Eastern Utah advocate. [volume] (Price, Utah) 1895-1915, 1913-02-13

and men with iron bars were beating
loose the frogs and releasing the bop
per bottoms Of the cars. Heavy clouds
OF fine coal Gust poured up from the
cars as the coal roared down into the
bins. and the clanklng OF metal. the
crash Of falling coal and the unintelli-
gibe shouting Of the foreigners dlled
the entry with a dull tumult Of sounds.
DcdRiDg the low trolley wire which
hug about i've feet above the rails.
we cmwled across the coupling be
tween two ~ the cars 10 the other side
Of the entry and walked 20 the left
past the locomotive. where the motor
man was still sitting in his low seat
waiting TO pull out his train OF empty
cars into the sudden darkness Of the
tunnel beyond Then for the first time
I learned that mines are echolpss
and that sound. like light. Is absorbed
by the blotter.like walls Of the tuD
nels.
We walked down the entry between
the rails and after a hundred yards
turned with the switch In the track
sharply 20 the right. and again on
Sense ~ direction or angles wns lost.
and. like the faces IN foreign race Of
people where one can see little or no
individuality. so here. each corner
seemed the same. and In a hundred
yards ! was utterly lost Above was
the smooth. black roof. below the ties
and the rails. aud on either side behind
the two long rows Of props the face Of
the coal seam. which gliitered and
sparkled In the light from our pit lamps
like q dull diamond We talked a III.
tie. My companion asked the where
had worked before. how much knew
Of mines and n few other questions
And still we walked on. lodging the
low wire that comes level with ones
ear and stumbling over the layer Of
broken coal that lay strewn here and
there between the rails.
The silence was like the dnrkncss-n
total absence Of sound rather than
stiffness. ms my flrst impression OF the
mine had been that Of an absence u
light rather than Of darkness. The
smoking lights In our caps seemed 20
press out Trough the blackncss TWEEN.
~ feet around Us. where the light dis.
appeared and was gone. and always
In front Of us. out OF the black dark. |
ness. the two long lines OF props on
either side Of the track stepped one by /
one into the yellow hnze OF light aud .
SINK again into darkness behind ~ ~
we walked
The air was cool and damp. but AZ
we turned the last corner the damp .
ness seemed suddenly gone from a. II
was warmer and closer. Here the
track sweryed up from one Of the main
tunnels into n room" and nj the end
or heading" Of this room. which We
reached n few minutes later. empty
aud waiting for ia first load. stood one
Of the square cars which ! had seen
before NJ the mine bottom aud which
We passed several times on sidlngs by
the track. The car WIS pushed up 90
the end ~ the track and itA wheels
'spmRRcd' by two blocks OF coal
Herr the tunnel suddenly ended. aud
from the blank. back face" n rough.
broken pile ~ coal Strcamcd down on
both sides ~ the ear and reared up he
fore II against the roof
Just shovel cr full. then wait till
he motor mkr- her out and sends IN
m empty. aud dil that one. I'll look
In on you once In awhile and see how
fou'rc getting along"
Then he turned and walked down the
rack aud left me In the dim light Of
ny single pit lamp
ITO be- continued.