"Murder In The Bloody Pit" short story is free again this year for Halloween (Learn more about the haunted Hoosac Tunnel - reposting original Oct 13 2012)

The retelling of a Hoosac Tunnel ghost story:  A tale of murder and hauntings in 1866

After years of being envisioned, work on the Hoosac Tunnel finally began in 1852.  By 1873 with 193 deaths tallied, the tunnel was realized.  This was a major accomplishment of the times and was the longest tunnel of the day at 4 ¾ miles long.  Many attribute the success of this great engineering venture to three factors:  the diligent work of the W & F Shanly & Company contractors who revived the project in 1868, the use of pneumatic drills (Burleigh Drill), and a safer nitroglycerin along with electric blasting caps (new explosive Tri-Nitro-Glycerin invented by George M. Mowbray).   The project was sought after by Industrialists of the day, Alvah Crocker a paper manufacturer in Fitchburg, being the most ardent proponent.  There was a long list of Engineers tasked with the design, many experiencing failure before the final success was achieved. 

Many of the deaths were the result of cave-ins experienced, air shafts accidents, explosions and more.  The most devastating was the collapse after an explosion in the center shaft on October 17, 1867.  The frame work above the center air shaft caught fire and collapsed into the shaft, causing an explosion from the built up fumes, and filling the shaft with water.  Thirteen workers were trapped and drowned, if not already killed from the fire.  Their bodies were not fully recovered until a year later.  This brought much speculation about the ‘Bloody Pit’ and slowed the progress of the project. 

Among the long list of victims claimed by the ‘Bloody Pit’ were three men who worked together as a team using nitro to blast the monstrous black rock.  The name Ringo Kelly was never mentioned in the official recorded history of the Hoosac Tunnel.  But in 1865 a blast happened and two of the team ended up buried in rock.  The local gossip claimed Ringo Kelly ignited the blast early, before the others could reach the safety barrier.  Ringo Kelly went missing for a year and a half.  Then he was found murdered in the tunnel.  Now he is mentioned in bizarre folklore surrounding his murder.  Riddled by rumors only, he supposedly was haunted in 1866 by his two friends, his victims, and killed in vengeance…

 The official cause of death for Ringo was strangulation.  Still rumors claimed he was chased down by the vengeful ghosts.  He was found dead in almost the same spot his two coworkers were killed.  What really happened to Ringo Kelly? 

Now 146 years later no one knows the real story.  Did he 'accidentally on purpose' kill his friends Ned Brinkman and Billy Nash?  The rumors claim he intentionally set the charge early.  What was the motivation for Ringo to end his friend’s lives? There is no explanation offered.   We do know that it was the first time nitro was being used on a major project of this scope. Nitro is very unstable, and most likely the entire episode was a mere accident.

Unfortunately for Ringo Kelly, the ghosts of Ned and Billy didn't understand.  A year later they found poor Ringo Kelly dead.  What is the real story?  Does anyone really know what happened?   

Here is one theory about this unfortunate happening.  Could this be the real story and reason behind it all….   

MURDER-THE-BLOODY-PIT-ebook - Kindle

Now FREE at Amazon 

and other stores

If you are interested in more information about the Hoosac Tunnel, its history and folklore of hauntings, please go to these sites attached to this post, and/or watch the film documentaries on the Hoosac Tunnel.

Have a ghostly good time.





LINKS to more information:

Engineering Info

History of the Hoosac Tunnel

More videos:

Folklore of the Hoosac Tunnel

Hoosac Tunnel Ghost

Hoosac Tunnel Tribute

Blast from the Past - a ride view

Hoosac Tunnel - Engineering Program Audio     This is a great audio

 







 



Monsters Are Real - We Fool Ourselves

Human Monsters

The late morning sun was warm on my face, with closed eyes I drifted into rest,

Neighborhood dogs were barking, one trying to outdo the other, sounds growing louder.

The caws of birds and some squeaks in flight, then the buzz, of bees

Working diligently, going from one flower to the next,

Gathering the last of the blossom pollen to make their nectar.

We humans are part of this nature –

 

We too gather and toil away by shear instinct, when we allow.

Often we manifest ourselves with our intellect instead,

That part of us, We think, that ranks us above the rest of nature.

We use it to reason, to excuse and create, but sometimes it is the birthplace for the unthinkable.

It is a ruse, a screen, and a place to hide the hideous things we reason inside.

Our darkest thoughts are raised by it, turned into monsters and then we do the unnatural –

 

We hurt, war, kill and maim in the name of humanity.

We bring our rank down below the natural world; we turn ourselves into the devil.

Can we turn our dark to light, and bring thoughts forward to uplift?

Politicians are not the only users of the screen – we all use the words to hide.

So each day you choose your road – intellect or nature…. Do what is natural,

Be part of the earth, uplift each other and keep the monsters in the closets of the other’s mind.

 

Like an animal, watchful of danger, stay away from the human monsters.

Be an example of the goodness that comes when we follow our nature,

True human nature, which thrives on community and the spirit of friendship,

Creation for its own sake, for beauty to be shared,

And where monsters are make-believe, and

Not dreamt up to explain the horrors done, from man onto man.

 

 

 

 

Photography & Poem Created by Elisabeth Zguta ©

 

Keep reading - Keep writing!

A Great Scary Story (audio) & thoughts on Audio books

It's getting closer to Halloween! 

My favorite time of year because it's acceptable to wear dark clothing, and it's the seasonal décor to have cobwebs in your house.

No one thinks badly of you for liking horror stories this time of year.  So on with the dark tales.  I was surfing the net and found this wonderful tale.  I wanted to share it - for anyone else out there who appreciates a good tale.

So turn up the volume and listen to this story -   I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

 

Scary Stories : Don't Look Out The Window

Published on Jun 8, 2012    Scary stories to chill your bones. If you wish to see more of these tales in the future than please comment, rate, and subscribe. Illustrations are by Silvina Rinaldi and it is narrated by Kellie Fitzgerald. Stories are written by yours truly (Legends of Fear).

 

 

After hearing this recorded story it made me think more seriously about researching Audio books.

 

 I began my search with LibriVox (public domain audio books) and  audiobooks.org - both sites offer free books, a good place to begin the journey of getting to know the sound of a good story teller.  Then I went to Amazon's acx platform which offers a way for any publisher to offer their book as audio.  They have some good acx help posts for the newbie (like me).  I think the key to a great audio book would be hiring a great storyteller. 

 

Readers audition  for the part in your book.  They get paid by the job, or sometimes they can be offered a slice of your earnings (of course this works better for more seasoned writers with previous sales to back their offers).  This got me to wonder how these readers are trained, so then I surfed the web again and this  'How to become an Audiobook reader' post from eHow was helpful. (more posts on the side tab too)  As usual too many ideas!

 

It is another avenue to use to help create more markets for your book.  There are so many new roads to wander off from this self-publishing path.  As always, do the research, find what works for you, and make a plan.  It's okay for the plan to change, as long as you still keep on your own path towards your own target.

 

I find myself wandering off sometimes and get discouraged, then I remind myself of what my goals are.  Things take time - most writers are not over night success stories.  Remember the important things.

Keep reading - Keep writing!