New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1878-05-15
Rules in the Mines.
How the Animals are Worked and
Treated In the Subtearaneen Regions

II.
From the Sutro (Nev.) independent -
The heat In the SutrO Tunnel for sew
eral thousand feet back from the face is
very considerable, ranging from IS to 100
degrees Fahrenheit and feels all the hot
ter for being partly deprived Of oxygen.
At the face where the men are at work,
two streams of fresh air, generated at
shaft No. 2, two miles away, and 1,045s
feet above the tunnel, are constantly dis
charged one from the. blower, the other
from the comp ressorpipe and though the
air at that point is 10S degrees Fahren-
heit, tits quite comfortable s
One switch mule is employed on each
shift, which is used for bringing car at
time from the SWITCH thousand feet
back-to the face of the header; it is
then taken back with the loaded car to
bring other empty onesforward, in which
manner trains of fifteen eor twenty cars
are made up. This mulesfrom the time
I it is unhitched from the empty cars, and
while it is waiting to be litched up to
the one being loaded, manages to put its.
nose up to the air pipe, and keeps NOV
ling its head up and down, in order to get
all the air possible in the few minutes
allowed il, F..
| One day lastweek man in charge Of
the switch-m mule was seen coming out of
the tunnel, in the middle Of the shaft,
and on inquiry why he made his appear
ance at5this sunusua al hour, he said he had
come out after another mule TODD the
switching, for his regurar switch mule
had become rebel lious and utterly refused
to do any duty. He declared the mule
was standing in front Of the air pipe, near
the face, and no amount Of coaxing,
whipping or pulling could induce it to
leave, and he was compelled to start out
after another mule, in order to permit
the work to proceed ga 0
/ After few hours, by sheer dint Of
force, the refractory mule was brought
4 out, half dozen men being required to
pull and pushsit along. 1t has since been
put to work outside, for it would be use
less to putt at switching any more, for
it would repeat the same performance at
4 each shaft. s
a The intelligence Of mules is displayed
j in a wonderful degree when used under
4 ground. and in dangerous places. They
4 gradually learn to understand every com
Imand the driver gives them, and in the
j header when the signal .ssfre' is given,
they instantly wheel around, with their
back toward the blast. One day mule
Inc elected to wheel quite around, but
stood at right ang les with the tunnel, and
though over 400 feet from the face, a
rock four inches in diameter struck it in
The side, producing an ugly wound,
from which the intestines protruded He
Iyhad to be thrown on a fat car, carried
4 out and shot. 81 sgs5
L a curious freak about aimule is, that
when any thing touches their heads they
dodge; while touching horses ears makes
Ithern throw up their heads. For this
treason horses cannot be used under
Iground for they would soon break their
Eskulls while mules neveraget injured in
/ that manner.
| The switch mules, when the men are;
eating, 60 from man to man begging for
some thing to eat, and they will eat cook
ed meat, pies, drink coffee; in fact, any
thing the men have. Some Of the mules
when the men arc not looking, are in the
habit Of upsetting the mems lunch pals
! and helping themselves. They have also