CHAPTER XX
INTO A BLACK GULF
While the Iron Boys were trudging through the mine, completing theirweary rounds of miles with their eyes fixed keenly on the tracks, ameeting had been called at the office of the superintendent. All of thegentlemen who comprised the party of visitors at the mine were at themeeting.
Maps of the mines on the range were spread out on the table before them,and they were going over and discussing these maps in detail. Businesswas transacted with a speed that would have made most of the businessmen in that remote region dizzy headed.
Having disposed of the matters before them, the conversation turned totheir recent narrow escape in the Cousin Jack Mine. The visitors werefully convinced now that the fire had been caused by a spark from thetrolley wire, and Superintendent Penton, if he thought otherwise, didnot say so. He had made up his mind, however, to push his inquiry alittle further. He wanted to make sure that the suggestion was thecorrect one.
From the subject of the fired bag the men turned to a discussion ofSteve Rush and Bob Jarvis. This ended in Mr. Cary's making aproposition. After a little discussion it was put in the form of amotion and passed with enthusiasm.
Of all of this, of course, the lads tramping along the levels farunderground knew nothing. It was destined to come as a great surprise tothem when they learned of the action taken by the officials of thecompany in the interest of the two plucky boys.
That night the officers boarded their private car and went on to visitother of the company's mines further up the range. Early on thefollowing forenoon Superintendent Penton visited his own mine, and whilethere looked up Steve Rush.
The superintendent asked Steve what he thought about the theory of aspark from the wire having fired the dynamite bag.
"I don't take any stock in it," answered the boy promptly. "Do you,sir?"
"I have had my doubts, but how else could it have started?"
"I will answer that question by showing you that it could not havestarted from a wire spark. The fire started on the underside of the bag.Did you notice that?"
"No; it had spread over the bag when I caught sight of it. But I wasreasonably certain there was more to it than we imagined when you askedDominick if he met anyone in the level just before reaching the chutes."
Steve nodded reflectively.
"What do you infer from the fire starting on the under side of thedynamite bag?"
"That someone had either accidentally or by design shoved a candle underthe bag while Dominick was carrying it. That is the only way I can seethat the fire might have started."
"I think you are right about that. But it surely was an accident. No onewould be willing to take such terrible chances. Why, it might have blowneveryone up within a wide radius."
"Yes, it would have done so."
"And yet you were down on your knees, with your nose right over thestuff, as if it were so much clay. I have steady nerves myself, but Idon't believe I should have had the pluck to do that. At least, I know Ishould have turned my head away."
Steve laughed.
"I am afraid that would not have helped you much if the stuff had goneoff."
"Rush, if you suspect anything keep your eyes open; that's all I have tosay. What you don't see will not be worth the seeing."
"Very well, sir; I will do as you request, but I have not much hope ofgetting at the truth."
"I'll risk that. I am going to the lower level. There is some difficultywith the pumps there, the engineer tells me," said the superintendent,proceeding on his way.
Steve had not very much to do, so he walked back to his old post on theseventeenth level to wait until Bob Jarvis should come along. Steve andthe superintendent had no sooner left the spot where they had beentalking than a figure slunk from a deserted drift near by, glanced upand down the level, then hurried away. The man's hat was pulled down,and the candle above aided in throwing his face into deep shadow, butthe full beard was not hidden, had anyone been near by to observe it.
Steve had been sitting on the platform at the chutes for about thirtyminutes when the level's telephone rang.
"Mr. Penton wants to see you on the lower level," said the telephoneboy.
"Where is he?" questioned Steve.
"He says he'll meet you near the suction pipes."
"Very good," answered the lad, rising. "If Mr. Jarvis comes along tellhim where I have gone. If I get through in time I will meet him here andgo up with him."
Rush hurried over, signaled the cage tender that he wished to descend,and a short time afterwards was being plunged deeper into the mine.
He left the cage at the sub-level just above the last level. The lastlevel was flooded with water some twenty feet deep. All the water fromthe mine was drained down into the last level and from there pumped tothe surface and thus disposed of.
There were naturally no mining operations carried on down on the lastlevel.
Steve had been down there on numerous occasions and every inch of theground was familiar to him. Upon leaving the cage he made his waythrough the dark, damp tunnels, whistling as he stepped briskly along.He could not imagine what Mr. Penton could want of him down there, forif anything were wrong with the pumping system it was a matter for theengineering department and not for a track inspector.
Turning the last bend in the sub-level, Push began to move with morecaution. A moment more and he caught sight of the big water pipeswinding up through the roof of the level.
"I wonder where Mr. Penton is?" muttered the lad, stepping out on aplank platform.
As he did so a wave of dampness that almost chilled him swept up fromthe dark depths of the last level. An open space extended from thefloor down to the level itself and from this soundings were occasionallytaken to determine the depth of the water. The lead line hung from a pegdriven into a crevice in the rock. Steve noted that the line was dry.
"That is curious. Mr. Penton evidently has not made a sounding. I shouldhave thought he would have done so if he had reason to think the waterwas not being pumped out as fast as it should be."
Rush raised his voice and called out the name of the superintendent.Only the echo of his own voice came back to him.
"That's queer," decided Steve. "But, of course, he did not telephone mefrom here. He probably is on one of the levels above this. I will wait."
Resuming his whistling, the lad began pacing back and forth on theplanking, having stuck his candlestick back on his miner's hat.
The young inspector had been waiting for fully half an hour, but not asign of the superintendent did he see.
"Well, this is getting rather tiresome," he said, pausing to listen tothe rhythmic click of the pumps that his ears could faintly catch. "Ithink I will amuse myself by sounding the water level."
The lad took down the rope, to one end of which a piece of lead had beenattached, spun the weighted end a few times about his head, letting itfly out into the darkness, listening intently as the line ran swiftlythrough his hands.
A distant splash followed a few seconds later, whereupon the line gaveout not quite so rapidly.
"It's down," nodded Steve. He leaned over the edge to pull the line inwithout drawing it over the edge of the planking, so that he could thebetter see that mark of the water on the rope.
"Gracious, I should hate to take a swim in that hole," said the IronBoy, with a laugh.
He stopped suddenly. Steve thought he had heard something behind him.
"Is that you, Mr. Penton?" he asked, turning and peering into thedarkness.
There was no reply.
"I must be getting the creeps," said Steve, beginning to whistle as hehauled in the line. "Wha--what--here, let go of me. Let----"
Some invisible force behind had put a sudden pressure upon Steve Rush.He was being rapidly shoved toward the edge of the platform.
All at once Steve felt the flooring drop from beneath his feet; and,without making a sound, the lad plunged over into the darkness.
A loud splash follow
ed, then all was still.