The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-07-19

COlHpdHy WIFI u ITIoHu3 VIC dCOCpOON
an invitation from that affable and
courteous gentleman. Mr. Joseph
Norwood, to visit the " Bodiam Goal
Mines" About half after 2 o'clock
we began the descent, which is per-
pendicular, and in thirty seconds we
found ourselves safely two hundred
and seventy-fve feet below the sur
face of the earth, which requires but
sixty revolutions of the engine to ac-
complish Mr. James Morrison, an
old Scotch miner and collier, made
the descent with us, and to him we
are indebted for safe guidance in
our explorations of a small portion of
the subterranean passages, as well as
ride on the " underground railroad.
Leaving the bottom of the de-
scending PASSAGE we travelled in a
half-bent condition a distance of
about sixty yards to the first station
on the railroad. There we took the
cars, and were conveyed a distance of
over three hundred yards; not, it is
true, at lightning speed, but quite fast
enough to suit our notion of the rate
of underground railroad travelling.
The cars were drawn by very small
mules, which are so we'll trained that
you feel perfectly safe, as much so as
above ground. The general heighth
of the passages is. about four feet
and half, and from six to eight feet
in width The ceiling, or roof above
the passages, lis mostly of smooth
slate rock, though in some places
there is to be found limestone above.
The substrata is composed chiefly of
fre-clay, which is found in an even bed
beneath the coal The average thick
ness of the vein Of coal is from four to
four and half feet. This thickness
of vein is maintained generally
throughout the field, or mines, al
though in a few places we noticed that
it was from four and halft to five and
half feet thick.
/ In travelling along this passage, a
little care is necessary, unless one is
like an independent Radical Office
holder, perfectly regardless of his
head, and the frown of Andrew John
son; yet, tits quite safe, only requir-
ing little care and a sharp lookout.
In due course of time, we reached our
destination in that direction, which
was large room where the miners
had just ceased to operate for the day.
! These rooms are from Il to p feet
wide, and from Is to 100 yards in
length. There the laborers are con
stantly engaged in taking out the coal,
which is conveyed to the up-ground
passage in cars drawn by mule power
In the first one we visited, the golfers
had just made blast, which loosened
the coal from the ceiling, and by this
means made it easy to mine to dig
Thesblasts are made of about a pound
and half of powder, and when they
fail to discharge, the workmen call
the failure "ghast7 We visited
three of these rooms, all of which were
similar to the one described above.
: From one room to another the mi
ners have opened what they term
break downs" which consist Of
broken passages, to allow the free cir
culation of the air. Without these
it would be impossible for the laborers
to exist. These rooms, in which the
miners are stationed, and labor, are
situated about IA or Is yards distant
from each other, and are reached by
narrow passages. As the work pro
crosses, and the coal is taken out, pill
lars are left standing, distance of five
or six yards apart, to support the roof
and ensure safety. s.i
Il Having explored, to our satlsfac
, ton, in that direction, which We
should have said is down the river
from the entrance into these mines
: we again. took the cars, and proceeding
) about half way back, switched off, and
made trip underneath the bed of the
/ Ohio River, to about point beneath
; the middle of the stream. Thi;
E was decidedly a romantic trip, fol
us at least. Near the end of the
passage, and directly beneath the
!, river. we met train on the track
, but the locomotive power being pos
sessed of eyes accustomed to the dark
: ness, and great deal of mule sense
there was not the least danger OF &
collision. In a short time, Mr.. Nor