Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-12-14
DOWN IN A COAL NINE.
WANDERING THROUGH PASSAGES
UNDERGROUND.

Descent In tho Passenger shan-GIoomx
Passages and Marrow Tunnels Mules IN
Motive Power-The Miner and hi.
Drsii-Thc Blast.
+ The entrance TO nearly all mines disap-
points preconceived notions. One cannot
say exactly what he expected, but he Ger.
tainiy expected something different from
the reality Here. for instance. there was |
no Indication Of the existence OF the mine |
save In the presence Of the breakers and |
the huge pile Of culm At a short die. |
lance from the breaker was a little shed |
about ten feet square, and yawninQ in this |
was the mouth Of the passenger shaft.
The other shaft, up which are hoisted the |
the cars loaded with coal, opens directly
into the breaker
AS we gathered about the passenger
shaft the car was hoisted several times.
bringing up a number Of miners and
laborers. and all looked like imps from
the internal regions Their bodies and
clothing were black as jet from smoke
and coal dust. and the only white one
could see about them was the whites Of
their eyes. In their caps werc extin
guished torches. which still gave out
black and sullen smoke Men we found
them, talking freely Of their lives end
rather enjoying tho curiosity they in
spired. Their appearance, and the mouth
o. that black shaft leading down a sheer
SoO feet into the bowels Of the earth, led
some OF the party to conclude that they
would enjoy q BIRDS eve view Of Proyl
dence on the surface rather than tempt
Providence under ground. So less than
forty made the descent
Each of us was given little torch. and
then we gathered about the shaft, The
elevator Is simply q platform like a
freight elevator, with no railing at either
| side. Above 1t is q hood to keep off the
water constantly dripping down the
shaft from the seams in the rock. Ten
at time we crowded upon the elevator,
the torches faring up around US and I'LL
ing cur lungs with smoke. The signal
was given, and every heart sank little
as the car rushed swiftly down.
Perhaps ! reveal woeful ignorance
when say that ! expected to see as soon
al stepped from the car vast rugged
chamber. giittering with distant lights
and alive with eager workers. | had read
descriptions of mines and seen pictures OF
them, and yet this delusion clings to me.
But In one instant vanished all these
cnimeras, ard | behold a narrow tunnel.
so low that Involuntary stopped my
! head. whether such Q proceeding were
necessary or not, and darker than mid
|. night. On either side were walls of coal
glittering strangely as the rays of light
fell upon them, and hewn into ell sorts OF
irregular shapes and narrow recesses
But the roof or ceiling seemed as smootl
! and polished as marble. The vein of Goa
runs of almost uniform thickness. and
, the slate above and below forms a com
paratively level floor and roof
II Along this narrow passage we wand
cred, the light from our Pickering lamp.
i making the darkness ahead the more i'm
, penetrable. At short intervals were cham
bers where the coal had been mined NOR
extensively. but between all chamber
!, pillars at least thirty feet in thickness
!, were left to support the tremendou
. weight of the superintendent rock. An
Il in the chambers themselves we're jaist
4 and beams of wood erected for the sam
, purpose One could scarcely realize tina
N all these passageways and chambers wer
a carefully laid out by engineers and SUI
. veyors, and that plans were drawn. mari
i ing all the turns and divergenees as acct
q rately as the map of city.
II But such was the case, and not bio
: of the pickax is struck that is not for
A seen, and so two passageways approae
10 each other from opposite directions, an
4 are finally united in one. At interva
v are heavy, air tight doors of wood, whic
: serve the purpose of breaking the Gu
il, rents of air, give perfect circulation, an
q | allow the steam fans to exhaust the ii
damp that may have accumulated In al
p chamber, 10 matter how far distant
these were closed behind US they gave
o crash like thunder, every sound beir
as anagnifed by the rocky walls. FINAL
i, when we had gone hundreds of feet fro
: the shaft, we began to see dim 81
bs twinkling lights in the distance. and
y, hear echoing cries, the crash OF load
-. ears rolling along the rail, and the elal
- OF steel on the sullen rocks Mules fur
., ish the only motive power, and perhaps
-, is because of their well known stuobor
ness that they needed such vociferous
,r rection that for minutes we would nc
ba shouts and cries that were echoed IN
he they seemed to come from hunar
lungs. Then we would range oursely
close along the walls and up would ru
=; BILE and clatter and clash a lcaGeo G.
e. drawn by several straining mules a
driven Tor rather directed, for no rel
were usedl, by boy as black as the G
itself, his eyes glittering strangely In
light from the smoking lamp stuck In
me hat band.
ns And finally we reached the miners the
ME AIN iH@i II--, 80 hod ,re,-inr
~, seen were merely the lahorers. Il
h miner had q chamber to himself, and L
'iu the walls he was viciously digging
IN drill OF course his eyes get accuston
.o :. to the semi gloom, but to Us is seemed
FL If he must work solely by the sense
~ feeling. The miner we surrounded I
n ms that he was almost ready for ola
While we waited ear rolled nolslly III
y! n nile of broken coal, and blaek
NV. crimy laborer caught up shovel
a sent the Jumps laundering into the
.ne before il was filed the miner told Us t
! - his charge was ready and babe US
az, around the nearest corner. FIFTY
oi' away we were halted, and then came
apxious pause, each one agitated SO
my chat If the truth must be told
~ ro,,e n loud and reverberating roar,
~ lowed by the crash of tum bling rock.
aorth shook beneath our feet, anu I
the slate roof, foot above our hef
- spliuters of rock seemed 10 taii arg
roln ms Perhaps no ono really expected
VI roof to fall and crush us, but there W
I'ei sioh of relief when the blast was o
~ We hurried back to the chamber with
smell of powder in our noslruS'
"a iarced hole was pierced III the coal,
II. &c we looked through the smoke anu G
hgi a blackened and demoniac face appe
IL o. ne from its depths. The blast
way aranad n massage directly through
YER tbs adjoining chamber, and the face