The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-08-09

haps, twerty or thirty feet wide and
from seven 70 eight feet in height A
section Of salt scrae thirty feet In
thickness Is left between each
room as support TO Nhe solid mass
above thickness Of Eve Or six feet
Is lcft above as roof. and substan-
tial roof 1t makes. an the salt in IT, nat
ural state Is almost as hard as rock.
There are no other supports than the
columns Of salt that are left
''Of these rooms mentioned there are
fifty or sixty at the present time. and
the workmen are distributed about,
working in several frooms at a time.
There Is no necessity Of foreman in
each room. as the number Of carloads
Of salt delivered at the shaft tells the
tale as TO whether the men are shirkl
ing their duty or not railway runs
through the main tunnel and branches
exte nd In all directions The cars are
hauled from the several rooms by large,
powerful mu les. and there are some
thirty Of thes IN the mine.
There is q blacksmith's shop In the
mine where the tools are repaired and
the mules are shod. and there Is also a
-large stable where the mules are shell
tered during the night OF course they
would be well sheltered IN the mine,
anyway, but II allowed 70 roam about
they could find nothing 70 eat but salt
and the railroad track. and the average
mule cannot exist on diet Of this kind.
This stable Is far ahead Of the ordinary
stables about the country, and there Il
every convenience and Injury for his
muleship. The stables are some forty
or Fifty feet in length and twenty Or
thirty feet wide, with wood noor and
wooden stalls and managers This Is
the only combustible substance there
Is about the mine. and there are no exs
posed lights anywhere about IL Di-
rectly In the rear Of the stables is what
Is known as the barnyard This IS a
large room cut In the solid salt, and
here the mules are turned ont for re-
cuperation.
''One may imagine that,a salt mine
Is a bad place 70 work, but aside from
the fact that il Is little dismal there
are no bad features about il. Unlike
coal mine, it is clean. and there 4
almost an even temperature the year
around, ranging from ffty-eight to
sixty degrees. winter and summer.
The ventilation is perfest and the sys-
tenn for supply ing frcsh~sir 4 nat ex-
ceiled by any mine III the world In
some OF the passageways tho mir rushed
through with such velocity rs iacx.
tinguish the lights.
The experience III going up tie
shaft Is somewhat different from HAT
while going down. The signal Is given
from below after you have been safely
stationed IN the ear. and away she
goes. Your hat sinks down fitly
on your head and your clothing seems
TO SIT right down tight where il
belongs A person Who Is n lit
tie weak in the knees would also have
q tendency TO sit right down tight on
the bottom Of the car. The roar OF
the wind as You hustle mp toward day.
light is about all that can he heard.
When near the top the specd Is
lessened, and il Is then that one i'm.
agines that he is going down again ut
the rate Of about thousand miles 0
minute. but finally the daylight begins
to peep down at you aud you are landed
safely on top. only few seconds hav-
ing elapsed since yen walked ii pom the
car below. :"