A CRITICAL MOMENT.
After an earnest thanksgiving by Mr. Brook for their success thus far,
the whole party partook of what was a heartier meal than usual,
consisting of the whole of the remaining food. Then choosing the largest
of the drills, a hole was driven in the coal two feet in depth, and in
this an unusually heavy charge was placed.
"We're done for after all," Bill Haden suddenly exclaimed. "Look at the
lamp."
Every one present felt his heart sink at what he saw. A light flame
seemed to fill the whole interior of the lamp. To strike a match to
light the fuse would be to cause an instant explosion of the gas. The
place where they were working being the highest part of the mine, the
fiery gas, which made its way out of the coal at all points above the
closed doors, had, being lighter than air, mounted there.
"Put the lamps out," Jack said quickly, "the gauze is nearly red hot."
In a moment they were in darkness.
"What is to be done now?" Mr. Brook asked after a pause.
There was silence for a while--the case seemed desperate.
"Mr. Brook," Jack said after a time, "it is agreed, is it not, that all
here will obey my orders?"
"Yes, certainly, Jack," Mr. Brook answered.
"Whatever they are?"
"Yes, whatever they are."
"Very well," Jack said, "you will all take your coats off and soak them
in water, then all set to work to beat the gas out of this heading as
far as possible. When that is done as far as can be done, all go into
the next stall, and lie down at the upper end, you will be out of the
way of the explosion there. Cover your heads with your wet coats, and,
Bill, wrap something wet round those cans of powder."
"What then, Jack?"
"That's all," Jack said; "I will fire the train. If the gas explodes at
the match it will light the fuse, so that the wall will blow in anyhow."
"No, no," a chorus of voices said; "you will be killed."
"I will light it, Jack," Bill Haden said; "I am getting on now, it's no
great odds about me."
"No, Dad," Jack said, "I am in charge, and it is for me to do it. You
have all promised to obey orders, so set about it at once. Bill, take
Mr. Brook up first into the other stall; he won't be able to find his
way about in the dark."
Without a word Bill did as he was told, Mr. Brook giving one hearty
squeeze to the lad's hand as he was led away. The others, accustomed to
the darkness from boyhood, proceeded at once to carry out Jack's
instructions, wetting their flannel jackets and then beating the roof
with them towards the entrance to the stall; for five minutes they
continued this, and then Jack said:
"Now, lads, off to the stall as quick as you can; cover your heads well
over; lie down. I will be with you in a minute, or--" or, as Jack knew
well, he would be dashed to pieces by the explosion of the gas. He
listened until the sound of the last footstep died away--waited a couple
of minutes, to allow them to get safely in position at the other end of
the next stall--and then, holding the end of the fuse in one hand and
the match in the other, he murmured a prayer, and, stooping to the
ground, struck the match. No explosion followed; he applied it to the
fuse, and ran for his life, down the narrow heading, down the stall,
along the horse road, and up the next stall. "It's alight," he said as
he rushed in.
A cheer of congratulation and gladness burst from the men. "Cover your
heads close," Jack said as he threw himself down; "the explosion is nigh
sure to fire the gas."
For a minute a silence as of death reigned in the mine; then there was a
sharp cracking explosion, followed--or rather, prolonged--by another
like thunder, and, while a flash of fire seemed to surround them,
filling the air, firing their clothes, and scorching their limbs, the
whole mine shook with a deep continuous roaring. The men knew that the
danger was at an end, threw off the covering from their heads, and
struck out the fire from their garments. Some were badly burned about
the legs, but any word or cry they may have uttered was drowned in the
tremendous roar which continued. It was the water from the Logan pit
rushing into the Vaughan. For five minutes the noise was like thunder,
then, as the pressure from behind decreased, the sound gradually
diminished, until, in another five minutes, all was quiet. Then the
party rose to their feet. The air in the next stall was clear and fresh,
for as the Logan pit had emptied of water, fresh air had of course come
down from the surface to take its place.
"We can light our lamps again safely now," Bill Haden said. "We shall
want our tools, lads, and the powder; there may be some heavy falls in
our way, and we may have hard work yet before we get to the shaft, but
the roof rock is strong, so I believe we shall win our way."
"It lies to our right," Jack said. "Like our own, it is at the lower end
of the pit, so, as long as we don't mount, we are going right for it."
There were, as Haden had anticipated, many heavy falls of the roof, but
the water had swept passages in them, and it was found easier to get
along than the colliers had expected. Still it was hard work for men
weakened by famine; and it took them five hours of labour clearing away
masses of rock, and floundering through black mud, often three feet
deep, before they made their way to the bottom of the Logan shaft, and
saw the light far above them--the light that at one time they had never
expected to see again.
"What o'clock is it now, sir?" Bill Haden asked Mr. Brook, who had from
the beginning been the timekeeper of the party.
"Twelve o'clock exactly," he replied. "It is four days and an hour since
the pit fired."
"What day is it, sir? for I've lost all count of time."
"Sunday," Mr. Brook said after a moment's thought.
"It could not be better," Bill Haden said; "for there will be thousands
of people from all round to visit the mine."
"How much powder have you, Bill?" Jack asked.
"Four twenty-pound cans."
"Let us let off ten pounds at a time," Jack said. "Just damp it enough
to prevent it from flashing off too suddenly; break up fine some of this
damp wood and mix with it, it will add to the smoke."
In a few minutes the "devil" was ready, and a light applied; it blazed
furiously for half a minute, sending volumes of light smoke up the
shaft.
"Flash off a couple of pounds of dry powder," Bill Haden said; "there is
very little draught up the shaft, and it will drive the air up."
For twenty minutes they continued letting off "devils" and flashing
powder. Then they determined to stop, and allow the shaft to clear
altogether of the smoke.
Presently a small stone fell among them--another--and another, and they
knew that some one had noticed the smoke.