The herald., 1922-09-21

smart appear fairly to fly upward pas
US. Up, up, up they fly, disclosins
this stratum of rock and then that.
Planned Like a City.
Arriving at the bottom, we soon find
that coal mine is planned like city.
There Is one main street, or entry. and
II has been laid out with the nicely of
a 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 a small-sized hurricane
II is the air rushing down the shaft
and starting through the mine on its
mission OF publication. Setting ont
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 1t approaches, we see the
outlines of what appears to be a long,
round boiler creeping along the rails:
OUT In reality 1t is compassionate
engine-for compressed air, rather
than electricity, is the haulage power
In this mine.
When the miners go down to their
WORK In the morning they are checked |
In by the fire boss" He is foreman
who has charge Of fire prevention and
or the safety Of the miners while at
their several tasks. During the night
every section Of the mine has been in
spected to see whether there is gas
anywhere. If there should be an entry
a heading. or a 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 board, opposite the number Of
me room in which ne is digging coal.
II he has helper, his check-some-
Nhat diherent-goes up, too; and II
here are two men working as part
hears, that the fact is shown also.
We walk and walk until we begin
% feel as though we might be coming
'ut over in China or France. and then
We come to the rooms or chambers
or all the coal in the neighborhood of
he hosting shaft has gone up In heat
lnd smoke long before now and this :
nine is far-fung.
Where the Miner Works.
these rooms or chambers might be
monks cells In some catacombs for the
wing. Here the miner bores and
lasts and digs away the coal and
pads 1t into the mine cars. If he has
helper he does not need to do the
'ading himself. The car holds about
'VOO pounds of run-of the mine coal
nd miner is supposed to fill two OF
hem a day.
when the car is loaded the mine,
uts his number on 1t, and presently
ith much ado, there comes up the "
Gazing and into the passageway lead. a
g to the chamber 8 string of mules Il
aiking tandem, or single file. and Z,
'agging an empty Car behind. They h
Ill out the loaded car, set the empty
lie where the miner wants il. and 90 l..
Ick with the load of coal. ~
There are other strings of mules 20
So and they distribute the empties h,
"a mobilize the loaded cars from and h,
gwen points. Then the compressed. h,
engine comes along and makes IN 90
train OF loaded cars after droppinp ~
e OF empties ready for distribution. ~,
re coal trains are pulled down to the n,
lsting shaft, and one by one the cars -.
to the surface. an empty coming T.
wn as loaded one goes up.
"hen we reach the top again, we p,
te the layout of the breaker plant. "
lere the coal is cleaned and sorted
o the several commercial sizes. Oh
e nrst thing that impresses us il
IL the mine owners are almost nc
'eiui In saving coal as a miser is in
arding his gold.
Ioihg up to the top of the breaker yes
see the coal as II comes from the Da
ne with all its slate and culm mo- ary
lnicaily dumped. carload at time rim
IN the oscillating bars. which begin avi
process OF separating the coal from bee
worthless material and the assor,. ing
OF the former into groups accord. out
to size. fur