Eastern Utah advocate. [volume] (Price, Utah) 1895-1915, 1913-04-10
CHAPTER X.


plOsion there came 20 all tn
uen the unconscious reallza
IL tlop that the next attempt I,
open the mine would in all probabillt!
be the last. n the attempt Shout,
pruve successful few months tim,
might see the mine again In wUrkiui
order. but should another disaster oc
cur the mine-now partially ruined
would probably be- wrecked beyond ani
immediate recovery
Ten days later the helmet men wers
again lowered into the niue and. aft
- remaining underground for an hour
and n half cnup out and reported that
the force 81 the explosion had expended
itself principally up the air shaft and
That. although the numerous stoppings
that we had erected had been for the
most part destroyed there were no ~.
rious falls" that they could discover
or any special damage 10 the entries
which they had explored immediate.
~ the work " restoration began afresh.
and MI day aud night the helmet men
In regular shifts entered the gus alled
mine aud put back In place the stop.
pings around the mine bottom In OF.
der 10 create once more an air zone Tor
the workers The work was danger.
oua Again we lost n man. an enor.
nous negro. who had In some way
loosened his helmet and fallen uncon.
scious too fnr from the foot OF the
hosting shaft Tor his comrades 70 drag
him 60 the hoist Before tho rescue
party. consisting % three more helmet
men. had reached hlm he was dead
And during these morc recent days an.
other miner had met his death In the
blackncss OF the entry. The pressure
OF the pneumatic washer beneath tho
helmet had stopped the circulation /
around tho top " his head. and IN en-.
dcavoring 20 loosen his helmet and re. .
lieve the pain be had let IN n breath
OF the Gus. We got him TO the surface
With bis heart stili family beating. but
death soon followed
-Four always went down on shift.
and twice remember when the door
OF tbe gas lock above the holsting
SHAFT burst open. and but three bel.
melted men staggered out into the sun.
light As the nrst mans helmet was
looeened a dozen questions were nred
At him. Whom had they lefti Where
was hei And while they were talking
the second shift was already on the /
hoist 10 the rescue
After thne weeks u seemed that auc. I
cess would reward NJ. An air rome
was created between the two shafts.
and helmets were practically discarded
except Tor exploration Into tho more
distant workings of the mine. From l
tho north end Of u entry the air cur,
rent had been directed into the west
north portion OF the mine. aud that Gu.
tire section had been cleared OF the
gas There had been no Gre here. nor
had the effects OF The explosion been
felt. aud Il was like walking the streets
OF a silent aud long deserted city 20
explore these entries. ~ hastily ahan.
doned on the night OF the ORE four
months before Day and night. IKE
the skirmish line of 40 army. the men
In charge moved slowly from place 20
place M the edge of the air zone. each
day penetrating farther aud farther
from the foot % the man hoist as the
air currwntS drove back the gas and
forced Il up and out through the shaft.
and with these meu ever on eeaselens
guard gangs OF miners attacked thu
great falls In Il entry aud carried on
tho slow work OF removing the piles OF
fallen stone and retlmbering and
strengthening the weakened roof
went on at 3 o'clock on a shift that
lasted until II 10 the evening. aud for
hose eight hours my chief work con.
sisted In testing aud marking the line
where the life supporting air ceased
aud the Invisible. tasteless. odorless
sas began. Holding our safety lamps
N the right hand. level with the eyes
when We suspected the presence OF
gaS, we would watch tho flame. The
'afety lamp. heavy metal. lantern
'haped object with circular globe Of
leayy plate glass. II the only light 9th
n than electricity that can be safely
'arried into a gaseous mine. The
amps were III before they were
'ANAhhA AuAo AHt huAAt anu IN huulllon /
we're securely locked. that no accident
'r ignorant intention might expose the
pen fame To the gases Of the mine
over the small. sooty, yellow fame,
which gives light less bright than
NAT OF an ordinary candle. are two
wire gauze cones, fitting snugly inside
he heavy globe, and Il Is through
Ihese cones that the dame draws the
,ir which supports H. The presence
II black damp, or carbon dloxide. can
EASILY be- detected. II not by It's odor,
by the action OF the fame, which
grows dim and, n the black damp ex.
sts IN any quantity. Is finally extin,
gulshed.
White damp, the highly explosive
gas which is most feared. has, ON the
other hand. totally different eject.
In the presence OF this gas the flame
OF the safety lamp becomes pointed,
and as the gas grows stronger the
fame seems TO separate from the wick,
and an almost invisible blue cone forms
beneath IT, II the miner continues to