Читать книгу Old Convict Times to Gold Digging Days - William Derricourt - Страница 22

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In due course of time I was promoted to be putter at the mines—that is, the man standing on the hind part of the truck to prevent its tilting. But I owed my release from mine work altogether to a very strange incident. I got release because of a theft, a thing that generally ensures to people quite other consequences. The theft, however, was not mine. The cell where we slept was directly under the commissariat store. One night I had been able to turn in rather earlier than usual, and when I woke before the others I saw to my surprise a great hole in the roof. Evidently while I had been sleeping, tired out and as sound as a top, some of our men had forced up one of the great flagstones, and helped themselves to all they could. When I became aware what had happened no one had yet stirred. I secured for my share twenty figs of tobacco—a perfect fortune in the only kind of money known on the chain gangs—and then went to sleep again. When I awoke and saw the stone replaced and everything in order I thought I must have been dreaming, until I found my store of tobacco stowed away under my head. I put the whole lot in my pockets, but my great trouble was where to keep it without fear of discovery. I resolved, for one thing, that I would go to the superintendent, promise good conduct, and make an appeal to be removed from the mines. Before starting to present my petition I scratched a hole near the fowl-house and hid my treasure. I had just finished when I met the great man quite by accident. After some consideration, he told me that if my conduct was reported good for three months I should be sent to the wood gang. He then sang out, "Watchman, don't let this man out again. I don't know what he is prowling about for."

In the morning it was our duty to carry out the night tubs and empty them outside the yard. The men who had made the raid upon the commissariat store had placed their tub in a bag in the store, and had carried out instead a load of tobacco and other things. The removal of the flagstone had not been discovered when our shift was sent below to work. But, when the rations were served out, the confusion of the store goods of course came to light. Then the row began. Our work below went on as usual. Not a whisper was heard of what had happened above. But at knock off, when we returned to the sleeping place, it was no longer a secret. The matter had been investigated, the way the store had been entered was plain, and all in our ward were set down for trial. The trial was a very summary affair. We were all found equally guilty and sentenced, some to solitary confinement, some to the lash. I, though I had nothing to do with the robbery, for all that I had had a share of the plunder, had to undergo three dozen, as had some others. Work in the next shift was suspended for the carrying out of the sentences, and two of my team had to lay up because of lacerated backs. Work had to go on, happen what might, in the old days, and fresh hands were sent to replace my disabled mates. I never to this day have found out who were the real perpetrators of the robbery.

I had now been three years and nine months in irons in the coal mines, when the superintendent, in accordance with his promise, removed me from the pits and sent me to help in sinking a new shaft, and here began a quite different system of treatment—milder and more human. At the shaft on which I was engaged, an engine was erected to work by steam power, and there was no more slaving at the cranks. In sinking we used what were called curves, or circular timbers, let into the round of the shaft to prevent the sides from falling in. Another improvement was, too, introduced into our work—the use of blasting-powder. Before that all rock had to be removed by sheer hard toil, pick, sledge, and iron wedges being the only means allowed. The shaft was being sunk on the top of a hill near the semaphore for the purpose of shortening the haulage distance in the mine. A line of rails was also laid from this shaft to the jetty.

My mate in shaft-sinking was one "Rough Robin," a champion Lancashire up and down prizefighter. When we were about to fire a charge only one man was left below to make all ready. One day this duty fell to Robin, when the charge exploded prematurely before he could give the signal to be drawn to the surface, and, when we did get him up, he was a mangled mass and quite sightless. He was taken to the hospital, where he lingered for some time in fearful agony, and with no hopes of recovery. On one visit I made him the Doctor, knowing all was nearly over, ordered him to be carried out of doors. As it was my off shift I waited by the poor fellow's side. The minute he felt the fresh air he passed away from mines and fellow workers and all his earthly troubles.