The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1922-09-22

shaft appear fairly to fly upward past
US. Up, up, up they fly, disclosing
this stratum of rock and then that
Planned Like City.
Arriving at the bottom, we soon find
that coal mine is planned like city
There Is one main street. or entry, and
1t has been laid out with the nicely of
grand boulevard. Parallel with this
are the other entries, and across these
entries run other streets, at right an
giles usually, which are called headings.
Lining all these headings as houses line
the streets are the chambers, or rooms,
in which the miners work.
When we stop at the bottom we feel
ourselves in small-sized hurricane.
1t is the air rushing down the shaft
ana starting through the mine on its
mission of publication. Setting out
down the main entry, along railroad
track, we soon hear changing bell
and a whistle, and presently there
looms out of the darkness a yellow
light. AS 1t approaches, we see the
outlines of what appears to be long,
round boiler creeping along the rails !;
but In reality 1t is & compassionate
engine-for compressed air, rather
than electricity, is the haulage power
in this mine.
When the miners 90 down to their
work In the morning they are checked
In by the fire boss He Is a foreman
who has charge of fire prevention and
or the safety Of the miners while al
their several tasks. During the night
every section Of the mine has been in
spected to see whether there Is gas
anywhere. II there should be an entry.
a heading, or room that Is laden with
gas, the fact Is noted on slate which
Is shown to the men as they file mast
The brass check Of every miner who
enters the workings Is taken and hung
up on board, opposite the number OF
the room in which ne Is digging coal
III he has helper his check-some.
what different-goes up, too; and II
there are two men working as part.
nears, that the fact is shown also.
we walk and walk until we begin
TO feel as though we might be cominp
out over In China or France, and then
we come to the rooms or chambers
Tor all the coal in the neighborhood n,
the hoisting shaft has gone I'D in heat
ana smoke long before now and this
mine is far-flung.
Where the Miner Works.
These rooms or chambers might he
monks cells In some catacombs for tho
hNins. Here the miner bores and
blasts and digs away the coal md
loads 1t into the mine cars. If be has
helper he does not need to do tha
loading himself. The cur holds sbont
ON" pounds Of run-of- the-mine coal
and u miner is supposed to fill two ~
them a day.
"hen the car Is loaded the mInar
puts his number on II and nrsS.n,I,.
with much ado, there comes up tho
heading and into the passageway lead.
ing TO the chamber q string of mu,.s
walking tandem, or single file. and
dragging an empty car behind Tbav
pun out the loaded car, set the empty
one where the miner wants II. and 90
osck with the load Of coal.
Ihere are other strings OF mr,ss
also and they distribute the emrtios
ana mobilize the loaded cars from ond
al given points. Then the compressed
air engine comes along and makes mn
train or loaded cars after dronr,na
one OF empties ready for dlstrlbnt,o,
me coal trains are pulled down to ,hs
hois''ng shaft. and one by one the cars
go 10 the surface. an empty com,ns
down as loaded one goes up
When We reach the ton as.,,
note the layout Of the breaker nlsn,
"nere the coal Is cleaned and sor,as
into the several commercial St.
Inc hrst thing that impresses ne e.
teat the mine owners are aImos,
careful In saving coal as q r,,sas =. Us
boarding his gold. III
Gotng up 10 the top OF IN. h-ooL
we see the coal as II comes ,ror, 49,,
mine with all Its slate and cp,p,
chanicaily dumped. a carload AZ So
upon the osclllating bars. which han,I
the process Of separating the coal -.
the worthless material and ,ha as'
ing Of the former into groups $50
ing to size. >00'u-