The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-01-05

SOSAOOG gNotACC okS4Ado AAAb tAtA4S QAbBA Q big ore mine near here, and the stuff that holds the navy's battle W
 A visit to this underground steel center calls for preliminaries.
 First - for the latest style in mine outfits - there's a trip to the industrial store. Every mining com munity has one. Backbone, gos- sip center and place -to-mees-your- friends, they sell everything from long handled underwear for pappy who works the night shift to Sally's new dress for the barn dance at the Safety Hall Saturday night.
 Our shopping list: Cap. lamp unlawful to enter mine without one -overalls, jumper-coat to you hightopped safety shoes with steel toes = that's to keep loose rock from bouncing on your foot and crushing 1t - even that aforemen- toned long underwear. The longies are to absorb precipitation, not for protection against cold.
 Down 6,6O0 Feet
 For transportation underground, picture the typical amusement park roboggan, and 1t fits our ,nvey- ance to perfection. For $500 feet that's over mile we travel down a tunnel of alternately lofty roofs and low ceilings that would could off your head If you stood up at the wrong time until we arrive at bustling underground city.
 In these huge rooms an curving tunnels are complete workshops, offices-miners call them "hoodlum stations"-power plants and mile after n1ile of railroad track.
 Jagged one of the speeding electric-powcred trains and hopped on.
 Been working here long?" I asked the engineer as we sped off again.
 "since I got out of school" he replied. I'm the second generation. Dads been working in the mine all his life. still going strong"
 In days journey l found many men like this-craftsmen, proud of their profession. The train engineer would be hard to distinguish from the typical college senior, once he scraped some of that red ore dust from his face.
 "Blinking Fireflies"
 The conversation turned to the war. You fellows are pretty far away from ncws of the world down here" I suggested. If something big happened, would you hear about 1t before you went topside?"
 "Oh sure," he replied. Workers are always coming down during the day. They bring us the news, and 1t passes by word of mouth right quick If it's important"
 Soon our car stopped at the rim of @ great slanting room, its ceiling in places hundred feet high. In the near darkness, we could see the shadowy forms of workers. On top of each head was sputh:ring carbide lamp. The scene reminded me of blinking fireflies on a dark night.
 A man came out of the shadows.
 Meet MT. Black" my guide in- vited. He's foreman of this crew. He's also a second cousin of Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black" !"
 ''Sure, we're second cousins" said MT. Black, and he wasn't kidding.
 Lawyer Blacks mining cousin didn't have much time for talk Busy.
 Underground Lunch
 In this business you carry your lunch with you wherever you go- no telling where you'll be when that important function comes due.
 Hungry men don't talk much while eating. It was quiet when the half dozen in our group paused to eat the big thick sandwiches oi fried chicken, r',anut butter and jelly. A nearby fountain provided cool water that dropped down by gravity from a spring some 300 feet above us.
 If you think miners are not seri- ous = and intelligent, too = about this war, have lunch with them underground.
 '"The trouble is, folks don't real- ize yet there's war going on" the father of an army officer-candidate said. We talk about sacrificing and war production. but we don't know what it all means" Most of the men have sons or other close kin in the service. A nuNater have vol unteered for some branch. When one achieves officers rank and many have-word spreads among their budd.es and there is rejoicing.
 Safety is a subject of universal concern-t0 miners as well as the company. As proof that danger turks for the unwary, we passed a room where tons of rock-loosened py a dynamite blast had slammed down on steel beams that brace the ceilings and had twisted them like broom straws.
 Fatallsts on Accidents
 Mlners are fatalists about such things. when asked if anyone was hurt, one answered: Nope. Crew was outside"
 During a trip outside after the days work. miners relax and talk. Likely as not they'll be cooking up q barn dance for Saturday night. They invited me to attend the next
 The Safety rInll is the country club of e mining community. The whole family brusIies up on eaturs day nights and comes down fo danee. . EDr awhile the merHolks stand outsifss = as men do everywhere and discuss affairs Of tine past week, One was sounding off about hll nine youngsters asld how he was still young enough to work Q re1u' lar shift u1ldeggFot11d,
 Presently. the floor vas cleared the maenfoikB enden their front porch bull session, apd the band ail miners tuned up for the sqaago dance. For the first time. noticed the dance caller" . hnnd- some chap ln his early 90s. Hir Fieht Ieg and right arm were miss fnQ.