n bottom to turn on the water. In the meantime
he and the other two men worked furiously to extinguish the fire by
whipping it with their coats and aprons, but always the flames beat them
back. Helplessly they saw it eating along the mine timbers far down the
vacant passage. Little red devils of flame that winked maliciously two
hundred feet away, and went out, then sprang up again, then blazed
steadily. Grant and the two men tugged frantically at the burning
boards, trying to drag them out of the passageway into the barn, but
only here and there could an end be picked up, and it took five minutes
to get half a dozen charred boards into the barn. While they struggled
with the charred boards the flames down the passage kept glowing
brighter and brighter. The men were conscious that the flames were
playing around the second torch below the barn. Although they realized
that the man they sent for the wrench had nearly half a mile to go and
come by the roundabout way, they asked one another if he was making the
wrench!

Men began poking their heads into the course and calling, "Need any help
down there," and Grant cried, "Yes, go to the pump in the main balcony
with your buckets and get water." The man sent for the wrench appeared
down the long passage. Grant yelled,

"Hurry--hurry, man!" But though he came running, the fire seemed to be
going faster than he was. They could hear men calling and felt that
there was confusion at the end of the air course where it turned into
the main passage ahead of the flames. A second torch exploded,
scattering the fire far down the course. The man, breathless and
exhausted, ran up with the wrench. Then they felt the air in the air
course stop moving. They looked at one another. "Yes," said the man with
the wrench, "I told 'em to reverse the fans and when we got the water
turned on we'd hold the fire from going to the other end of the
passage." He said this between gasps as he tugged at the water plug with
the wrench. He hit it a vicious blow and the cap broke.

The fan had reversed. The air was rushing back, bringing the flames to
the barn. They beat the fire madly with their coats, but in two minutes
the roaring air had brought the flames upon them. The loose timber and
shavings in the barn were beginning to blaze and the men ran for their
lives down the air course. As they ran for the south passage, the smoke
followed them and they felt it in their eyes and lungs. The lights
behind th