Year: 1872

A PERuOUS POSITION.


In the winter of 1858 was mining,
or rather sojOurning, and waiting for a
chance to mine in the spring, in the
town OF Omega, Nevada county, Cali
fornia. Snow fell in the town that win
ter to the depth of eight feet. Three of
us were living in cabin about half a
mile out of town near the head of Sour
Krout Ravine. We were in the habit
Of spending our evenings in town or at
the cabins of our brother miners, ,gener-
ally remaining from home till ten,
eleven, or even as lateas twelve o'clock.


happened to be in town the very
evening that the first big fall of snow
began. | saw that the snow was COM
ing down very fast, am knew before
starting homo that the lrail would be
hidden but this gave me no uneasi-
ness, as | knew the course well, and
could keep within few rods of the
trail the whole distance, if not in it.
When finally started for home it was
about ten O'Clock, and there were six or
eight inches of snow on the ground,
and flakes coming down as big as sau-
GERS. Knowing my course, I rushed
along, paying but little attention to the
trail, and was within two hundred
yards of the cabin, when there was a
sudden crash of breaking tWigs and
brush under my feet, and l felt myself
sinking into an open space. Instinc-
lively | stretched out both arms to their
fullest extent and clutched the snow
with both hands.


Instantly, in fact before L had fully
settled into this position, l knew where
l was, and fully comprehended the
danger of my situation. 1 knew that |
was hanging over the old Brookshire
shaft-a shaft dug some years before to
prospect the hill, and al least one. ---,
dred feet in depth, "a 'ss' OUT TWO or
tbrao vol .-Iow The trail, and was COW
cred by few pine and spruce boughs
that were thrown across its mouth when
it was abandoned. knew that there
were huge powders and sharp, jagged
rocks projecting everywhere along the
sides of the shaft, and that in the bot
tom was at least twenty feet of water,
for, in passing, I had once or twice
pushed the brush covering aside and
dropped into it pebbles and pieces of
lighted paper. l felt my body and legs
dangling in space, and without think
ing of the consequences, made an effort
to reach out with one of my feet to see
if could touch the wall of the shaft,
had extended my leg some distance
without touching the wall, when, to my
horror, the dry and rotten covering of
the shaft began cracking under my arm
on the side upon which my weight was
thrown in the attempt / had made to
learn something of m y situation.


CarefullyI swung back till hung
perpendicularly over the fearful chasm
the brush still cracking as l did so. AS
each little twig snapped l felt that
there was that much less between my
self and death-each little rotten stick
that held was worth millions to me,
and for stout beam under my feet l
| would have given tens of millions. The
snow beat down incessantly upon my
head in immense damp flakes, and l
could feel it gradually pillng about my
neck. Occasionally there were wild
blasts of wind that roared among the
tall pines and swept the light snow into
my eyes. One of these blasts took away
my light felt hat, and left my head ex.
posed to the beating storm. AS l felt
my hat going 1 made an involuntary
movement to raise my arm to catch it,
butinstantly the cracking twigs warned
me to desist. This movement, the
\ slightest in the world, cost me half q.
dozen twigs, and, as it seemed to me,
greatly weakened my support The
snow melting on my head and face
trickled into my eyes and almost blind
ed me. My hands and arms seemed
coming benumbed, and began to fear
that / would lose my hold upon the
brush covering of the shaft. Whenever
this notion took possession of my mind
1 would extend my arms and even my
fingers till the joints of my shoulders
seemed starting from their sockets.


By straining my eyes / could see the
dim outlines of our cabin on little rise
of ground above me. could see nc
light, however, and concluded that my
partners had either gone to bed or had
not YET returned from q neighbor's
cabin quarter of mile further dowr
the ravine, whittier 1 knew they haG
gone TO spend the evening, Once OF
twice shouted, but the effort caused {
cracking of the twigs supporting me
and / desisted, determining TO wait til


could hear the voices of my cabir
companions returning, or see light il
the little window of four small panes


which, fortunately, was on the side o


the house next to me; so, too, was the
door by which they must enter the
cabin. thought of all this, and II gave
me some hope. Several times, as the
roaring wind lulled for a moment, !
thought heard the sound of voices and
laughter, and my heart beat quick with


hope and joy; but the sounds were moi
repeated, and doubtless were but the
creaking of some stormed swayet
boughs, or the gatherings of some dis
tant coyote.


| now hppan seriousIv IN fnar hainf