A HEROIC MINER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5997, 5 February 1881, Page 7

A HEROIC MINER.

Acts of heroism, more majestic in their simplicity than' the finest conceptions of the poetic imagination,.are not uncommon in the every-day lives of sailors and minora. Some striking deeds of this character were brought to light in the recent pit accidents, which have not yet faded from the memory of the public, but many such instances of sublime self-devotion in the cause of humanity are never heard of. An accident has just occurred in the district of Linares, in Spain, which but; for the accidental circumstance of an Englishman happening to be in the neighbourhood where it occurred, would have passed without notice as an episode of common mining life. Three workmen were engaged in sinking a shaft, and were exploding imx>edimcnts in the rock with dynamite. Having charged the boreholes for the explosion, two of them climbed to the gallery above, the third remaining to light the fuses. Having applied the match, he gave the accustomed signal to his comrades to be taken up, and they at once began to set the windlass and rope in motion. When he had arrived near the mouth of the shaft, however, he by some accident lost his hold, and was precipitated to the bottom of the pit, a distance of about fifty feet, a few moments before the dynamite might be expected to explode. Without hesitation one of the two men above seized a chain ladder which happened to be .it hand placed his drawn knife between his teeth, and let himself down to where his companion was lying bruised and insensible close to the burning fuses. He fortunately arrived intime to cut the communication and to save the wounded man from instant death. The dauntless courage, promptness of action, and steadiness of nerve required to the success of the exploit of this humble Spanish workman might raise it to the level of the most renowned historical achievements. The greatest virtue of the action, however, is the noble, disinterested motive that dictated it.