THE FIRE IN THE SHAFT.
A boy with Ralph's natural courage and spirit could not remain long
despondent. Ambition came back to him with the summer days, and hope
found an abiding place in his breast once more. It was not, indeed,
the old ambition to be rich and learned and famous, nor the hope that
he should yet be surrounded with beauty in a home made bright by a
mother's love.
All these things, though they had not faded from his mind, were
thought of only as sweet dreams of the past. His future, as he looked
out upon it now, did not hold them; yet it was a future that had in
it no disappointment, no desolation, no despair. The path before him
was a very humble one, indeed, but he resolved to tread it royally.
Because the high places and the beautiful things of earth were not for
him was no reason why he should sit and mourn his fate in cheerless
inactivity. He determined to be up and doing, with the light and
energy that he had, looking constantly ahead for more. He knew that in
America there is always something better for the very humblest toiler
to anticipate, and that, with courage, hope, and high endeavor to
assist him, he is sure to reach his goal.
Ralph resolved, at any rate, to do all that lay in his power toward
the attainment of useful and honorable manhood. He did not set his
mark so very high, but the way to it was rough with obstacles and
bordered with daily toil.
His plan was, simply to find better places for himself about the
breaker and the mines, as his age and strength would permit, and so to
do his work as to gain the confidence of his employers. When he should
become old enough, he would be a miner's laborer, then a miner, and
perhaps, eventually, he might rise to the position of a mine boss.
He would improve his leisure with self study, get what schooling he
could, and, finally, as the height of his ambition, he hoped that,
some day, he might become a mining engineer; able to sink shafts, to
direct headings, to map out the devious courses of the mine, or to
build great breakers like the one in which he spent his days.
Having marked out his course he began to follow it. He labored
earnestly and with a will. The breaker boss said that no cleaner coal
was emptied into the cars at the loading place than that which came
down through Ralph's chute.
His plan was successful as it was bound to be, and it was not long
before a better place was offered to him. It was that of a driver boy
in the mine below the breaker. He accepted it; the wages were much
better than those he was now receiving, and it was a long step ahead
toward the end he had in view.
But the work was new and strange to him. He did not like it. He did
not think, at first, that he ever could like it. It was so dark in
the mines, so desolate, so lonely. He grew accustomed to the place,
however, as the days went by, and then he began not to mind it so
much after all. He had more responsibility here, but the work was not
so tiresome and monotonous as it had been in the screen-room, and he
could be in motion all the time.
He went down the shaft every morning with a load of miners and
laborers, carrying his whip and his dinner-pail, and a lighted lamp
fastened to the front of his cap. When he reached the bottom of
the shaft he hurried to the inside plane, and up the slope to the
stables to get his mule. The mule's name was Jasper. Nobody knew why
he had been named Jasper, but when Ralph called him by that name he
always came to him. He was a very intelligent animal, but he had
an exceedingly bad habit of kicking.
It was Ralph's duty to take the mule from the stable, to fasten him
to a trip of empty mine cars, and to make him draw them to the little
cluster of chambers at the end of the branch that turned off from the
upper-level heading.
This was the farthest point from the shaft in the entire mine. The
distance from the head of the plane alone was more than a mile, and
it was from the head of the plane that Ralph took the cars. When he
reached the end of his route he left one car of his trip at the foot
of each chamber in which it was needed, gathered together into a new
trip the loaded cars that had been pushed down to the main track for
him, and started back with them to the head of the plane.
He usually made from eight to ten round trips a day; stopping at noon,
or thereabouts, to eat the dinner with which the Widow Maloney had
filled his pail. All the driver boys on that level gathered at the
head of the plane to eat their dinners, and, during the noon-hour,
the place was alive with shouts and songs and pranks and chattering
without limit. These boys were older, stronger, ruder than those in
the screen-room; but they were no less human and good-hearted; only
one needed to look beneath the rough exterior into their real natures.
