The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-03-22
In a Pennsylvania Coal Mine.

superintendent continued; con, yes,
there's no danger. The shaft is 9OO
feet. deep, and we go down sometimes
in fifteen seconds; sometimes, when
we're in no hurry, we take thirty Sec
onds. sometimes twenty. The engineer
always knows when to stop it, and the
only danger would be at the top and
bottom.' The cage stopped at our
level with jerk, and we stepped on:
II was little platform, about SIX feet
one way by four feet the other, with
q roof. and fitted into the shalt SO
nicely that marble could hardly roll
through. ,...
The Superintendent seized little
iron ring and pulled it twice (mlne
language for "lower.') His hand had
hardly left the ring before terrible
rnmbiing began (the cage made deaf
ening noise), and the floor began 70
sink from under us like hash VI
lightning. The bottom was dropping
out of everything. The wheels, roll
ling against the sides, would nave
shamed northeaster on the COAST.
This sinking lasted four or i've SECONDS
; then we seemed to stand still. Things
!, had changed. We were not moving
hut the sides of the shaft were going
m. M. as if they had been shot out OF
: a volcano. | wondered, for second
or two. how long it would take at this
0 rate for the shaft to tear itself out OF
I the mine entirely. 1t began to go
!. faster than ever. There must have
e heen about $40 miles of that shaft fired
t. ont already, and still it kept coming.
II went so fast, the shaft, that 1t be-
gan to perspire, and the spray flew
q over us. At this point 1--WE had then
gone down; according to my calcula'
q tion. about 1000 miles,, l began to
4. lose all interest in shafts and mines.
d We hadn't been moving for some
time. but the sides of the shaft stop
g ped all of sudden. I suppose 1t hac
1T al got out. There were dim smoky
" lights moving about, There was
mule (happy reminder of the worlt
"a aboyel, complacently wagglng his tall
le We were in the mine. Time OF leav
to ing daylight lO.45:15: time of arriving
ly in massy darkness 10:45:33; time o
he trim. Is seconds through express ; n
stops. :,
ev The main tunnel runs through tn
M mine from end to end. From I'M
smaller tunnels branch off, and 1rol
n these smaller tunnels the working
II. are struck. A working is little Diac
IN cave dug into the black rock, ana In
the miner spends his dreary days. :.
zee begins with a single drilling into II
III. rock and keeps increasing every ho'
IA and every day till it is big enough Il
us. a man to stand in. Still itgrows TIL
ne is a big, dark cave, and at last, att
the months, and maybe years or sliel
i'm labor. it turns into another tunnel al
,ol. other workings in turn branch out
and it. What is dug out in making the
ght tunnels is coal. From one to tive
vas six men work in each of these hole
yer one miner digging out the bla
he wealth, the others, laborers. shower
jest it away. There were working in the
and solemn caves in little groups. 400 me
Tful digging and delivering, Drawing
sed and falling rocks and kicking null
I'm. One of the miners. handing me his plt
hen asked whether didn't want to save
still piece of coal that I'd mined out myse
N, The first stroke was failure the S
big ond brought out half ton or so, all
wed one lump, but the third produced
tker shining little black diamond, sparkli
pool like d diamond of another sort, VIII
He, 7 am saving until there's rise.
up. There comes. while we stand herr
odic terrific shock. The bed OF rock I'M
her our feet trembles the wall of C
con- rising up to our side. so cold
black. seems to totter current
trug- air flies through the tunnels and dri
ling so unexpected, so violent, so IL
,ked. scribably swift, that it feels as if it
lcing pebbles and stones and rocks inst
Mrs. of air. and with this notion we put
ID in our arms to shield our faces. mott
, the that even the miners did this.
rying was so quick that even long Gus
gray could not override instinct. Then
rown a second or two, comes tremene
crash-that is the noise part, the 81
,ovr, inc came before. Now comes
I'm IN noise and 3 deafening noise it is.
With roof must inevitably fall in with .
q shock, we think but it doesn't
lioht- Is nothing but blast, such as t
s;era- ara hundreds Of, every day, and,