The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-09-15
For the Saturday Tribune.


CHICAGO. Sept. IA.
nm THE cars, en- route forScranton
my companion and | chatted
HI along dreading to reach the city
W as there we were to part. With
eyes accustomed to the fiat, uninterest-
ing environs of Chicago, and ears long
used to hearing others enthuse over the
beauties and wonders of the west
We were not little surprised as we
drew near to the smoke-begrimed city,
at the sight of the towering masses Of
hills which stretched away on every
side, losing themselves in the clouds
that seem to touch their rugged heads.
AS an obstacle flashing past the car
window for an instant obscured the
sight from our gaze, we turned to each
other with the same thought expressed
in our CONFERENCE.-The one need
not go to the rockies in search Of
treasures from natures workshop.
Why has Scranton been heard from
politically and commercially only? /
had heretofore thought of it merely as
coal center, and consequently dirty
place to live in. 1t had been pictured
before my fancy as Il place located
somewhere up among the hills Of east
ern Pennsylvania, the inhabitants con-
sisting of miners and the like, with the
necessary number of capitalists, Of
course, and only counting in the re-.
turns on election day or in the books of
the census taker. With this idea in
my mind l entered the city, and for
fha hanafit Of nthnru hnnifrl, toI nl
myself / will describe my one days
visit there.
THE CULM BANKS.
Bringing our eyes reluctantly back
from the beautiful autumn tinted hills,
to the details of the city, we saw what
must constitute the principal reason of
its being so very dirty, jutting out in
every direction, were huge black
mounds-aye, hills, for they are higher
than the highest building, even the
Masonic temple Of our own city would
look dwarfed if standing beside
them. In answer to our question we
found that these black hills were COM
posed of culm, which is the dust and
very fine coal taken from the mines.
There are tracks built upon the tops
of these mounds, and little cars
drawn by mules, carry the stuff to the
edge and dump it off, and thus they
are constantly growing larger, not
withstanding the fact that they have
been on.tire and steadily burning for
years, giving warmth to hundreds of
tramps and vagabonds. l would that
VI q a atnnhty Hpn tIN,N
for the poor of the whole world. The
little mules as they toiled up the hills
resembled nothing so much as an army
of ants building their own city.
Following the iron path, like q thing
of life, the train wound along on its
way to the depot which, together with
most of the business Of the city, lies in
the valley or low down at the foot of
the mountain upon which Scranton is
built. In the waiting room of the
depot the question arose, what should
we do with our day, as we had it all
at our disposal. We finally decided to
do the city as much as two unattend-
ed ladies could. We inquired our way
to the nearest coal mine, determined
ifpossible to descend, and see the in
side.
DOWN IN A COAL MINE.
At the Office of the Oxford mine the
gentlemanly uperintendent told us
that he would himself go down with
us. We first went into the engine
room and heard the engineer telephone
somewhere for "a carriage for the Wis
itors." Thinking we were going in
style, if we were unattended, we fol-
lowed the superintendent in silence,
but with eye and ear on the alert for
everything to be seen or heard.
Arriving at the mouth of the mine
we were told to step onto a rough plat
form, which was the carriage provided
for the company. Visions of cushioned
seats and silken curtains, vanished as
we were handed torch and told to
grasp the chains around us. The
superintendent enquired if we were
afraid, but a large experience in visit.
ing in Chicago elevators, had taught us
to put our trust in strong chains, and
steam SO we said "Non; catching our
breath as we glided along. Occasion.
ally on either side we passed great
black holes which our guide courteously
informed us were exhausted and aban-
doned veins.
Reaching the bottom of the shaft
four hundred feet below the surface Of
the ground we stepped off and followed
our escort along car track, passing
many so called cars, that were waiting
to be hoisted above. We obtained
some fine specimens of ore, and bored
our gentlemanly guide, by asking
every question that woman's curiosity
could devise. The superintendent Of
the Oxford mine possesses one attri-
butte, however, that all men do not,
which made him keep his boredom to
himself and answer all of our questions
in SO polite manner that we did not
realize till long afterwards what a
nuisance we must have been. He dis
abused our minds of another fallacious
idea, by telling us, that coal is always
found in valleys, not under mountains
as we had imagined.
THE PATIENT MINE MULE.
As the men were at work miles dis
tant, we abandoned the idea of seeing
them and contented ourselves with
visit to the mules, fifty or more, that
remain below ground all of the time.
Their large, intelligent eyes. which at
times are almost human in expression
seemed to us to assume pathetic,
pleading look in their soft depths, as
though grateful for the sight of some
thing besides that black, impenetrable
darkness forever surrounding them.
When our guide swung his torch in
front Of them they did not even blink,
as the pupils of their eyes have lost the
power Of contracting; but in our imag-
ination, perhaps, the pathetic look
seemed to deepen, when our guide in
formed us that they will remain there
the rest of their lives, only being taken
to the world above to be treated for ill
ness.
Returning to the office we found
that we had been down just twenty
five minutes; but our minds had trav-