There were eight of them who took trips in by Ralph's heading, but,
for the last half-mile of his route, he was the only driver boy. It
was a lonesome half-mile too, with no working chambers along it,
and Ralph was always glad when he reached the end of it. There was,
usually, plenty of life, though, up in the workings to which he
distributed his cars. One could look up from the air-way and see the
lights dancing in the darkness at the breast of every chamber. There
was always the sharp tap, tap of the drill, the noise of the sledge
falling heavily on the huge lumps of coal, sometimes a sudden rush of
air against one's face, followed by a dull report and crash that told
of the firing of a blast, and now and then a miner's laborer would
come running a loaded car down to the heading or go pushing an empty
one back up the chamber.
There was a laborer up in one of these chambers with whom Ralph had
formed quite a friendship. His name was Michael Conway. He was young
and strong-limbed, with huge hairy arms, a kind face, and a warm
heart.
He had promised to teach Ralph the art of breaking and loading coal.
He expected, he said, to have a chamber himself after a while, and
then he would take the boy on as a laborer. Indeed, Ralph had already
learned many things from him about the use of tools and the handling
of coal and the setting of props. But he did not often have an
opportunity to see Conway at work. The chamber in which the young man
was laboring was the longest one in the tier, and the loaded car was
usually at the foot of it when Ralph arrived with his trip of lights;
so that he had only to run the empty car up into the air-way a few
feet, take on the loaded one, and start back toward the plane.
But one afternoon, when he came up with his last trip for the day, he
found no load at the foot of Conway's chamber, and, after waiting a
few minutes, he went up to the face to investigate. He found Conway
there alone. The miner for whom the young man worked had fallen sick
and had gone out earlier than usual, so his laborer had finished
the blast at which the employer had been at work. It was a blast of
top-coal, and therefore it took longer to get it down and break it up.
This accounted for the delay.
"Come up here with ye," said Conway to the boy; "I want to show ye
something."
Ralph climbed up on to the shelf of coal at the breast of the chamber,
and the man, tearing away a few pieces of slate and a few handfuls of
dirt from a spot in the upper face, disclosed an opening in the wall
scarcely larger than one's head. A strong current of air coursed
through it, and when Conway put his lamp against it the flame was
extinguished in a moment.
"Where does it go to?" asked Ralph.
"I don't just know, but I think it must go somewhere into the workin's
from old No. 1 slope. The boss, he was in this mornin', and he said he
thought we must be a-gettin' perty close to them old chambers."
"Does anybody work in there?"
"Oh, bless ye, no! They robbed the pillars tin years ago an' more; I
doubt an ye could get through it at all now. It's one o' the oldest
places in the valley, I'm thinkin'. D'ye mind the old openin' ye can
see in the side-hill when ye're goin' up by Tom Ballard's to the
Dunmore road?"
"Yes, that's where Uncle Billy worked when he was a miner."
"Did he, thin! Well, that's where they wint in. It's a long way from
here though, I'm thinkin'."
"Awful strong wind goin' in there, ain't they?"
"Yes, I must block it up again, or it'll take all our air away."
"What'll your miner do to-morrow when he finds this place?"
"Oh, he'll have to get another chamber, I guess."
The man was fastening up the opening again with pieces of slate and
coal, and plastering it over with loose wet dirt.
"Well," said Ralph, "I'll have to go now. Jasper's gettin' in a hurry.
Don't you hear 'im?"
Conway helped the boy to push the loaded car down the chamber and
fasten it to his trip.
"I'll not be here long," said the man as he turned back into the
air-way, "I'll take this light in, an' pick things up a bit, an' quit.
Maybe I'll catch ye before ye get to the plane."
"All right! I'll go slow. Hurry up; everybody else has gone out, you
know."
After a moment Ralph heard Conway pushing the empty car up the
chamber, then he climbed up on his trip, took the reins, said,
"giddep" to Jasper, and they started on the long journey out. For
some reason it seemed longer than usual this night. But Ralph did not
urge his beast. He went slowly, hoping that Conway would overtake him
before he reached the plane.
He looked back frequently, but Mike, as every one called him, was not
yet in sight.
