New Britain herald., 1928-03-03


 i CumulItion ot odovs. tn, smell C. damp earth. q smell peculiar to co mines and sai iI to i,a sulphur fun F hi compressed air. Everything i, dark. except what is revealed by th, smoky lamps on the caps of Il, men and boys, a dark. underground chanb r. with here and there q flick ring light not much hejt"l than 2. candle.
 Where Coal Comes From
 on each side as We proceed W, sec shall wooden ladders leading into what looks like holes in 'hc wall. We arc not permitted 10 en- ter hero. but We can hear the clink C.ink. Cluk Of sledge hammer or steel drill far off in the darkness. Occasionally W" Ssc T pin point or light, or possibly two. These we are told arv "pra1 sts." II Is iN ih"SS lrras1s where the actual "c"ul cut ,lng" is done. Our guide tells ,ls the miner and lis "huddir' are drilling holes for ; blast. Later in fin afternoon they will fill rl." holes with dynamite anl gun powder. light a fus". warn everybody within lh. danger zone and % home. In tho morning, hours before they return the fire boss examines th~ breast for falling coal, gas or tho leail! black damp. 1f the breast is not Sa r. h" puts chalk mark OH the au- trance and no on@ is permitted 70 go in, These breasts are s"pa rated by walls of coal which are left standing until the balance Of the vein is taken out. maybe years later.
 Then q contract miu"r. one who hires his own helpers. go.s through. following the hazardous work of "rohuing pillars" It is this work which often causes deaths hy q fall of top." The supports b, ing removed, a man may misiudgr the fall Of rock. slate or coal from the roof Of th" breast and tons of il are apt 10 drop unexpectedly.
 Speaking of dangers in mining, our guide informs Us that a door boy. who opens tha wrong ioor. or at 'h" wrong time, may permit q pocka' of gas 10 "Scap" into The cangWay or to q breast where min- suits With many casualties. \ stat" law requires persons in T coal mine 10 leave all doo's as they find them. except door tenders.
 Now We have arrived a' an inter- cstinc site. Carved cut O. solid rock, We find a row Of stalls into which are built managers. To our surpris" we learn that theSe are stables for mules. These mules are born in tn" mines. live there all their lives and most Of them never sec daylight Before they could be taken outside ,o the surface they would have 10 be hlin,lfoldeI.
 We come 10 what looks lik" ? large freight elevator. Our guil" tells Us we have walked several miles w. board this elevator or cage" Overhead hangs suspended q short picket fence. The guide re- leases this fence or gate and 1t drops in front of us That is our only protection as We are Whlzzed ,o the surface. this time gong straight up a shaft instead Of climbing into the car and being hauled up the slope.
 Jr,, ground, but d lot of the operation F. required to prepare coal for market remains 10 be seen. On the same cage which brought us mp, or from q nearby slope, depending upon the particular operation. emerges q string or four or six cars. loaded with coal dirt. rock. slate. sulphur balls and a flaw littl" glitterings of the much sought Sulphur dia- mond." These cars are pulled by mules. small locomotives or ''lokies' or run by gravity to the foot of an outside incline or 'Tipple,' up which cars arc hoistod by cable.
 This tipple runs up to level N Nlli tll' lpp VI " idi S' pi1Nh SUI "N ture resembling a dirty grain ele- Nator. known as "hreaker.' Cars are hauled from the top Of the tipple. by "lollies' mules or gravity and enter through corridor into the top of the breaker. known as Up on tip" Here the tracks come to an end. The car stops against a typical railway bumper
 For the first time we notice a difference in the tracks. That sec ton upon which the car now stands, is not holtcd 10 the part ii just left. We soon learn the reason \ man on tip pulls a lever: the section Of track tips up from tho rear. hinged door on the car swings open and it's contents arc poured or dumped" into & chute. the width of the car, but which narroWs in funnel shape to about half the size. In the bottom of this chute which is lined with sheet iron. are cut several largo square holes.
 At the identical spot where the contents of the car first hit the chute are a series of iron grates. Through these grates goes all dirt and small particles. dropped into large screen. probably 10 or 20 feet long and half that wide. Large holes in the screen permit the still small I,. ma r-fj jcI.s fn Fu11 thrc,,rb