Stories of persons and places in Europe . whistlings andnumerous unearthly soundsaround him, which comefrom the great engines thatwork the machinery of themines, and the pulleys andgins and cars that shriekand groan and rumble asthey carry away the he reaches thecountry nearer Newcastle,all these operations—the groanings and wail-ings, the cinders andfires increase. Here hepasses one of the tallengine-houses that hesaw in the distance,with its tall chimney,hoisting into the skyslanting columns ofturbid smoke. He nowspes from the upperpart of the engine house a huge beam, protruding
Stories of persons and places in Europe . whistlings andnumerous unearthly soundsaround him, which comefrom the great engines thatwork the machinery of themines, and the pulleys andgins and cars that shriekand groan and rumble asthey carry away the he reaches thecountry nearer Newcastle,all these operations—the groanings and wail-ings, the cinders andfires increase. Here hepasses one of the tallengine-houses that hesaw in the distance,with its tall chimney,hoisting into the skyslanting columns ofturbid smoke. He nowspes from the upperpart of the engine house a huge beam, protruding itself like a giants arm, lifting itself up andthen falling again. To this beam is attached the rod and bucket of a pumpwhich, probably at some hundred yards deep, is lifting out the water froma mine and enabling the miners to work where otherwise they would bedro1 tied in the water that floods the mine. Or he sees a great beam placedon a high support and wagging its ends alternately up and down, doingthe same work in a different GRANITE QUARRIES. 130 Persons and Places in Europe. There again the huge engines are at work whirling baskets down intothe deep shafts for coal, or whirling the colliers themseves down to get thecoal. For two or three hundred yards, down into the bowels of the earth,they are sent with a rapidity that to a stranger is frightful, the engines allthe time groaning and coughing over their toil like so many condemnedTitans; and the wheels and pulleys that they had put in motion, singingand whistling like so many lesser spirits doomed to attend their labors. Here one sees baskets of coal emerge from the mouth of the pit, and im-mediately, as if by self agency, run away, empty themselves into a wagonor boat, and come back ready for a fresh descent. There is a whole train ofwagons loaded with coal, going on their way without horse, without steam-engine, without man, except one who sits behind, and instead of pro-pelling these mad wagons, he seems to be
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidstoriesofper, bookyear1887
