Eastern Utah advocate. [volume] (Price, Utah) 1895-1915, 1913-02-20
g. "a YEAR &
~ IN A COAL MINE
~ m Copyright 1910.
WIZ GSe SEPH
NJ Atlantic Moahly
Company III U b ND

| coal Nv tnc kTeht phe tllo uoNh nv
filled each hole that dug out at IL
foot Oiled the tunnel with friendly
sounds. but when the car was loaded
and | slipped on my coat and sat dow
on a pile OF hne coal dust beside the
truck 60 watt. silence suddenly sub
merged me I could hear my hear
beat. and curious noises sang IN my
ears Up In the roof under the stratum
Of slate above the coal came n trickline
sound like running water. the sound OF
gas seeplnR out through the crevices
In the coal | was wet with sweat, and
my face. hands aud body we're black
where the great cloud OF dust which
my shovel had created had smeared my
wet skin. Dull pains In the small Of
my back caught me when I moved. and
every MUSCLE In my body nched On n
week my bands had blistered. the bills.
tiers had broken. aud then. over the
cracked flesh ingrained with coal dust.
healing cailouses had begun TO FORM
Then far or In the distance came a
munied. grinding sound that grew loud.
er and louder. a sound that almost ter.
rifed. A dull. yellow light far down
IN the mouth OF the room outlined the
square Of the tunnel. and then around
the corner came the headlight OF the
electric gathering or switching loco.
motive and above II the bobbing yel.
low flames OF two pit lamps With a
grinding roar the motor struck the up.
grade aud came looming up the tunnel.
nlllng Il with it, bulk There was
sound. and the silence was gone. The
coupling OF the locomotive locked with
the coupling OF the waiting chr. and
they rumbled away Once more the
locomotive came. this time with an
empty" 20 be nlled. In the old day.
mules were used TO gather the load
cd cars. and. In fact. are stu employed
In most mines today. but electricity
permits bigger loads. and the dozen OF
two OF mule. that lived IN the mine
were used only where Il was impossl
BILE 10 run the locomotive.
AZ the end Of the week ! was given
a companion. or buddy" Our lock.
ers In the wnshhouse were nenr 20
gether. and we usually went down on
the same hoist but some mornings Il
would nnd lin ahead OF m.. waiting
10y the rcalehousc. Jim rarely took
the full b~ueat 81 the washhouss priv
ilegcS. aud morning found him with
the dirt aud crime of the work of the
prcSious dHy stili on his face Tie
was Hr.ek. short. with n thin. black
musiHche. which drooped down into
two rat tall points. Around each
eve = heavy black line Of coal dust was
penctled. a. though Ivy an actors cray
on. Ills torn black working clothes.
greasy with oil dripped from his Dit
lamp. hung on him ike rags on q
scarccrcw. From the scalehouse We
walked ~ the now familiar entries IN
third west south to the room where
we worked and dug out our picks and
shovels from under a pile or coal where
we had hidden them the night before |
Then IN the still close air u the silent
room we began each morning 90 an the
first car
Down In the sculehouse. where the |
cars were hauled over the scales set IA
the track before being dumped into the
hinS between the rails. Old Man Davis
took the weights. aud when the leaders
numbcr-a small brass tag with his
number stamped upon twas given 90
him he marked down opposite Il the
pounds ~ coal Ia the leaders credit.
and 10 each day on the great sheet.
smootched with his dusty hands. stood
record " each mans strength meas.
urcd In tons OF coal.
When Jim aud worked together We
took turns hanging our numbers inside
the ear. and each night we remem.
bered TO whose credit n. last ear had
been, and the next uSrning. n my
number had been hung In the last car
of the day before. Jim would pull one
of his tags out OF his pocket aud hang
Il ON the hook just inside the edge OF
the empty car, Then. he on one side
and on the other. We worked. shovel.
MI after shoyelful. until the coal show.
fd above the edge, Aud then came the
trimming" with the great blocks that
had TO be lifted and pushed with our
chests aud arms up on the top Of the
hlled car.
Time went slowly then. Tor we could
load car together In less than an
hour. and sometimes Il took an hour
ana half before the gathering" mo.
Tor would come grinding up into the
room 10 give MS an empty" In those
long half hours We would sit together
1n pile of coal dust beside the track
ana try To talk 10 each other.
Jim was a Greek. and from what
was able 10 gather be came from some.
where In the southern part of the De
| remembered little HON.
'r and I often tried stray words ON
him, but my pronunciation OF the
Greek OF ancient Athens was not the
Greek OF Jim Barins and. although he
recognized attempts az his own tongue
ana oftentimes the meaning or the
words, Il was not until we discovered
a system OF writing that we began 10
get along Mixed IN with the coal that
had been blasted down by the shot
hrers the night before we occasionally
found strips OF white paper from the
cartridges. We always saved these
and laid them beside our dinner pals.