Year: 1866

e1Ao w LOU Sd0O VI ~


NJ. N c., q we'll known mining
engineer, who is vouched for as being a man
of talent and education, of cool and method.
ical temperament, and about thirty years of
age, has become, most unexpectedly to him
self, the hero of a nine days fit Of wonder.
ment to the Persians, from the fact that his
hair, black and unusually brilliant, has been
whitened in single night under the i'm
preston of dream. .....~. ..-.-


We should give space to the narrative of
this singular adventure, says the editor Of
the Pays, in whose columns the incident
was originally mentioned, we're it not that
M. c. is personally known to us as a
truthful and honorable man, and has him
self furnished us with the account we pub.
lish, affirming on oath the absolute exact
ness Of every detail therein given. ..i


From the account thus given to the pub
lie it appears that NJ. c., when inspect
ing certain mineral lands in Brittany, stop
ped one night at little roadside inn, few
hundred yards distant from mine which
be had never seen, but, which he had pur.
posed visiting the next day. Having walk
ed many miles in the course of the day,
NJ. c., on reaching the inn felt tired.
He accordingly went to bed early, fell asleep
at once and dreamed, as he asserts the fol-.
lowing dream: He thought he had just
been appointed to the managership of the
mine in question, and he was busy in su-
perintending the work of the miners, when
the owner Of the mine appeared on the
ground. This man, rough aud i'll, bred, ad-
dressed the manager rudely, Representing
him with his inactivity, adding:


"Iustead of standing there with your
arms folded, seeing other men work, you
would do better to 60 down into the mine
and draw the plan of it, as you engaged to
do"


81 will 60 down and begin the drawings
at once" replied the engineer, hurt and an
noyed at the manner of his employer


Placing himself forthwith in the basket,
he ordered the men at the windlcss to let
him down into the mine. This was done
the basket reached the bottom and then,
summoning couple of workmeu to precede
him with their lamps, he explored the va
rious galleries of the mine, and, having
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 remarked
the great thickness of the rope which served
to hoist it, and calculated that, the mine
being unusually deep, the ascent could
scarcely be accomplished in less than a
quarter of an hour


He had been ascending thus for two or
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
being 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 reach of his
hand. His terror at this discovery was such
that he nearly tainted. Rousing himself,
by force of will, from the stupor of appre-
hension that had so nearly overcome him,
be compelled himself to calmness, and set
himself again to examine the rope. Per.
haps he was mistaken. The rope had rub
bed against some protection of the rocky
walls which hemmed him in, and its strands
we're 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 bis doom
was sealed the conviction of the utter hope.
lessness of his position chilled him to the
very marrow of his bones He tried to call
out, but his tongue seemed frozen. More
over, he felt that, even if he could make
himself heard, (Which was totally impossi.
ble,- as he was not half way up,) no human
aid could reach him Looking upward, be
could see the daylight at the mouth of the
shaft, bright but distant, like star. Gaz.
ing downward, over the edge of the basket,
at depth that it made him dizzy and sick
to look down to, he could see, like so many
glow-worms, the lamps of the miners. And
the basket meantime mounted higher and
higher every instant, the rope cracking au-
dibly under the increasing strain of the as.
cent The unfortunate engieeer saw clear
ly that there was no possibility of escaping
the horrible fate awaiting him, and could
almost count the seconds that would eIapse
ere the breaking of the rope must precipi.
tate him in the fearful void below Such
was the intensity Of. his anguish that be was
tempted to abridge its duration by throwing
himself down at once, instead of awaiting
any longer the inevitable instant. As he
hesitated, longing, yet fearing to take the
fatal leap, the basket reached the mouth of
the shaft. He was saved With loud cry
he eaped from the basket, awakening as
he felt once more the solid earth beneath
bis feet.


The horrible adventure was only dream;
but NJ. c. was trembling, exhausted,
bathed in pcrspiratiou, and incapable Of
making movement or uttering sound
After time he recovered his self command
so as to be able to ring for help. The peo-
pie of the inn FASTENED to obey the sum-
mons, but could not at first recognize their
customer of the preceding evening, for his