LOST IN A MINE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 123, 16 June 1870, Page 7

LOST IN A MINE.

BY A OA-IiTFOBNIAir MINEB.

Table Mountain, in Makolumme County, California, was once famous for its goldbearing gravel, lying beneath a crust of cement, pipeclay, and boulders. In 1860, however, nearly all the good gravel, it was thought, had been taken out. At a depth varying from one to four hundred feet, the ground was honey-combed by pasages or drifts, intersecting each other in hundreds of places, thus forming a labyrinth only familiar to the miners' who excavate the gravel. Many of these drifts are nearly a mile long. Some are level, others abruptly rise or fall, according to the configuration of the ledge, which in Table Mountain is composed of slate, intermixed with limestone. Whenever the abandoned tunnels are depressed, water covers the bottom. In some places the roofs are sustained by upright props, or horizontal beams : at others they are composed of hard cement or pipeclay, needing no support. These drifts, however, had not been properly worked by their former owners — the Invicible Company, and thousands of cartloads of gravels, containing the precious metal, were yet hiddin among the limestone boulders and between the seams of pipeclay. This fact became known, in 1862, to myself and some other miners in the vicinity; and we therefore formed ourselves into a company, put up sheds, cleared the debris from the mouth of the inclined tunnel, erected a steam hoisting engine, began to dig out the boulders and pipeclay that had slid down from the roof and sides of the main drift, and were soon rewarded by finding gravel that fetched from two to twenty dollars a cart-load. On Saturday evening, I was sitting in the bar-room of our boarding-house, listening to the tales of some miners who had lately arrived from Calaveras County. They spoke of long drifts that had been run into a mountain near Murphy's Camp. The underground foreman of our company said, "Oh, the drifts in the Tiger Mine beat yours all hollow. If you like, I'll show you the way through them. We've just broken into one of the abandoned drifts of the Senora mines." The miners, however declined the offer.

No emotion of the mind is stronger or more lasting than curiosity. I felt an irresistible desire to explore these drifts and caverns, not so much for the sake of finding gold as for geological research. It is a well known fact that beneath the entire length of Table Mountain extends the bed of an ancient river, now covered by the lava forming the top of the mountain. The pebbles among the gravel show plainly that water was the cause of their smooth and spherical form. The direction in which they lie, and the petrified leaves, pieces of wood, and other objects in the sediment, indicate the course of the current. Accordingly, I made up my mind to visit the underground passages on the following day. Early the next morning, with some candles and matches in my pocket, a piece of bread and cheese in my wallet, I left my cabin, and with quick steps ascended the brow of Table Mountain, near the summit of which the inclined tunnel of the Tiger Mine is situated. Soon I stood beneath the roof of the engine-house and gazed into the yawning m o uth of the tunnel. "With lighted candle in hand, I descended the steep and slippery way to the main level, four hundred feet beneath the upper surface of Table Mountain. The foreman of the mine had told me that his miners had broken into the old works from a drift to the right. I followed that drift, examining the seams of gravel and pipeclay as I advanced.

Gradually the passage became narrower, as it wound sinuously between the lime boulders, which, in the dim light of my candle, seemed like fantastically-formed statues of men and animals. Suddenly a strong blast of air whirled past me, blowing out my light. Crouching down, I relit; the candle, and holding my hand before it, advanced a few steps to an opening in the wall, from which came the draught of air. I stood ait the entrance of the old works of the Senora Mining Company. Cautiously I crept through the, opening, crawled over a pile of rocks and pipeclay, and soon stood on level ground. The dim rays of my candle cast a strange and ghastly light upon the gray walls of a large cavern. The water, oozing from the roof, and dropping with a monotonous sound upon the floor, sparkled like a string of diamonds, with rainbow hue. Wreaths of a fungus, resembling hoar-frost, hung from the heavy beams of timber which upheld the overshadowing masses of pipeclay These wreaths were dismally shroud-like ; they swung solemnly to and fro, agitated by a current of cold air flowing from the opening of a large drift on my right. I next entered a drift on my left, from which opened smaller drifts as I advanced. At every turn, the sides of the drift presented new aspects. Sometimes the walls showed clefts and fissures, which were undoubtedly made by some convulsion of the earth ; at other places they were streaked by seams of red and blue gravel, among which glittered mica, with its deceptive golden hue. In other placee, the beams and props were so close together that they concealed the crumbling walls behind them. Such portions of the passage were as dry as tinder.

Holding the light overhead, I noticed that many of the beams were bent by the immense weight above them. Unfortunately, my candle came in contact with the resinous wood. Instantly a bright flame was kindled, which, fanned by a current of air, ran with great velocity along the drift ! I fled in dismay. But whither ?

