Chapter 17
journey to the centre of the earth by chapter seventeen deeper and deeper the coal mine in truth we were compelled to put ourselves upon rations our supply would certainly last no more than three days i found this out about supper-time the worst part of the matter was that in what is called the transition rocks it was hardly to be expected we should meet with water i had read of the horrors of thirst and i knew that where we were a brief trial of its sufferings would put an end to our adventures and our lives but it was utterly useless to discuss the matter with my uncle he would have answered by some axiom from plato during the whole of next day we proceeded on our journey through this interminable gallery arch after arch tunnel after tunnel we journeyed without exchanging a word we had become as mute and reticent as hans our guide the road had no longer an upward tendency at all events if it had it was not to be made out very clearly sometimes there could be no doubt that we were going downwards
but this inclination was scarcely to be distinguished and was by no means reassuring to the professor because the character of the strata was in no wise modified and the transition character of the rocks became more and more marked it was a glorious sight to see how the electric light brought out the sparkles in the walls of the calcerous rocks and the old red sandstone one might have fancied oneself in one of those deep cuttings in devonshire which have given their name to this kind of soil some magnificent specimens of marble projected from the sides of the gallery some of an agate grey with white veins of variegated character others of a yellow spotted colour with red veins farther off might be seen samples of colour in which cherry-tinted seams were to be found in all their brightest shades the greater number of these marbles were stamped with the marks of primitive animals since the previous evening nature and creation had made considerable progress instead of the rudimentary trilobites i perceived the remains of a more perfect order
among others the fish in which the eye of a geologist has been able to discover the first form of the reptile the devonian seas were inhabited by a vast number of animals of this species which were deposited in tens of thousands in the rocks of new formation it was quite evident to me that we were ascending the scale of animal life of which man forms the summit my excellent uncle the professor appeared not to take notice of these warnings he was determined at any risk to proceed he must have been in expectation of one of two things either that a vertical well was about to open under his feet and thus allow him to continue his descent or that some insurmountable obstacle would compel us to stop and go back by the road we had so long travelled but evening came again and to my horror neither hope was doomed to be realised on friday after a night when i began to feel the gnawing agony of thirst and when in consequence appetite decreased
our little band rose and once more followed the turnings and windings the ascents and descents of this interminable gallery all were silent and gloomy i could see that even my uncle had ventured too far after about ten hours of further progress a progress dull and monotonous to the last degree i remarked that the reverberation and reflection of our lamps upon the sides of the tunnel had singularly diminished the marble the skist the calcerous rocks the red sandstone had disappeared leaving in their places a dark and gloomy wall sombre and without brightness when we reached a remarkably narrow part of the tunnel i leaned my left hand against the rock when i took my hand away and happened to glance at it it was quite black we had reached the coal strata of the central earth a coal mine i cried
a coal mine without miners responded my uncle a little severely how can we tell i can tell replied my uncle in a sharp and doctoral tone i am perfectly certain that this gallery through successive layers of coal was not cut by the hand of man but whether it is the work of nature or not is of little concern to us the hour for our evening meal has come let us up hence the guide occupied himself in preparing food i had come to that point when i could no longer eat all i cared about were the few drops of water which fell to my share what i suffered it is useless to record the guide's gourd not quite half full was all that was left for us three having finished their repast my two companions laid themselves down upon their rugs and found in sleep a remedy for their fatigue and sufferings as for me i could not sleep i lay counting the hours until morning the next morning saturday at six o'clock we started again twenty minutes later we suddenly came upon a vast excavation
from its mighty extent i saw at once that the hand of man could have had nothing to do with his coal-mine the vault above would have fallen in as it was it was only held together by some miracle of nature this mighty natural cavern was about a hundred feet wide by about a hundred and fifty high the earth had evidently been cast apart by some violent subterranean commotion the mass giving way to some prodigious upheaving of nature had split in two leaving the vast gap into which we inhabitants of the earth had penetrated for the first time the whole singular history of the coal period was written on those dark and gloomy walls a geologist would have been able easily to follow the different phases of its formation the seams of coal were separated by strata of sandstone a compact clay which appeared to be crushed down by the weight from above at that period of the world which preceded the secondary epoch the earth was covered by a coating of enormous and rich vegetation due to the double action of tropical heat and perpetual humidity
