Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1922-09-13

shaft appear fairly to fly upward past
US. Up, Up. up they fly, disclosing
this stratum Of rock and then that.
Planned Like a City.
Arriving az the bottom. we soon find
that a ccal mine Is planned Ike a city.
There Is one main street, or entry, and
q 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 On a small-sized hurricane.
II Is the air rushing down the shaft
and starting through the mine on its
mission Of publication. Setting out
down the main entry, along a railroad
track. We soon hear a changing bell
and a whistle. and presently there
looms out Of the darkness a yellow
light. AS II approaches. we see the
outlines Of what appears 20 be a long,
round boiler creeping along the rails;
but in reality IL Is g compressed-air
englne-for compressed air. ruther
than electricity. is the haulage power
In this mine.
When the miners go down 70 their
work In the morning they are checked
I'M hy the fire boss" Tie II a foreman
who has charge Of fire prevention and
~ the safety OF the miners while nc
their several tasks. During the night
every section Of the mine has been in
spected 10 see whether there Is gas
anywhere. II there should be an entry.
heading. or n room that Is laden with
gas. the fact Is noted on a slate which
Is shown To the men as they file past.
The brass check Of every miner who
enters the workings Is taken and hung
up on a board. opposite the number OF
the room I'm which ne is digging coal
If he has a helper, his check-Some-
what dlfferent-goes up. too; and IL
there are two men working as part
nears, that the fact Is shown also.
We walk and walk until we begin
20 feel as though we might be coming
out over In China or France, and then
we come 20 the rooms or chambers
for all the coal In the neighbOrhood OF
the holstlng shaft has gone up In heat
and smoke long before now and this
mine Is far-hung.
Where the Miner Works
s~s -. - ,t.r,hara MIGHT hp
monks cells In some catacOmbs for the
living. Here the miner bores and
blasts and digs away the coal and
loads IL into the mine cars. II he has
"A helper he does not need 20 do the
loading himself. The car holds about
G.OOO pounds OF run-Of-the-mine coal,
aud a miner is supposed 70 oil two OF
them a day.
When the car is loaded the miner
nuts his number on IL, and presently
with much ado. there comes up the
heading and into the passageway lead
Ing 10 the chamber string Of mules
walking tandem. or single file. ana
dragging an empty car behind. they
null out the loaded car. set the empty
one where the miner wants IL. and &c
back with the load Of coal.
There are other strings OF mules,
also. and they distribute the empties
and mobilize the loaded cars from and
az given points. Then the compressed
air engine comes along and makes up
"A train OF loaded cars after dropping
one 81 empties ready Tor distribution.
The coal trains are pulled down TO the
hoistlng shaft. and one by one the cars
20 10 the surface. an empty coming
down as a loaded one goes Up.
When we reach the top again, we
note the layout Of the breaker plant,
where the coal IS cleaned and sorted
into the several commercial sizes.
The first thing that impresses Us Is
hat the mine owners are almost as
careful In saving coal as a miser Is IN
boarding his gold.
Going up 20 the top OF the breaker
we see the coal as Il comes from the
mine with all its slate and cuim' me
chanically dumped. ? carload Rt q hme'
upon the osclllatinF bars. which begin
the process 81 separating the coal from
the worthless material and the assert
ing OF he former into groups secoro-
lng to size