The last curve was reached, and, as the little trip rounded it,
Ralph's attention was attracted by a light which was being waved
rapidly in the distance ahead of him. Some one was shouting, too. He
stopped the mule, and held the cars back to listen, but the sound
was so broken by intervening pillars and openings that all he could
catch was: "Hurry! hurry--up!" He laid the whip on Jasper's back
energetically, and they went swiftly to the head of the plane. There
was no one there when he reached it, but half-way down the incline he
saw the light again, and up the broad, straight gallery came the cry
of danger distinctly to his ears.
"Hurry! hurry! The breaker's afire! The shaft's a-burnin'!--run!"
Instinctively Ralph unhitched the mule, dropped the trace-chains,
and ran down the long incline of the plane. He reached the foot,
rounded the curve, and came into sight of the bottom of the shaft.
A half-dozen or more of men and boys were there, crowding in toward
the carriage-way, with fear stamped on their soiled faces, looking
anxiously up for the descending carriage.
"Ralph, ye're lucky!" shouted some one to the boy as he stepped
breathless and excited into the group. "Ye're just in time for
the last carriage. It'll not come down but this once, again. It's
a-gettin' too hot up there to run it Ye're the last one from the end
chambers, too. Here, step closer!"
Then Ralph thought of Conway.
"Did Mike come out?" he asked. "Mike Conway?"
As he spoke a huge fire-brand fell from the shaft at their feet,
scattering sparks and throwing out smoke. The men drew back a little,
and no one answered Ralph's question.
"Has Mike Conway come out yet?" he repeated.
"Yes, long ago; didn't he, Jimmy?" replied some one, turning to the
footman.
"Mike Conway? no it was Mike Corcoran that went out. Is Conway back
yet?"
"He is!" exclaimed Ralph, "he is just a-comin'. I'll tell 'im to
hurry."
Another blazing stick fell as the lad darted out from among the men
and ran toward the foot of the plane.
"Come back, Ralph!" shouted some one, "come back; ye've no time; the
carriage is here!"
"Hold it a minute!" answered the boy, "just a minute; I'll see 'im on
the plane."
The carriage struck the floor of the mine heavily and threw a shower
of blazing fragments from its iron roof. At the same moment a man
appeared from a lower entrance and hurried toward the group.
"It's Conway!" cried some one; "he's come across by the sump. Ralph!
ho, Ralph!"
"Why, where's Ralph?" asked Conway, as he crowded on to the carriage.
"Gone to the plane to warn ye," was the answer."
"Wait the hoisting bell, then, till I get 'im."
But the carriage was already moving slowly upward.
"You can't do it!" shouted some one.
"Then I'll stay with 'im!" cried Conway, trying to push his way off.
"Ralph, oh, Ralph!"
But the man was held to his place by strong arms, and the next moment
the smoking, burning carriage was speeding up the shaft for the last
time.
Ralph reached the foot of the plane and looked up it, but he saw no
light in the darkness there. Before he had time to think what he
should do next, he heard a shout from the direction of the shaft:--
"Ralph! oh, Ralph!"
It was Conway's voice. He recognized it. He had often heard that voice
coming from the breast of Mike's chamber, in kindly greeting.
Quick as thought he turned on his heel and started back. He flew
around the curve like a shadow.
"Wait!" he cried, "wait a minute; I'm a-comin'!"
At the foot of the shaft there was a pile of blazing sticks, but there
was no carriage there, nor were there any men. He stumbled into the
very flames in his eagerness, and called wildly up the dark opening:
"Wait! come back! oh, wait!"
But the whirring, thumping noise of a falling body was the only answer
that came to him, and he darted back in time to escape destruction
from a huge flaming piece of timber that struck the floor of the mine
with a great noise, and sent out a perfect shower of sparks.
But they might send the carriage down again if he rang for it.
He ran across and seized the handle of the bell wire and pulled it
with all his might. The wire gave way somewhere above him and came
coiling down upon his head. He threw it from him and turned again
toward the opening of the shaft. Then the carriage did descend. It
came down the shaft for the last time in its brief existence, came
like a thunderbolt, struck the floor of the mine with a great shock
and--collapsed. It was just a mass of fragments covered by an iron
roof--that was all. On top of it fell a storm of blazing sticks and
timbers, filling up the space at the foot, piling a mass of wreckage
high into the narrow confines of the shaft.
