The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-08-19
DOWN IN A SALT NINE.
How 1t IL Operated Thousand
Feet Under Ground

AS orr readers are aware, we have
been working for the past three or
four years 10 get pass down into the
Retsof salt mine al York, says the GEN
csco Democrat Il SO happened ono
day recently that two personal friends
Of ours had business down in the mine.
and. meeting rs afterward. they gave
us very graphic description Of the
trip. so much 50 that we almost mag
med we were with them from the time
they left the top until they returned
aga q, and for the benefit 81 our read
ers Te viii give their description 81
what they experienced and what they
saw. Referring 70 the matter they
said.
You may imagine that you would
like 10 20 down That shaft, but let Us
tell Won that when you once stood on
the Verge ~ that yawning hoe waiting
for tie car to let y6a down, It Is two
10 one that yonr courage would fail
you and you would inform the
guide that sou would postpone
the trip until some other day. super
intendent Chapin was the one who
went with us, and. 81 course. there
vas no cause for alarm, as he knows
the workings Of the whole plant from
one end to the other Well, We jumped
into the car and waited for the signal
70 start and we did not have to wait
long before the gong sounded and that
WAS the signal TO let her GO. From
that time until we reached the bottom
no man win ever be fully able to de-
scribe the experience.
When the signal sounds. the first
thing you do is 10 hug your hat dow n
on your head for keeps, and by the
time that you have got that act accom-
plished 1t seems as though you were
going down at about the rate OF thou
sand miles a minute. Yon have seen
one streak Of CREASED lightning chase
Another-well. it's no comparison II
see'ns as though the cable has been cut,
and you are just dropping down to tue
bottom. You 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 feeling il would be hard
70 explain, sort Of goneness as II were,
and ron don't care much whether
school keeps or not, and the changes
are 50 different and varied that one be-
gins 70 wonder what will come next.
when near the bottom the car on
which yon are riding begins to slow mp,
and then comes the most peculiar ex-
perienee Of all. Yon imagine that you
are shooting upward, and you will soon
be among the stars You can imagine
the sensation from going down at the
rate of about one hundred miles a min
ute to going up at about seven times
that rate. Finally the car lands at the
botton'of the shaft, aud yon breathe q
sighof relief as you step out.
well. the first thing you do Is Ia
look for salt; it's there, all around yon,
above, beneath, on all sides. but II
don't look like salt near the bottom 81
the shaft, as lights are burned con.
stantly and Tie smoke has blackened
the Nails You look away TO the east,
through long, dark tunnel, and you
discetn in The far distance some flicker
ing lights. and ron are informed that
they are lights used by the workmen
who are engaged in mining the salt
Your guide steps up 10 man near
where sou land and says, Three lights,
please, and three tallow candles are
handed ont II may seem a little
strange that tallow candles are used in
This age Of kerosene, gas and electrici,
~, but such Il the case. and they are
the only lights used in the mine, and
each man carries one, and they are
hung UP from the ceiling where the
mining Of salt IS going on. and they
are the handiest lights that can Re
used They don't purchase these light 1
by the dozen Of hundred, ont by tie
carload
',trhe candles were lighte.l and with
them III hand yse followed the guide
and proceeded 10 make I tour u the
mine; We might add. 4 partial tom for
it would take a person something Ike
week 10 walk all over the mined ter.
ritory. w followed the pnide a1onp