The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-06-11
Down i'm a Coal Mine.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa, June 3, 1868.
To the Editor Of the Press:
While waiting for the train at Boonsboro, a
few days ago, I accepted the invitation of an
old miner to visit his coal mine, near at hand
1t was not perpendicular shaft, but what is
termed "side drift entering the side of
hill and running in on nearly a horizontal
plain, Slightly inclined, some twenty or thirty
feet where the vein of coal is struck.
On arriving at the mouth of the mine my
guide said, "Now, Mister, you'd better lave yer
hat out here, as it might get smashed" did
as he directed, and then stepped into a rude
car used for drawing, or rather pushing the
coal out, holding ten or twelve bushels, and
down on dirty board which he thoughtfully
provided, to keep yer clothes clane," took his
little lamp in my hand, and started on my
journey into mother earth's BOSOM, my guide
propeling me from behind. We went on
smoothly for some thirty feet, when out went
my lamp, leaving me in darkness that might
be felt, and smash we went against-I did not
know what, but kept up lively thinking, you
may be sure, till relieved by voice from be-
hind saying, ..'Niver mind, Mister, them's only
the doors, which are kept shet to make draft
through the air shaft" Closing the doors be-
hind us, and relighting my lamp we pursued
our way, when suddenly from behind came,
"Stoop quick" did stoop and only just in
time to save my head from serious bump, for
we were now entering the coal vein, which
here was only some thirty inches thick, and
the whole shaft not over three feet in height
so it may we'll be imagined that had to stoop
somewhat, being in car at least foot from
the floor.
After going on some five hundred feet fur
ther, we switched off from the main shaft, and
entered one of the" rooms," where miner was
hard at work, swinging his pick as well as his
limited space would permit, He was stripped
to the waist, and as black as the coal he was
digging, sitting fiat on the floor, his body in
clined forward, SO that his head was almost
resting on his feet, tiny lamp attached to his
cap by bent wire, and in this position he was
dealing powerful blows on the coal before him.
The narrow space in which he was working
would not admit of his swinging his pick to OBJ
tain force for the blow SO he got it's whole pow
er from the action of the wrists.
On perceiving my advance, he stopped his
work and 1 entered into conversation with
him and remarked that the position in which
he worked seemed to me to be hard ONE
He replied cit is nothing where one is used to
it from his boyhood up as I have been." I told
him that in many places the miners were on
strike, and asked him why he did not join
them. Said he, with an accuracy of logic
which might be initiated, 81 do, sir, strike here
from morning till night, and find it pays much
better" I took his pick and broke off lump
of coal which brought away as souvenir
While conversing there I purposey blew my
light out just to see how it would seem. had
heard of the "blackness of darkness" but new
er felt it before,
Although the air was quite pure, made so by
fires kept burning within the mine and an air
shaft extending up to the open air, it was so
different from that which 1 had been accus-
toned to for several years that now felt
strong desire to get out and breathe again the
pure air of heaven. So stepped aboard of
my carriage and was pushed out, glad enough
to find myself once more in daylight.
The coal interest has become quite an i'm
portant one in Iowa and is destined to become
much more so as the mines are further devel-
oped. Those at Boonsboro, on the banks of
the Des Moines river are among the best and
most extensively worked in the State, and
their unusually favorable location on the line
of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad
gives them peculiar advantages over those
more remote. G.