Ralph retreated to the footman's bench, and sat there looking vaguely
at the burning heap and listening to the crash of falling bodies, and
the deep roar of the flames that coursed upward out of sight. He could
hardly realize the danger of his situation, it had all come upon him
so suddenly. He knew, however, that he was probably the only human
being in the mine, that the only way of escape was by the shaft, and
that that was blocked.
But he did not doubt for a moment that he would be rescued in time.
They would come down and get him, he knew, as soon as the shaft could
be cleared out. The crashing still continued, but it was not so loud
now, indicating, probably, that the burning wreckage had reached to a
great height in the shaft.
The rubbish at the foot had become so tightly wedged to the floor of
the mine that it had no chance to burn, and by and by the glow from
the burning wood was entirely extinguished, the sparks sputtered and
went out, and darkness settled slowly down again upon the place.
Ralph still sat there, because that was the spot nearest to where
human beings were, and that was the way of approach when they should
come to rescue him.
At last there was only the faint glimmer from his own little lamp
to light up the gloom, and the noises in the shaft had died almost
entirely away.
Then came a sense of loneliness and desolation to be added to his
fear. Silence and darkness are great promoters of despondency. But he
still hoped for the best.
After a time he became aware that he was sitting in an atmosphere
growing dense with smoke. The air current had become reversed, at
intervals, and had sent the smoke pouring out from among the charred
timbers in dense volumes. It choked the boy, and he was obliged to
move. Instinctively he made his way along the passage to which he was
most accustomed toward the foot of the plane.
Here he stopped and seated himself again, but he did not stay long.
The smoke soon reached him, surrounded him, and choked him again. He
walked slowly up the plane. When he reached the head he was tired and
his limbs were trembling. He went across to the bench by the wheel and
sat down on it. He thought to wait here until help should come.
He felt sure that he would be rescued; miners never did these things
by halves, and he knew that, sooner or later, he should leave the mine
alive. The most that he dreaded now was the waiting, the loneliness,
the darkness, the hunger perhaps, the suffering it might be, from
smoke and foul air.
In the darkness back of him he heard a noise. It sounded like heavy
irregular stepping. He was startled at first, but it soon occurred
to him that the sounds were made by the mule which he had left there
untied.
He was right. In another moment Jasper appeared with his head
stretched forward, sniffing the air curiously, and looking in a
frightened way at Ralph.
"Hello, Jasper!"
The boy spoke cheerily, because he was relieved from sudden fright,
and because he was glad to see in the mine a living being whom he
knew, even though it was only a mule.
The beast came forward and pushed his nose against Ralph's breast
as if seeking sympathy, and the boy put up his hand and rubbed the
animal's face.
"We're shut in, Jasper," he said, "the breaker's burned, an' things
afire have tumbled down the shaft an' we can't get out till they clean
it up an' come for us."
The mule raised his head and looked around him, then he rested his
nose against Ralph's shoulder again.
"We'll stay together, won't we, old fellow? We'll keep each other
company till they come for us. I'm glad I found you, Jasper; I'm very
glad."
He patted the beast's neck affectionately; then he removed the bridle
from his head, unbuckled the harness and slipped it down to the
ground, and tried to get the collar off; but it would not come. He
turned it and twisted it and pulled it, but he could not get it over
the animal's ears. He gave up trying at last, and after laying the
remainder of the harness up against the wheel-frame, he sat down on
the bench again.
Except the occasional quick stamping of Jasper's feet, there was no
sound, and Ralph sat for a long time immersed in thought.
The mule had been gazing contemplatively down the plane into the
darkness; finally he turned and faced toward the interior of the mine.
It was evident that he did not like the contaminated air that was
creeping up the slope. Ralph, too, soon felt the effect of it; it
made his head light and dizzy, and the smoke with which it was laden
brought back the choking sensation into his throat. He knew that he
must go farther in. He rose and went slowly along the heading, over
his accustomed route, until he reached a bench by a door that opened
into the air-way. Here he sat down again. He was tired and was
breathing heavily. A little exertion seemed to exhaust him so. He
could not quite understand it. He remembered when he had run all the
way from the plane to the north chambers with only a quickening of the
breath as the result. He was not familiar with the action of vitiated
air upon the system.
