Year: 1871




nish miners have to battle against, one
of the greatest arises from accidental
ly carrying the excavation too close
to some disused pit, that perhaps many
years since has been boarded and
earthed over, and in course of time
forgotten.


When miners have reason to sus-
pect that such is the Casa suspicion
generally caused by a greater exuda-
tion of water than is usual-they at
once proceed to what is techuilly term
"hole it," and the following descrip-
tion of the holing or emptying a pit
of water may best be given in the
words of an old Cornish miner, one of
the principal actors in the undertake
ing:


"Well, you see, sir, we were work.
ing two hundred fathoms downturn
ming a level due nerth-and to our
surprise the further we went the more
moist the earth got, till on going to
work one morning, we found the whole
end of the wall covered with drops of
dew. Seeing this, it struck all of us
at once that there must be pit at no
great distance, and Gas they Almost
allus are) full of water. Fancy this,
sir; a body O. water reaching many
fathoms above you are working only
separated from it by a thin crust of
clay, putting you in the momentary
fear of this giving way, and the water
rushing in upon you'll


However, there it was and must be
got rid Of, and this, too, by driving
or 'holing' right into it; for if left we
should never be safe, or tell when we
might come unaware across one of the
many levels or shafts which run such
numerous ways and depths.


"When the captain of the mine
learned of its existence an offer was
soon made on tolerable generous terms
to any who chose to empty it; which
offer six of us accepting, we at once
proceeded with our dangerous task.


"The first thing we did was to put
up strong frame work with doors at
tached, opening inward toward the old
pit, so that the instant the mine was
holed, by running and closing the
doors in passing, the mass of water
would be kept back for a time-long
enough, at all events, as we hoped, for
us to. reach the ladders.


after placing three of these safety
valves, as we called them, along the
level at short distances apart, we pro-
ceeded slowly and cautiously with the
more dangerous part of our work. Bit
by bit we got nearer to the old mine,
at every blow of the sledge on the
borer expecting the rush of water to
follow, often fearing to strike more
than one blow before running for our
lives, till the constant dread which we
were allus in so worked on the nerves
of the bravest that even failing stone
would be sufficient to put every one of
us to flight.


"Never shall / forget the morning
when at last we did get through; and
| can Almost fancy seeing one O. my
mates as he then stood with the porer
held up ready for another to strike,
the rest of us watching for the blow to
fall, and prepared to run if necessary.


"At last, while every eye was fixed
on 'em, the steel hammer rang on the
borer, which in another second was
sent whizzing far away down the level,
as with horrible roar the water came
tearing and crushing through the
earth.


at was a run then for life, sir; and
in far shorter time than l can tell it,
we we're through the first door way,
and in the act of swinging to the next,
when the first was dashed against it
but, thank God, this for a time resisted
the pressure of the water, or l should
not be here telling of it.


"On we speed, our only hope of safe.
ty lying in gaining the ladders before
the last door gave way; and what a
distance they seemed, when even a few
moments gained might rescue us from
death Breathless, at last we reached
them, and had but assended Il few
rounds when, with a bang-whirl-
crash-the water was upon us, and,
fast as we climbed, like some horrid
monster seeking our destruction, it
glided up step for step with us.


Given now shuddering feeling
creeps over me as | call to mind the
fierce struggle it was to climb faster
than the water rose. Faint and weary,
we still tore upward, for the rest only