Eastern Utah advocate. [volume] (Price, Utah) 1895-1915, 1913-03-06


Selecting and examining each car
fridge. the shooters charged the drill
holes. Two cartridges OF black pow
der. tamped I'm with n long copper
headed rod then dummies OF clay for
wads. leaving hanging like great
white cord from each charged drill hole
n yard Of the long white fuse.
We turned and tramped down the
tunnel and squatted on the track a safe
City yards away. Down az the end Of
the tunnel we had Just deserted bob
bed the tiny flames Of the lights In the
shooters pit caps. There was a faint
glow Of sparks. "Comingf" they yell
cd out through the darkness, aud We
heard them running rs we saw their
lights grow larger For n minute we
silently waited. Then from the far
end Of the tunnel. muffied and boom
ing like the breaking OF n great wave
In some vast cave. came n singing
roar. now like the screech OF metal
hurled through the air. and the black
end OF the tunnel famed suddenly Dc.
FAINT. a solid square Of crimson flames
like the window Of a burning house.
and n roar OF flying air drove past rs,
putting out our lights and throwing us
back against the rails
ITS windy oner' yelled wild.
Look out for the rib shotsg'
Like n rnni curtain In darkened
thcater slow pail u heavy smoke
sank down from the roof. and as II
touched the floor n second burst "
flame tore It suddenly upward. and Cur
down the entry the trappers' door
banged noisily In the darkness. Then
we crept back slowly. breathing hard
In an air thick with dust and the smell
Of the burnt black powder. 60 the end
of the tunnel. where the whole face
had been torn loose-a great pile of
broken coal against the end OF the en-.
try.
often bits Of paper from the car
tridgcs lighted by the blast will start
n FIRE In the piles Of coal dust left by
the machine men. aud before the shoot.
ers leave n room that has been blasted
an examination must be made In order
to prevent the possibility Of IRE.
All night long we moved from one
entry 20 another. blasting down In
each six feet more u the tunnel. which
would be- loaded out on the following
day. aud II wns In the morning be.
fore the work was finished.
IL was usually between and IN
the morning when we left the mine.
A. we stepped from the hoist and left
behind M the combining darkness, the
smoky air aud the sense Of oppression
aud silence ~ the mine below. the soft,
fresh morning abr In the early dawn,
or sometimes the cool rain. seemed new
or more refreshing One does not no.
tice the silence ~ a mine 40 much upon .
leaving the noise of the outer world
and entering the maze Of tunnels on
the days work as when. stepping on
the hoist In the early morning hours
when the world N almost still. the sud /
den sense Of sound aud Of living things .
emphasizes by contrast the silence ot
the underworld There " uoiss Of
life. and the very motion Of the mir
NfNANN W NNhNNNa ~ hNk ANAk
half mile away In the sleeping town
sounds loud and friendly. aud there
seems 10 be a sudden clamor that ~ nj.
most bewildering.
We were walking down the north
entry one early morning and had just
passed through the last brattice door
when Joe Brass. one OF the shot frers. |
stopped. suddenly alert and silent. and
held up his hand. Sound means but
little IN a mine and eyes can but rare-
~ detect danger.
"Do you smell anythlngy" he asked.
We smiled the cool air ~ II famed
past us through the door that we still |
held open. Almost imperceptibe Gu.
rious foreign odor seemed 10 hang IN |
tho moving current.
Wood smoke" said one OF the men. |
We turned and walked back and clos.
ed the door behind Us, The smell OF |
the smoke defined itself AS we walked
forward Through the next door " |
hung strong In the air and with Il the |
oily smell Of burning coal. Then
Hight appeared down the entry. aud
from It's jerky motion we knew that
the man was running before we heard |
his feet dumping over the rough ties.
There's a nre In room 90" he yelled |
before We could see him, The word
had already reached bottom. and as
We paused az the turning OF the entry. |
trying 10 see whether 90 turn 90 the |
right or the left. there was sudden
roar behind rs. and the glow OF loco
motive headlight As we waited the |
locomotive came rafting down the
tunnel. half a dozen men crouched low
on lis black frame. and behind Il on a
single nat car the great steel water tank
that was reserved for such emergen.
cies. Shouting questions, We swung
on behind The motor followed the
switch and turned sharply down to the
right Through the next door the
smoke became suddenly thick. A strong
smell. almost as Of burning oll-the
heavy, pungent smell OF soft coal on
hre' Ina the dead air OF the entry A
hung still and mouonless like yellow
fog, and as we jumped OF the truck
and ran down the entry behind the 10.
connective we crouched low 10 keep our
eyes clear, for there were stlll couple
OF feet OF clean air along the bottom Of
the tunnel From ahead OF MS came
the sound Of voices, aud then through
the smoke We saw the llrhts ~ tbs