Year: 1878




so,ected for their physical strength and
TInck, in addition to the skill and prac.
fi;"aI knowledge required for their partic-
liar work. The incident we are about to
roIate will show how severely the former of
these qualifications may at times be tested


The work of these men is confined to
the shaft of the pit,and consists mainly in
renairing the clubbing" or lining of the
shaft, stopping leaks, or removing any
instructions interfering with the free
massage of the cages up and down the pit.
The coal pit at N has double shaft,
divided by "brattcing" OF wooden par
tition. These divisions we will call A
and B. Two cages (the vehicles of trans
mort up and down the pitt ascend and
descend alternately in shaft A. At GER
tain point the shaft is widened, to allow
the cages to pass each other, and their
simultaneous arrival at this point is in
sured by the arrangement Of the wire
ropes on the winding wheels over the
pit.mouth. The oscillation of the cages
l. guarded against by wooden guiders
running down each side of the shaft,
which fit into grooves in the sides Of the
cage.


On one occasion, during a very severe
frost, these guiders had become coated
with ice, and thus their free passage in
the grooves Of the cages was interfered
with. Before this obstruction was discov-
cred, the engine having been set in mo.
ton, the downward cage, which fortu-
nately was empty at the time, stuck fast
in the shaft before arriving at the passing.
point. The ascending cage, whose only
occupant was small boy returning to
spank" proceeding on its upward course,
crashed into the downward cage in the
narrow part of the shaft, where of course
there was only a single passage. Though
the shock was something terrific, the steel
rope was not broken; as the engineman,
whose responsible position entails the
greatest presence of mind and watchful-
ness, had stopped the engine on the first
indication of an unusual tremor in the
rope. Yet such was the violence of the
meeting that both cages, though strongly
constructed of iron, were bent and broken
in fact rendered useless-by being thus
ammed together in narrow space. The
greatest anxiety was felt as to the fate of
the boy, as it was seen that even if he
had escaped with life after such severe
crash, his rescue would be work of great
danger and difficulty.


We may imagine the horror of the poor
little fellow while suspended in the shat
tered cage over gulf some four hundred
feet deep, both cages firmly wedged in
the shaft and the ropes rendered useless
for any means of descent to the scene of
the catastrophe. The readiest way of
approach seemed to, be by shaft b, the
position of which We have indicated
above. Down this, then, shaftman
whom we will call Johnson, descended in
acage until he arrived at an opening in
the brattice-work by which he could
enter shaft A. He found himself (as he
supposedly at point little above where
the accident occurred; and this conclu-
sion he came to from seeing two ropes
leading downwards, which he naturally
took to be those by which the cages were
suspended Under this impression he
formed the design of sliding down one of
the ropes, with view to liberatipg, if
possible, the entangled cages, and secur-
ing the safety of the unfortunate boy.
The hardy fellow was soon gliding
through the darkness on his brave and
dangerous errand. He had descended
about forty feet, when, to his horror and
amazement, his course was suddenly
checked by bend in the rope; and the
terrible discovery flashed upon him that
hewas suspended in the loop of the slack
rope, which here took return course to
the top Of the downward cage.


1t will be understood that when the
descending cage stuck upon the runners,
as the rope continued to unwind from
the pulley it hung down in loop, de-
scending lower and lower, until the en-
gine was stopped by the meeting Of the
cages. This loop or "blght' was natu-
rally mistaken by johnson for the two
ropes, and he did not discover until he
found himself in the fearful situation de-
scribed, that he had entered through the
brattice into shaft A below instead OF
above where the cages were fixed. There
he hung, then, over yawning abyss
many fathoms deep-closed from above
by the locked csges-alr below looming
dark and horrible.


None of course knew his danger; bis
hands were chilled by the freezing rope
his arms, already fully exercised, began
TO ache and stiffen with the strain and
intense cold, added to the bewildering
sense Of hopeless peril Good need there
was then that pluck and endurance be
found in the shaftman His square,
sturdy frame and unflinching spirit were
now on their trial. Had his presence OF
mind gone or his nerve failed he must
nave been paralyzed with fear, lost his
mold, and been dashed into an unrecog-
nizable mass.


But self-preservation is ntlaw,and
working in such spirit, he framed des-
perate plan for a struggle for life. The
gulderS running down the inside of the
smart are fastened to cross-beams about
Blk leet apart. johnson hoped that if he
could reach one o. these he might obtain
aiooting whereon to rest, and by their