The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-11-11
DOWN IN A SALT MINE.
How 1t Is Operated n Thousand
Feet Undor Ground.

AS our readers are av are, we have
been working for the past three or
four years To get pass down into the
RetSof salt mine ut York, says the Gen
csco Democrat. 1t SO happened one
day recently that two personal friends
of ours had business down in the mine.
and, meeting us aftcrward, they gave
us very graphic description Of the
trip, so much SO that we almost irna--
ined we were with them from the time
they left the top until they returned
again. and for the benefit of our read
ers we will give their description of
what they experienced and what they
saw. Referring to the matter they
said:
You may imagine that you would
like To 60 down that shaft, but let us
tell You that when you once stood on
the verge of that yHwning hoe waiting
for the ear To let you down, it is two
TO one that your courage would fail
you and you would inform the
guide that you would postpone
the trip until some other day. Super
iutcndent ChapIn was the one who
went with us, and, of COZ 81. there
was no cause for alarm. aS nc knows,
one end To the other. Well. we jumped
INTO the car and waited for the signal
To start and we did not have To wait
long before the gong sounded and that
was the signal To let her 90. From
that time until we reached the bottom
m man will ever be fully able To de
scribe the experience.
''Whcu the signrl sounds, the first
thing you do Is To hug your hat down
on your head for keeps, and by the
time that YOU have got that act accom-
plishcd it seems as though yOu were
going down at about the rate Of Il thou
sand miles minute. You have seen
one streak nf creased lightning chase
anOthcr-wcll, it's no comparison. 1t
seems as though the cable has been cut,
and you are just dropping down to the
bottom. NOu can't see, and the only
thing to be heard is that terrible roar
of the air as you rush through space.
After the first two or three hundred
feet there is "A feeling it would be hard
to explain, sort of gonenesS rs it were,
and you don't care much whether
school keeps or not, and the changes
are 50 different and varied that one be-
gins to wonder what will come next.
when near the bottom the car on
which you are riding begins to slow up,
and then comes the most peculiar cX
pcricncc of all. You imagine that you
are shooting upward, and You will soon
bc among the stars. Eou can imagine
the sensation from going down at the
rate of about one hundred miles n min
utc to going up at about seven times
that rate. Finally the car lands ut the
bottom of the shaft, and you breathe a
sigh of relief rs you step out.
well. the first thing you do is TO
look for salt; it's there, all around you,
above, beneath, on all sides, but it
don't look like salt near the bottom of
the shaft, as lights are burned con-
stantly and the smoke has hlacllcncd
the walls. You look away TO the east,
through Il long. dark tunnel, and yOu
discern in the far distance some flicker
ing lights, and you are informed that
they are lights used by the workmcn
who are engaged in mining the salt.
Your guide steps mp to man near
where You land and says: Three lights,
please and three tallow candles are
handed out. 1t may seem a little
strange that tallow candles are used in
this age of kerosene, gas and electrici-
tv, but such is the case, and they a.c
the only lights used in the mine, and
each man carries one, and they are
hung mp from the ceiling where the
mining of salt is going on, and they
are the handiest lights that can bc
used. They don't purchase these lights
Ev the dozen or hundred, but 10y the
carload.
The candles were lighted, and with
then in hand we followed the guide
and Proceeded To make tour of the
mine. we might add, partial tour, for
il would take person something like
n week 10 walk all over the mined ter
ritory. We followed the guide along
through dark and winding pathways,
until we reached 4 point where the
yyorllmen were busily engaged mining
the salt They We're not ut work with
picks picking it out, rs might Toe sup
posed, but were breaking up the large
iumps and shovcIing il into the cars,
the salt having been blasted out ahead
of them. While some were engaged in
shovcIing the salt, others We're drilling
holes INTO the solid mass, making ready
for a blast. machines run by com
pressed air being used for this purpose.
AS before stated, the main tunnel
runs directly east. and is nearly half
mile IN lGlELu -Ntil NAAt N4ieiAN wv
other tunnels branch off from the main
tunnel. one on either side, and run par
aIIeI with il. These, we believe, are
termed airshafts- From these shafts
rooms branch OF both north and south,
ard in these rooms il where the salt Is
mined. These rooms are nothing more
nor less than short tunnels. and in time
Will probably bc heightened ont as far
rs the main tunnel or even farther, as
they can go IN les in any direction and
still be in the salt The rooms are, per
uars, UNScuty or Inn - Icct wide and
from seven To eight feet in height. a
section of salt some thirty feet in
thickness is left between each
room as "A support To the solid mass
above. A thickness of five or six feet
is left above as roof, and a subStan-
tiIl roof il makes, as the salt in its nat
ural state is almost as hard as rock.
There are no other supports than the
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