The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-13
lola In A COAL NINE.
Subterranean Trip of 1000 Feet
With the Great Novelist.
HIS METHODS OF WRITING.
An Ambition to Have One of His Novels
Transformed Into an Opera-How
He Studied for ''Germinal."

PARIS, Sept 7.-fSpecial Correspond
ence Travelling from Cologne 10 Paris,
shortly after passing Liege. you see for
| hours and extending for miles beyond the
| French frontier. nothing but level,
| bleak, woodless land. with the peculiar
| shaped. huge mounds Of slack that can be
| found in every coal region. Here and
| there the traveller catches a glimpse of
| blazing furnaces, smelling ovens and glass
blowers at work. Everywhere are heaps
OF irregular buildings, high chimneys and
| human beings, besmeared with coal dust,
| pulling hutches on iron tracks.
| | had stopped at Montson to visit one of
| the coal mines. After looking ut the pant
ing engine going at high pressure, with its
| enormous driving rod, plying up and down
| and the rapid whirling about of colossal
wheels more than six yards in diameter, |
| entered the Office and, showing my card of
| admission, one of the viewers, military
! looking man, led me to wardrobe, to
| change my costume before the descent.
SIS anybody else going DOWN. 1 in
| quired.
Yes. another gentleman and two
/ ladies'" was the answer.
| | stepped behind curtain and put on
| the wide, rough canvas trousers and
| jacket, tying the openings tight to the
| body with cords.
| Outside the companions of my subter
| ranean trip were already waiting-two tall
| young English ladies with blonde hair,
| looking very queer in their miners trous-
| ers and rubber boots, and middle-aged
| gentleman of heavy build, rather sluggish
| looking, with a dull, tired expression in
| his eyes. The other leading characteristic
So g. l. oh -
| first glance, was a high forehead and n
| protruding underlip. with short cut,
| brown, full beard. \ lantern was handed
| TO each of Us, which we fastened on TO our
| jackets.
The viewer, leading the procession. led
US TO the receiving shed, where signals
were continually given by an electric
| gong. Then the cage with its four stories
| came up like a huge elevator. Trucks full
| of coal were showed off and replaced by
! empty ones.
We then entered the cage. and the
young ladies held each other firmly, some
what frightened, as We went down with a
| rapid speed to the dark depths below.
over thousand feet underground TO the
lowest level of the mine, where we stepped
off.
In the dim, Pickering light I looked at
the dry, sturdy gentleman. He attracted
me. 1t seemed to me that / had seen his
face somewhere before. He wore eye
glasses and had a note book and lead pencil
in his hand.
A horse propelling a row of hutches
passed. We mounted into one of the
plain, dirty boxes, on little wheels and
seated ourselves as best we could on the
edges, which the ladies did not seem to
find very comfortable.
Then we started on our journey. Now
and then our guide explained something
of interest, and | noticed the elderly
gentleman making notes or looking up
some observation in his book with raien
of approval. Suddenly the thought &C.
CURED to me that Emile lola was about to
write book on the life of coal miners.
Could it be himself? l was resolved to
find it out; so | mentioned in an off-hand
way that very fine book could be written
on the colliers' life.
He looked at me inguiringly, then at his
notebook and then again at me-
Here the guide remarked: II believe
the gentleman is writing something about
-" pointing 10 the book. The gentleman
nodded with faint smile. no longer en-
tertained any doubt that it was ZOla.
Pardon me, but are you perhaps Emile
Zola?"
A pause ensued. no longer hoped for
an answer, when he said brusquely:
Yes. l am Emile Zolal"
The English ladies, who did not sneak
French, began 70 whisper and look very
attentively at the author.
We moved on slowly over the tracks in
the dim, red. pickering light of Davy
safety lamps. hung on the black, moist
wall, on the sides rough hewn framework
supported the roof, behind which glisten-
ing schist, mica and sandstone were yisi-
bic, and the ground was covered with
numerous pools of standing water.
Il have read all your books" softly
whispered one of the ladies, half bashful.
half proud.
'Of course" was the short answer.
considered this q wonderful oppor-
tunity 10 find out from his own lips some
thing concerning his method of writing.
But it was extremely difficult TO approach
the subject. He was half sitting. half
standing in one of the corners of the
hutch, making rather WY face as if the
trip was great sacrifice to him. and / re-
membered his having himself said that
when he is writing book he studies like
"a beast of burden"
els this your first visit to mine?n
mo, but l hope my last"
at must be very interesting TO you?u
at is hard labor, sir"
looked at him in establishment. He
condescended TO explain his meaning 10
me in abrupt sentences.
- have TO learn in few visits all the
pecuilarltles OF . miners life. Naturally
have read books before on the subject
always DO that years in ADVANCE am
now reading Marks Capital and the col.
lapse OF the Catholic union general. which
may some dav use in nv book on
Money. But that Is only q basis. Moth
ing ike reality! | have visited one of the
lator meetings. talked with the tramrner
gIFIs ana aDSsmen, as well as the pro-
Prl~tOr' visited their hOmes-a few times
| Is suulcient Tor me. | see the leading
/ characteristics at one glance. It is absurd
| 70 say that have TO become miner my
| sell Tor some months before I can describe
| ms lie. Il Is merely the work OF q few
| weeks, out those weeks mean hard laborl''
was quite astonished at his long ex-
| plantation; after ali one can draw some
| thlnS out OF the grumpiest individual,
! however unapproachable he NAV seem al
| the beginning OF the conversation.
| is II true that you never think out a
| plot?''
Il study the u,idien, everything which is
| connected with the subject treat"
| And them"
| Then | write the first chapter, rewrite
/ !; again and again until IL suits me. then