Here I present: Jules Verne (1828-1905), “Black Diamonds”, 1877.
This is a coal mining’ story in the 1870’s and set in Scotland.
The SciFi writer Jules Verne selects mining’ engineering as the science in this SciFi novel.
The book consists of an “introductory” and twenty-two (22) story chapters.
The “table of contents” is shown BELOW.
CHAPTER (#). TITLE.
#0. “Introduction”.
#1. “Two Contradictory Letters”.
#2. “On the Way”.
#3. “A New Coal-Seam ?”.
#4. “The Dorchart Pit”.
#5. “The Ford Family”.
#6. “Some Inexplicable Phenomena”.
#7. “Simon Ford’s Experiment”.
#8. “A Blast of Dynamite”.
#9. “New Aberfoyle”.
#10. “Exploring”.
#11. “The Fire-Maiden”.
#12. “Jack Ryan’s Exploits”.
#13. “Coal Town”.
#14. “Hanging by a Thread”.
#15. “Nell at the Cottage”.
#16. “On the Man-Machine”.
#17. “Sunrise”.
#18. “From Loch Lomond to Katrine”.
#19. “A Final Threat”.
#20. “The Monk”.
#21. “Nell’s Wedding”.
#22. “The Legend of Old Silfax”.
The first sentence of each chapter is shown BELOW.
Chapter #. First Sentence.
#1. “To Mr. J. R. Starr, Engineer, 30 Canongate, Edinburgh: if Mr. James Starr will come tomorrow to the Aberfoyle coal-mines, Dorchart pit, Yarry shaft, he will learn something that will interest him.”
#2. “The course of James Starr’s ideas was abruptly checked when he got this second letter which contradicted the first.”
#3. “At that time one of the most important mines of the Scottish coal-measures had been exhausted by to rapid exploitation.”
#4. “Henry Ford was a fine strapping fellow of five-and-twenty (25): his serious looks, his habitually thoughtful expression,had even in his childhood been noticed by his comrades in the mine.”
#5. “Ten minutes later, James Starr and Harry at last emerged from the main gallery.”
#6. “Everybody knows how superstitious are the beliefs held in Highland and Lowland alike.”
#7. “The old wooden clock in the dining-room was striking twelve as James Starr and his companions left the cottage.”
#8. “The old overman’s experiment had succeeded: fire-damp, are is well known (generated only in the coal-measures) so the existence of a seam of the precious fuel could no longer be doubted.”
#9. “If, by some superhuman power, the engineers could have raised in solid block, a thousand feet thick … to which but one other in the world could be compared is the celebrated Mammoth Caves of Kentucky.”
#10. “At Harry’s shout, James Starr, Madge and Simon Ford entered through the narrow opening which put the Dorchart pit into communication with the new mine.”
#11. “A week after these events took place, James Starr’s friends had grown anxious.”
#12. “Jack Ryan and three of his companions, injured like himself, were carried into a room in Melrose Farm, where every care was lavished on them.”
#13. “Three years after the events described, the guide-books recommended as a ‘great attraction’, to the numerous tourists who frequent Stirlingshire, a few hours visit to the mines of New Aberfoyle.”
#14. “In these conditions, their deepest wishes satisfied, Simon Ford’s family lived happily.”
#15. “A couple of hours later, Harry, who had not regained consciousness, and the child, who was very feeble, were taken to the cottage by Jack Ryan and his companions.”
#16. “The exploitation of New Aberfoyle was very profitable, and needless to say James Starr and Simon Ford, who had discovered this rich carboniferous seam, had their due share of the profits.”
#17. “A month later, on the evening of the 20th of August, Simon Ford and Madge took leave, with their very best wishes, of four tourists who were leaving the cottage.”
#18. “Carrying Nell in his arms and followed by James Starr and Jack Ryan, Harry redescended the slopes of Arthur’s Seat.”
#19. “On that day, work was going as usual in New Aberfoyle.”
#20. “This name was a revelation to the old overman.”
#21. “They parted, having agreed that the inhabitants of the cottage must keep more on guard than ever.”
#22. “Six months after these events the marriage of Harry Ford and Nell, so strangely interrupted, was celebrated in St. Giles’s chapel.”
Here I presented: Jules Verne (1828-1905), “Black Diamonds”, 1877.
COMMENTS.
The alternative title of this same book is ”Underground City”. “Black Diamonds” is a better translation of the French into English than “Underground City”.
PLOT SUMMARY.
The Old Aberfoyle mine in Scotland, that was thought to have been mined out ten years earlier is reactivated, when a dedicated old miner, Simon Ford (protagonist) makes an astonishing discovery. He contacts the old manager of the mine, James Starr, (foil character) and the discovery leads to a large vein of coal that will take generations to mine out. Soon the New Aberfoyle mine is opened and everyone begins to profit again; however, a mysterious “goblin” (antagonist) threatens the entire mine.