a vast atmospheric cloud of vapour surrounded the earth on all sides preventing the rays of the sun from ever reaching it hence the conclusion that these intense heats did not arise from this new source of perhaps even the star of day was not quite ready for its brilliant work to illumine a universe climates did not as yet exist and a level heat pervaded the whole surface of the globe the same heat existing at the north pole as at the equator whence did it come from the interior of the earth in spite of all the learned theories of professor hartwig a fierce and vehement fire certainly burned within the entrails of the great its action was felt even to the very topmost crust of the earth the plants then in existence being deprived of the vivifying rays of the sun had neither buds nor flowers nor odour
but their roots drew a strong and vigorous life from the burning earth of early days there were but few of what may be called trees only herbaceous plants immense turfs breers mosses rare families which however in those days were counted by tens and tens of thousands it is entirely to this exuberant vegetation that coal owes its origin the crust of the vast globe still yielded under the influence of the seething boiling mass which was for ever at work beneath hence arose numerous fissures and continual falling in of the upper earth the dense moth of plants being beneath the waters soon formed themselves into vast agglomerations then came about the action of natural chemistry in the depths of the ocean the vegetable mass at first became turf then thanks to the influence of gases and subterranean fermentation they underwent the complete process of mineralisation
in this manner in early days were formed those vast and prodigious layers of coal which an ever increasing consumption must utterly use up in about three centuries more if people do not find some more economic light than gas and some cheaper motive power than steam all these reflections the memories of my school studies came to my mind while i gazed upon these mighty accumulations of coal whose riches however are scarcely likely to be ever utilised the working of these mines could only be carried out at an expense that would never yield a profit the matter however is scarcely worthy consideration when coal is scattered over the whole surface of the globe within a few yards of the upper crust as i looked at these untouched strata therefore i knew they would remain as long as the world lasts while we still continued our journey i alone forgot the length of the road by giving myself up fully to these geological considerations
the temperature continued to be very much the same as while we were travelling amid the lava and the skists on the other hand my sense of smell was much affected by a very powerful odour i immediately knew that the gallery was filled to overflowing with that dangerous gas the miners call fire-damp the explosion of which has caused such fearful and terrible accidents making a hundred widows and hundreds of orphans in a single hour happily we were able to illumine our progress by means of the rumkorf apparatus if we had been so rash and imprudent as to explore this gallery torch in hand a terrible explosion would have put an end to our travels simply because no travellers would be left our excursion through this wondrous coal-mine in the very bowels of the earth lasted until evening my uncle was scarcely able to conceal his impatience and dissatisfaction at the road continuing still to advance in a horizontal direction the darkness dense and opaque
a few yards in advance and in the rear rendered it impossible to make out what was the length of the gallery for myself i began to believe that it was simply interminable and would go on in the same manner for months suddenly at six o'clock we stood in front of a wall to the right to the left above below nowhere was there any passage we had reached a spot where the rocks said in unmistakable accents no thoroughfare i stood stupefied the guide simply folded his arms my uncle was silent well well so much the better cried my uncle at last i now know what we are about we are decidedly not upon the road followed by sacknesum all we have to do is to go back let us take one night's good rest and before three days are over i promise you we shall have regained the point where the gallery is divided yes we may if our strength lasts as long i cried in a lamentable voice and why not to-morrow among us three there will not be a drop of water it is just gone
and your courage with it said my uncle speaking in a severe tone what could i say i turned round on my side and from sheer exhaustion fell into a heavy sleep disturbed by dreams of water and i awoke unrefreshed i would have bartered a diamond mine for a glass of pure spring water chapter seventeen read by
