The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1906-07-12
aper Read Before the Cnautauqua Circle.

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Paper Read Before the Chdutauqua Circle.
- EVERAL years ago I had an
opportunity to visit q friend
4 who resides short distance
from Scranton, Pa, and whose
vocation is that of mine inspector in
the anthracite field. 1t was my good
fortune to be permitted to accompany
him on several of his tours of inspec-
tion, and 1 shall try to give you brief
idea of what the mines appeared like
to me.
Dunmore, Lackawaxen, Archibald
and Jermyn, Pa, were the towns where
the mines which visited were located.
These mines are all operated by the
D. & H. c. Co., and represent the best
and poorest of the kind; some having
q vein of coal seven to twenty feet
thick, and others vein only three feet
thick. Several of these mines are en-
tered by shafts, the depth of some
being thousand feet or more. 9th
ers are entered by slope, and it is one
of these mines that 1 shall try to de.
scribe to you today.
Having arrived at the entrance early
in the morning, we passed half hour
or so in the coal-breaker where saw
twenty or thirty boys, all of whom
seemed to be eight or nine years of age,
picking slate from the coal as it passed
them from the crushers above to
the screens and bins or cars below.
Owing to the tremendous noise in this
building, all communication was by
signs. These boys received forty-three
cents a day for ten and half hours
labor. Leaving the coal-breaker we
went to the chute and found that a
train Tor "trip" as it is called) would
start in q few minutes.
After leaving all tobacco, cigars
cigarettes or matches that we had in
the Office, we were given safety lamp
ready for use, cautioned to sit low
while in the cars, and not to leave
them until instructed to do so. This
"trip" consisted of twenty-four cars
each, having capacity of two tons
and was drawn by cable. Entering
the mille at snail's pace, but increas
ing it every second, we soon appeared
to be flying amid dense mass o1
rocks; this with the ice-cold water
which was continually dropping upor
us from the slate above, made this
part of our journey anything bu,
pleasant.
Finally after what seemed to me tt
have been an hours ride, we arrived a
the end of the road, and were informed
that we were mile and half from
the chute and had made the trip il
three minutes. Before the pit bos
had finished telling us this surprisin,
fact, the "trip" had started on its re
turn, but with loaded cars instead O.
empties. now found myself in wha
appeared like well-planned village
From the main thoroughfare wer'
many entries, and on each side o
these, were rooms, each entry ant
room having one or more tracks ent
ering it. These entries and rooms ar
carefully inspected each day by tn
pit boss, besides a corps of inspector
who make their rounds twice week
and whose duties are of such nature
that extreme caution must be, an,
always is, the rule.
The dangers are many-6redamE
falling slate, thrush of water, cavern
and explosions being but few of tn
things which the miner has to conten,
with. Yet, with all the caution dis
played, and the numerous invention
looking toward the safety of the mine
while beneath those Allegheny Noun
tains, there are serious accidents whicl
cause many to lose their lives.
The condition of the air of thes
mines is one of the most importan
problems to be solved by the manage
ment, and with the aid of several all
shafts, and huge fans which have
speed of from two to three hundre
revolutions per minute, it is kept q
fresh as it can be so far underground
By an elaborate system of trap-door
the air is forced into every corner 0
the mines.