The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-11-09
DOWN IN A COAL MINE.
Minute Description OF Trip Into
an English Coal Pit.

Tome along, sam. NOW Is your
lime if you want to go down the pit!''
So said Mr.. Clay, the manager OF
our pits, to me, one morning, as sal
1t my desk in the Office of the Dukin-
ield Coal Pits. had been employed
IN that Office for over five years, but
until that time had never been down
The pit.
Following Mr.. Clay, l asked him
what must do for clothes, as it would
hardly do for me to go down the pit in
ny Office suit.
"Come into the bath ROOM he re-
piled; there are some old things
shere that will do"
Presently l found myself arrayed in
Apair of dirty trousers profusely orna.
mented with rags and holes, which, to-
yether with an old wooden jacket
equally aristocratic in appearance,
comprised my pit costume. On the
able of Mr.. Clay's Office found two
safety lamps which he had brought
,ne for himself and one for me. They
we're cylindrical in shape, about a
loot long and three inches in diameter
The lower part near the light was sur
rounded with glass and the upper part
with fine iron gauze, through which
The lamp was fed with air.
Selling hold of the iron ring which
was fastened to the top of one lamp, l
followed Mr.. Clay across large yard
and up a fight of rough steps on to
what is called the pit top. This con-
sists of a platform raised about twenty
feet above the ground, and is placed
thus for convenience of emptying the
GOAL into carts and wagons beneath.
Presently we came to the shaft, as the
hole is called up which the coal is
drawn out of the pit. This was di-
vided into two parts, one for the as
,endidg and one for the descending
sage. Each was huge framework of
iron and was arranged to hold num-
Der of the small wagon in which the
coal il drawn out of the pit. In the
cage also the workmen are lowered
into the mine.
Following my companion, l took my
place in one of the cages, though not
without considerable misgivings, for l
had heard a great deal about the I'M
pleasant sensations experienced by any
one going down the pit for the first
time. Some Of the men had told me that
it made them feel as though their hearts
were in their mouths, while others said
it felt like standing on nothing. Most
of them said it was unpleasant; but l
did not find it so. There was nothing
really unpleasant in the descent after
we had once gotfairly started. Gazing
around I took my last look at the light
of day previous to leaving for three
hours, and then we started. Down we
went-past the pumps on the level with
the ground and then nothing was seen
but the massive timbers framing the
olu0 VI buo plb Obil1 uo"H, ouoil "O
passed the other cage on its upward
journey, and knew that we had descend
ed half way. The feeble lights from
our lamps cast pale glimmer around,
preserving us from what would other
wise have been Egyptian darkness. A
moment later and the cage slackened
speed and stopped. 1t was secured by
. man at the bottom, and, stepping
out, found myself for the first time in
NY life in coal mine. Nearly half
mile of solid earth was above my
head, while in front of me stretched a
wide. dark tunnel about five feet in
height. We went on few yards,
and then entered small side passage
leading to a hut, where the manager
Kept some books. Here we stayed a
lew moments, and then went on a little
farther to the boiler-house where three
moderately large boilers were at work.
The places where the coal is gotten are
IN some places mile from the shaft,
and these boilers supply steam to an
engine which pulls the loaded wagons
from the workings up an incline called
the engine brow. It was fearfrlly hot
IN the boller-house, but the manager
finished his inspection of the boilers in
about ten minutes, and we made our
way back to the main passage near
the shaft. We wished to go to the
workings where the men were actually
getting the coal, To do this it was nee
essary to go down the steep incline
called the engine brow which LED to
the place. So we got on to q truck
which was fastened to the engine by q
thick wire rope. The truck was sort
Of low wagon without sides, and was
about 6 feet in length by 4 in width.
On this we reclined, with one hand
supporting our heads and with the
other holding our lamps. The engine
started, and soon we were moving at
the rate OF six or seven miles an hour
down the low steep tunnel. The roof
was about ton above our heads as we
lay down on the truck. To have sat
straight up would have been certain
death and, in fact, many men have
been killed by their heads striking the
roof in this way. It was strange sem
sation to be thus whirling along with
the low roof overhead and the sides OF
the tunnel coming close to the car.
Everything the dim light of our lamps
fell upon was black and gloomy. ex-
sept that every now and then white
washed patch of the wall indicated that
in that place was recess where d
miner might take refuge should he be
walking up the brow when the wagons
were moving. But at length we ar
rived at the bottom and soon were
walking along another tunnel about
four feet high. We had to lean
we'll forward with bodies nearly at
right angles to our legs, and at the
same time had to hold our heads back
and keep a sharp eye on the roof lest
Il Il. fail