The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-04-24
THE MINER.
Written for the ADvccAFs.
The Dangers OF the Coal Nine.

OF you who delve svr coal am going Il
speak. shall begin with you at the black
smiths shop, and your 6utty at the powder
house; you with your sharpened picks and
isis.s, be with bis powder, oil paper, and
what other stores you need for the days
use.
Thus armed and prepared for your day.,
work, you arrive at the top Of the trGSeIiao
road that leads down to the lower gang
ways Of the mine. This travelling road may
dip at an angle Of forty, fifty, or eighty de-
grees, and probably extend three or -four
OF six hundred feet into the coal bed, ter
minating in the lowe5t working le7el, 20
which you ust direct your footsteps.
This " dark forbidding pa sage, with
its wet shining surfaces and It's Shiny tim
beIing and slippery wooden steps, which
you can scarcely see by the dim light Of
your lamp, after just leaving the dazzling
light OF the morning sun. With the load
you carry you proceed ca cautiously enough, |
dare say, feeling as it were step after step
but were one Of those ste Dc to break under
you, or we're you 10 make false step and
clip, you would most likely be preci pitsted
10 the bottom OF the deelivity, where you
would be gathered up lifeless mass As
soon rs We find you under the surface Of the
earth in the darkness OF the r.Ine, We die
cover you 10 be in peril Of YOUR life, for
many lives have been lost in those trayeIing
roads made BY The sides Of slopes.
will pass you through this danger you
land safely in the gsng-ay, the PRINCIPAL
approach 10 the breasts and other excava-
lions. his passage. If well timbered, you
viii 6nd t0lerably safe as you travel through
IL until YOU arrive at the m1nWsy that leads
no TO ne face OF the breast Of the coal
10 which it is your lot 70 q your bread
and butter. This passage you know con
meets With the gSngWay, and you dOb't care
how small 1t is so that you can crawl through
il comfortably on your haods and knees /;
it's erose-sectioDal area is not often more
than seven superficial feet. Up this hole YOU
crawl and take your tools and stores vito
you TO some Of the heajsngs nssF the face
Of Yonr breast.
From personal experience, | knew tbes
you are 10 jeopardy while climbing this
passage. A fall OF coal taking place in the
breast might drive several large pieces into
the manwAy. These would descend At q
fearful rate, and you would hear them com
ing just in time TO cling TO the upper part
Of the manWsy, pressing your body tight IT,
the timbeFiDg. Your Tools and stores MAY
70 to Hong Kong for you just then you
mold your breath till the pieces have gone
pact you with the force Of cannon bale
When all 10 still, and yoa recover from
the fright occssioned, You find your pow
der scattered, your oil split, some OF the
handles VI your picks broken, which items
you lament with none Of the most sacred
language, you ungrateful man, who have
just barely escaped being cut and gAshed
10 death BY those rszor-edged Goals that
have bounced past you You forget kind
Providence over IN empty Ill can, aud q
shattered powder keg You might have
been killed, a. many nave been when sim
ilarly situsc>d. I feel no sympathy With
You for you 1 .ag loss, while your skin
10 Whole and yOnr skull uubroken, and your
life spared TO earn more bread for you,
big ones and listle ones % home
You arrive unipjured near ths face Of
tie breAst. Here shall pause to question
y1u. slave you seen the Are bossf'
"fes ~ "Did be tell you all was safe 70
'Yssl" ssTbst 10 In your own breast
''Fes, yesi" Ibid you AJAX concerning the
state Of the other breasts in regard 60 en-
plosive gasp mol that was pons Of my
business; the Gre boss would bare told me
IS much had I asked him" You are tNh
wrong in this respect, and shall convince
you farther on. Al present you are near
the face Of yoDr breast, and you pause to
light your sAfety lamp, then you creep
cautiously in and examiae whether or not
there exists m explosive atmosphere. You
do net trust The FIRE bose, too mach In this
matter, and you are right, a. be knows no
more about explosive mixtures probably /,
than son do yourself and yon know whom il
explodes within the Rnise Of your lamp, and
Also that II your naked light were brought
into the same mixture an explosion woald
be the result. But there 10 no such mixtare
exists, and you begin work; st le.ss We
will suppose so. Bat you sometimes forget
to exsmine the mixsure In YOU, hreast with
your adEed ligh, altar having made the az,
amination with your assssty - when u
does not explode, yoa. s-=s " the conci0-
sion that there l. 80 @sulphaf,1 Cor this u
the term you apply . Nhak e1emists name
iight essburestsd hgdreesn c. shieA 10 b