On, on I rushed, pursued by the roaring flames, smoke, and stifling heat. My coat was torn into shreds by the knots of the timber as I dashed past them. I threw away my wallet, and lost my hat and shoes ; but regardless of the blood, which, dripping from my lacerated brow, nearly blinded me, I rushed on until I came to a passage free from timber. Here, completely out of breath, I sank on the wet ground. Luckily, a draft of air was blowing towards the fire, and no smoke entered the drift in which I was lying. When I had regained a little of my strength, I felt for my candles and matches. Horror ! Candles and matches were gone ! I only felt torn shreds of the lower part of my coat !

Crawling back to the drift in which the fire was burning, by its light I perceived a broken candle lying on the ground near the entrance. With a sincere exclamation of "Thank Heaven for that!" I took it in my hand. The fire was no more slowly advancing, as the timbers were wider apart. Soon the flames died out altogether, and I gazed through a vista of glowing embers. Suddenly there came a low, rumbling sound, like that

of distant thunder. N"earer and nearer it came. Then there was a tremendous crash, followed by a rush of heated air, and all was still. The passage had fallen in. I lit my candle with a bit of live coal, and slowly advanced again along one of the passages, until my progress was stopped by a wall of limestone boulders.

Finding a passage here leading off to the right, I followed it to a place where it divided into two branches, and took the right branch, which was without timber. With rapid steps I went forward, being now as anxious to leave those abodes of darkness as I had been to visit them.

Again a wall of limestone boulders barred my path. To my amazement, I recognised the same configuration of rocks I had seen before. Never had such a sensation of horror oppressed me as at the moment when the awful truth burst upon me like a flash of lightning — I had lost my way ! Oh, the agony of that moment ! My trembling limbs refused to support my body, and I sank on the damp rocks, still holding, however, the lighted candle in my hand.

" Where there is light there^is hope," ejaculated I, aloud.

" Hope !" answered a muffled voice from somewhere above my head.

With a shriek of terror I sprang to my feet. A hundred voices repeated the cry from the thick darkness, in every direction. It was only the echo that mockingly replied from the drifts and caverns. Again I entered the passage to my right ; and when I came to the branch, turned to the left, ascended a steep grade, and soon came to a large drift, in which I had never before been.

The candle became shorter and shorter ; only a half-inch remained in my hand. Still I advanced, still with hope.

A sensation of danger came over me. I stopped, and the dying light with unsteady flame showed me a yawning shaft ! One step more, and I should have fallen into a dark pool of water which glittered fifty feet below. Once more the light flickered, then all was darkness. I turned and fled down the drift, I felt a blow on my head, and then remembered no more.

When I recovered my consciousness, fearful pains were in all my limbs. I tried to rise, but my endeavours were in vain. I was hungry. Starvation ! Good heavens ! what a fearful thought ! I knew well that death was approaching — slow but certain death. I thought of my father and mother — of all my beloved friends. What would they say of my mysterious disappearance ? Not a soul knew that I had entered these abandoned drifts.

At last I was able to move again. Crawling through mud and watery scrambling over decayed timbers, creeping among ragged masses of fallen slate, often stopping to listen in vain for some sound besides the dropping of water to break the horrible stillness, many hours passed away. Then I lost my consciousness again; and again racking pains around me from my swoon. Suddenly, when as it seemed to me the last breath of life was in the act of flickering from my benumbed body, I heard a panting sound close by. A hot breath fell upon my face, and then something cold and moist touched my cheek. With a painful effort, I stretched out my arm, and grasped the hair of a living animal, which immediately bounded away, barking loudly. Then I shouted with all my remaining strength for succour.

" This way, boys — this way : here he is!" .

Life and hope returned to me with those welcome words, utteredbythe wellknown voice of a brother miner. Lights flashed in the thick darkness, and strong arms lifted me from the ground. Some one said, " His dog has saved him. We should never have found the poor fellow if the dog hadn't led us on." Then pang after pang of agony

throbbed through my brain. I cried, prayed, shouted — the delirium of brain fever was upon me. A week passed before consiousness returned, and midsummer came before I was able to leave my bed. As the reader is aware, I left my cabin on Sunday morning ; it was Wednesday evening when the miners found me, almost dead, only two hundred feet from the opening through which I had crawled.

Four days and three nights I had been lost underground. Day after day my dog had followed the miners down the Bteep, inclined tunnel, and placed himself at the opening into the abandoned drifts. Twice the miners drove him out of the mine. The third time, struck by the faithful animal's persistence, they followed his movements, and were guided to the place where I was lying. The drifts of the old mine were afterwards thoroughly explored and worked over by myself and companions. Our success more than equalled our most sanguine expectation ; a handsome profit for each of us being a result of a division of the net profits. Thus the gloomy memories left by my misadventure were made bright by the golden sunshine of success.