"NIGGER IN THE COAL PILE"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 260, 30 July 1919, Page 6

"NIGGER IN THE COAL PILE"

INCIDENT ON THE RUAPEHU. j Returned soldiers by the Ruapehu tell \ of an untoward incdent which occurred ! on the Ruapehu at Newport News, the \ sequel to which did not develop until the ! third evening after leaving that port. It! was a beautiful summer evening, and all | the "Diggers," .having dined well, were taking tneir ea.se about the decks, when some who were sitting on the hatch of No. 3 hold, just forward of the bridge, heard a mysterious tapping from beneath their seat. At first they did not recognise that the sound came from below, but as the tapping wont on, they were impressed by the uncanny noise that issued from boneath the well-chocked hatches. At length they summoned one of tho ship's officers, who came and listened to the queer "tap, tap" which came from the hold. Very quickly the chocks were knocked away, tire tarpaulins doubled back and the hatches lifted, when what should meet their gaze but the broad expanse of a nigger's face, with blinking eyes and gleaming teeth, crying for,water. He was quickly given a drink of water and some food, and then lie told his tale. He had been one of tho negro gang engaged in trimming the coal as it ■ slid through tho shoots at Newport News. Ho happened to be underneath ono of the shoots (which are fed by a wonderful overhead system) and was knocked down and overwhelmed with the subsequent rush of coal until,he was pretty well buried. By a stroke of fortune, however, he ivas able to fight his way to a place near a shaft, whore there was a little, air space, enough to keep him in good heart as to his deliverance. Then for throe days and two nights he fought his way through tho coal to whore his good sense told him was the centre of tho ship, and after a superhuman struggle at length got within reach of the hatches. All that day ho said he had been able to liear the bugle whenever it sounded, and that had cheered him up in his fight for life. Such an incident on a crowded transport naturally created, a lot of excitement, hut when the negro stated that he believed that two of his mates woro also buried in tho coal, us he thought lie had heard them at. work trying to fight through the 'black diamonds,' a thrill of horror stiffened every soldier. Instantly there was a call for volunteer workers, responded to by a rush of soldiers, who in l the warm sub-tropical temperature stripped to the buff for the fray. The hatches were thrown oil', places were made to dump the coal ou tho decks on either side of tho hatchway, and the first team got to work, at first with shovels only and afterwards, as they got | down, with baskets, and the assistance j of the winch, and some of thoso who , looked on say that they do not believo I coal was ever worked so quickly by I human hands as it was by thoso solcliors. • They slogged into the work liko demons, I and as soon as ono gang of half-naked men wore laid out another took their places. At length they woro called to a halt by t'he captain, who judged that if there were live negroes in tho conl they would have been found before tho "diggers" got to tho point thoy had reached, and. furthermore, it was argued that whilst one man might not have been missed from a gang, three would have I been. .Anyhow, they concluded ,thnt the rescued nigger had been imagining tilings whilst., he was enduring the pangs of hunger and thirst amongst the coal, and they let. it go at that, having put. in eight hours of the most solid work imaginable. The rescued nigger wiis put ashore at Colon—glad to bo alive after his terrifying experience.