once" replied the young engineer, hurt
and annoyed at the manner of his employer.


Placing himself forthwith in the basket,
he ordered the men at the windlass to let
him down in the mine. This was done
the basket reached the bottom, and then
summoning couple of the workmen to
precede him with their lamps, he explored
the various galleries of the mine, and hav-
ING made plan of the workings, returned
to the bottom of the shaft, got into the
basket and gave the signal for the ascent
As he placed himself in the basket he re-
marked the great thickness of the rope
which served to hoist it, and calculated
that, the mine being uuusally deep, the
ascent could scarcely be accomplished in
less than quarter of an hour.


He had been ascending thus two OF three
minutes when, CHANGING to raise his eyes,
he espied what seemed to him to be an
abrasion of the rope, by which he was be-
ing drawn up. Startled by this appear
ance, he fixed his eyes on the portion of
the rope which had attracted his attention,
and saw distinctly that the rope was cut a
few feet above his head, just out of the
reach of his hand. His terror at this dis
covery was such that he nearly tainted.
Rousing himself, by force of will, from the
stupor of apprehension which had so nearly
overcome him, he compelled himself to
calmness, and then set himself again to
examine the rope. Perhaps he was mis-
taken; he would look again. But no; he
was not mistaken. The ropo had rubbed
against some projection of the rocky walls
which hemmed him in, and its strands
were untwisting slowly, but visibly. At
the injured point the thickness of the mas
sive cable was already reduced to less
than an inch.


The unfortunate man felt that his doom
was sealed; the conviction of the utter
hopelessness of his position chilled him to
the very marrow of his bones. He tried
to call out but his tongue seemed frozen.
Moreover, he felt that, even if he could
make himself heard (Which was totally
impossible, as he was now half way up), no
human aid could reach him. Looking
upwards, he could see the the daylight at
the mouth of the shaft, but distant like a
star. Gazing dowuwards, over the edge of
the basket, at depth that made him dizzy