Jasper had followed him; so closely indeed that the beast's nose had
often touched the boy's shoulder as they walked.
Ralph's lamp seemed to weigh heavily on his head, and he unfastened it
from his cap and placed it on the bench beside him.
Then he fell to thinking again. He thought how anxious Bachelor Billy
would be about him, and how he would make every effort to accomplish
his rescue. He hoped that his Uncle Billy would be the first one to
reach him when the way was opened; that would be very pleasant for
them both.
Mrs. Burnham would be anxious about him too. He knew that she would;
she had been very kind to him of late, very kind indeed, and she came
often to see him.
Then the memory of Robert Burnham came back to him. He thought of the
way he looked and talked, of his kind manner and his gentle words. He
remembered how, long ago, he had resolved to strive toward the perfect
manhood exemplified in this man's life. He wondered if he had done the
best he could. The scenes and incidents of the day on which this good
man died recurred to him.
Why, it was at this very door that the little rescuing party had
turned off to go up into the easterly tier of chambers. Ralph had not
been up there since. He had often thought to go over again the route
taken on that day, but he had never found the time to do so. He had
time enough at his disposal now, however; why not make the trip up
there? it would be better than sitting here in idleness to wait for
some sign of rescue.
He arose and opened the door.
The mule made as if to follow him.
"You stay here, Jasper," he said, "I won't be gone long."
He shut the door in the animal's face and started off up the
side-heading. There had not been much travel on this road during the
last year. Most of the chambers in this part of the mine had been
worked out and abandoned.
As the boy passed on he recalled the incidents of the former journey.
He came to a place where the explosion at that time had blown out the
props and shaken down the roof until the passage was entirely blocked.
He remembered that they had turned there and had gone up into a
chamber to try to get in through the entrances. But they had found the
entrances all blocked, and the men had set to work to make an opening
through one of them. Ralph recalled the scene very distinctly. With
what desperate energy those men worked, tearing away the stones
and dirt with their hands in order to get in the sooner to their
unfortunate comrades.
He remembered that while they were doing this Robert Burnham had
seated himself on a fallen prop, had torn a leaf from his memorandum
book and had asked Ralph to hold his lamp near by, so that he could
see to write. He filled one side of the leaf, half of the other side,
folded it, addressed it, and placed it in the pocket of his vest. Then
he went up and directed the enlargement of the opening and crawled
through with the rest. Here was the entrance, and here was the
opening, just as it had been left. Ralph clambered through it and went
down to the fall. The piled-up rocks were before him, as he had seen
them that day. Nothing had been disturbed.
On the floor of the mine was something that attracted his attention.
He stooped and picked it up. It was a piece of paper.
There was writing on it in pencil, much faded now, but still distinct
enough to be read. He held his lamp to it and examined it more
closely. He could read writing very well, and this was written
plainly. He began to read it aloud:--
"My DEAR WIFE,--I desire to supplement the letter sent to you from
the office with this note written in the mine during a minute of
waiting. I want to tell you that our Ralph is living; that he is
here with me, standing this moment at my side."
The paper dropped from the boy's trembling fingers, and he stood for
a minute awe-struck and breathless. Then he picked up the note and
examined it again. It was the very one that Robert Burnham had written
on the day of his death. Ralph recognized it by the crossed lines of
red and blue marking the page into squares.
Without thinking that there might be any impropriety in doing so, he
continued to read the letter as fast as his wildly beating heart and
his eyes clouded with mist would let him.
"I have not time to tell you why and how I know, but, believe me,
Margaret, there is no mistake. He is Ralph, the slate-picker,
of whom I told you, who lives with Bachelor Billy. If he should
survive this trying journey, take him immediately and bring him up
as our son; if he should die, give him proper burial. We have set
out on a perilous undertaking and some of us may not live through
it. I write this note in case I should not see you again. It will
be found on my person. Do not allow any one to persuade you that
this boy is not our son. I _know_ he is. I send love and greeting
to you. I pray for God's mercy and blessing on you and on our
children.
"ROBERT."