Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1894 — A MINER'S ORDEAL. [ARTICLE]

A MINER'S ORDEAL.

Lights Four Fuses of Giant Powder and Finds Escape Cut Off. Frank Bagley, a miner, had an experience the other afternoon at 3 o’clock at the bottom of a 300-foot shaft in Little Jessie mine, which he never wants to go through again, and which no other miner would care to experience. His escape from instant death seems little short of a miracle. He was engaged with a companion in putting in four blasts, and when the work was completed his companion climed up a rope to a place of safety above, leaving him to apply the light to a fuse which was to explode the shots. He had an abundant length of fuse to give him plenty of time, as he supposed, to climb up the timbered part of the shaft out of reach of flying rocks from the shots. The distance was only about ten feet, but he had no ladder on account of the inconvenience of handling it while shooting, and the only means of escape was by climbing a rope. He applied the light to the fuse and then started to climb the rope, but it was wet and slippery, and as soon as he made a few feet his hold would give way, and he would slip back to the bottom of the shaft, where four pieces of fuse were sizzling their way to as many sticks of giant powder. His first unsuccessful attempt did not alarm him much, as he had no fear of his ability to get away, but as he tried again and again, and eAch time to only slide back to the bottom, he began to realise that his position was a very critical one.

He had blown out his light and in the narrow confines of the shaft there was not a crevice or a projecting rock big enough to shield even his hand. The place was black as midnight darkness itself, and his only way of escape was through the agency of that slippery and treacherous rope. He knew about the time the explosion must inevitably occur, and as the time grew nearer and nearer the more desperately did he attempt to make the ascent, but all to no purpose. The first shot went off, scattering rock in every direction around him, and hitting him in various places on the body. The second, third and fourth followed in rapid succession, but with less serious results to him. The injuries he sustained were mostly received from the first shot. He is lacerated and bruised from head to foot, although none of the wounds were deep. While they are serious and quite painful’, they are not considered dangerous.—[Prescott (Arizona,) Journal.