Sioux County pioneer., 1922-09-14
prepared BY the Natioual Geog graphic So
ciety. Warrington d. C.)

Slate Pick,
prepared BY ehe National Geographic So.
ciety. Warrington. d. C.)
Coal Is one of the vital factors in
modern civilization that is taken for
granted. It is only when the priceless
black stream that flows to our cities
and factories threatens to dry up that
the average person gives thought to
the Importance, magnitude and COM
plexity Of the coal industry.
p The first thing that impresses one
who studies the coal situation in Amer
lea is the well-nigh inconceivahle pro-
portions Of the nations demands for
fuel. The highest point in coal produc-
tion was reached In 1918, the last year
Of the World war. when slightly more
than 6OO,000.O00 tons were mined. But
in the year Immediately preceding and
in 1920 the production was little short
of that amount. So huge is this figure
that it were almost as futile to use
tons as units as to measure the dis.
tance around the earth In inches.
About the only way In which one can
visualize this demand is to build
mental bin capable of holding enough
to meet the national ueed. If this bin
were made with each Of its four sides
measuring thousand feet, 1t would
have to be more than q 600, feet high
almost twice as high as Pixies Peak.
Or, If the fuel were put into a coal
pile Of normal slope, with q base Of
20 feet. that pile would have to be
nearly $4,000 miles long-more than
three times around the earth.
A visit to modern colliery in the
anthracite region is an impressive ex-
perience. Depending on its size and
the labor available, it will bring from
one to two full trainloads of coal up
out Of the bowels Of the earth every
day, put the coal through the breaker,
where the sheep Of fuel are separated
from the goats Of slate and culm, and
load it into the cars ready for market.
colIiery In Anthracite Region.
We shall be safe even IL we 60 down
a thousand feet into the earth and
roam about in an underground planta.
tion whose area may be judged by the
fact that there are IS miles. of railroad
track In it.
There are some things on top Of the
ground that will be even more inter-
esting to US when we go below-par-
ticularly the hoisting engine and the
ventilating fan, for without the one we
would not be able to ride back to day.
light, and without the other we would
stand chance Of being "gassed" in
times Of peace.
The giant fans fly around with q
rim speed Of mile minute, two of
them, with third in reserve for emer-
gencies. II it were not for those fans
the air in the mine would become so
laden with gas and dust that If it did
not explode and transform the whole
mine into charnel house. 1t, would
develop choke-damp and suffocate US
Every mine has two shafts-the
hoistlng shaft and the air shaft. In
order to keep the air in the mine free
enough from gas to permit miners to
work in safety, enormous quantities
Of fresh air must be sent down the
one shaft and corresponding quantities,
gas-laden, drawn out Of the other
It may very we'll be imagined that a
mine with enough tunneling to call
for IS miles Of railroad track needs
a great deal Of air, and that this air,
to reach every part. must cross Its own
path many times. just as a man, cover
ing all four sides of every block In q
! city, would have to cross his own
tracks. In the mines this is accom-
plished like railroad crossing by
bridge instead Of at grade. When a
crossing point is reached. there is a
tunnel opened up through the solid
rock above the roof of the mine. and
through this the air rushes at right
angles to its former direction.
To get the air properly distributed,
1t is necessary to make splits, SO that
the current can be divided and sent in
to different sections Of the mine. These
air splits are doors which permit only
half Of the air coming their way to
pass. The remainder must find some
.ther way through.
We step on the "cage" or lift, the
mine superintendent presses a button,
and the hoisting engineer is notified
that we are ready to 60 down. Sud-
denly the cage seems to drop; then It
seems 30 stop, and the walls Of ths