A RAT-INFESTED MINE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 4, Issue 268, 16 October 1883, Page 2

A RAT-INFESTED MINE.

In the Franklin Scbttmine pn Pros-i • pect Mountain no work. has been; done for ithree (years until two.iweeks egor aud probably no human„fceing has gone do^n into it during, .that period of. tmie. Upon taking a leaseof the "pro-' perty the present lessees went up to the mine, and one of ,the]r number, Joe Cummmgb, was chosen /to^ decent W : ladder, nearly ICO feet, with'^ 'rope tied round his waist for security against accident.; He descended to the boltbmL an ? were foond .himself surround'ia by r ' myriads of large rats/ The animals "' were seized, with terror at his appearance among them and jumped abHut ,r> the sides of the shaft, and m wild* cp'h-' : fusion covered him at limes from ,hea- 7 toieot. He says he never experienced |; such a smgnla^and 'sensations m his life, a miaute Beeb»ed to* hijn an age. He admits that he' wag scared, for he was afraid that £e would H be eaten alive by the crazed and raven*.' oris creatures although they, if possible,'' were more frightened than he, ani* leaped upon him m their effort to ts^' -PW,. He tried to avoid them, and X they Wflre; doing their best to db<Sgb him. He^yelM as loud as he coMd tor the boys to haul him out.' When they began to tug away and ne felt his v i. 9 ? 2 e L^ d^ rs W", and he pushed off the last clinging,, bient, he Jii ■breathed easier, and congratula^d'him--Belf i iora-while ; ,on what he had , aw* P?«d,n 9 thmg.6hort r of *n eflcabe/ynV death. On reaching the^ar/ace glanP powder .was brought into ;requistidn* and used until it.was thought the rat had been .de^royedr S^abge enough,, when ie descended into 'the ; sha.t again he funn'i; only thrte dead' rats at the bottom. 5 The rest 'had evidently, found; exit, through unknown crevices leading,^; the surfaW odr0 dr ihtd ; distant caves. " i::t 'J a-.? , ,; •-/