| I sat there in the dark alone listening
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| | and cutting equipment, with a belt line
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| to the drip of water in the distance.
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| | following along to quickly move the coal.
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| Dad was ahead at the face of the mine
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| | They pushed ahead of the other two mines
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| setting the black powder charges before
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| | by driving strait back into the mountain
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| leaving the mine for the night. I heard
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| | to get ahead of the competition.I recall
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| a creaking sound above my head, and I
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| | one evening when I was alone on the
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| moved to another waiting position a few
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| | outside that I decided to go into the
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| feet away. Suddenly a huge bolder about
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| | mine and meet dad as he was coming out.
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| twice my size fell on the spot that I had
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| | All I had was a flashlight, but I knew
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| been setting just a moment before. Dad
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| | that all I had to do was follow the belt
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| had told me to listen to the rocks and
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| | line and the electric car tracks until I
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| that they would warn you before something
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| | reached them. On the way I noticed one
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| happened.Black powder was used for the
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| | of the openings into the adjacent mine
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| last shot of the day, it was cheaper and
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| | and had to take a look. I was shocked as
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| the smoke would have time to clear out
| |
| | I stepped over into the other mine. I
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| before the next day. During the day we
| |
| | could see the main haul line with the cut
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| used dynamite made from nitroglycerin and
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| | out roof and then row upon row of props
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| sawdust that did not produce as much
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| | for as far as I could see. I did see a
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| smoke. The miners hated the round
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| | wall of coal along one side and as I
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| boulders that stuck to the roof between
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| | peered around the side it turned out to
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| the coal seam and the sandstone ceiling.
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| | be a very thin wall with more rows of
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| You were always bumping your head on them
| |
| | props and no pillars. The wedges at the
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| or when you least expected it they would
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| | tops of the props were pushing out from
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| fall, blocking the road way or tracks in
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| | the weight of the mountain. I sure was
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| the mine. These boulders consisted of a
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| | glad when I got out of there. A common
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| very heavy rock unlike the sandstone or
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| | practice in taking out coal in the
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| the fossils found in the border area of
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| | mountains, is to tunnel through the
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| the ceiling. They are black like the
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| | mountain leaving pillars as you go to
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| coal and smooth like something left over
| |
| | support the mountain. When you reach the
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| from the past when the coal was still
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| | far side, you then start retreating
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| exposed to the surface. They could be
| |
| | removing the pillars as you go. The
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| fossils like the thousands of bamboo
| |
| | mountain then drops down closing off the
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| looking rocks that have to be picked out
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| | mine. I had never seen props left in the
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| of the coal.That was one of my jobs to
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| | mine to hold it up. Dad and Claude used
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| lean over the moving belt line and pick
| |
| | roof pins along the main route to support
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| out the rocks and fossils as the coal
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| | the roof. Claude had even invented a
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| passed by. I was about thirteen when dad
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| | wooden roof pin that work great in areas
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| starting taking me to the mine during the
| |
| | were there was water seeping in through
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| summer months. He said it was to give me
| |
| | the ceiling.At the end of the day we
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| something to keep me busy and out of
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| | would all gather below the tipple and
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| trouble while school was out. On Friday
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| | bath in the pool created to hole water
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| he would give me ten dollars for the week
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| | for washing the coal. When Larry was
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| and I would spend it on the Saturday
| |
| | with me we would quit early and go
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| movies. Once he gave me a hundred-dollar
| |
| | swimming. As we were in the mountains
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| bill by mistake and I did not realize it
| |
| | and the road was hardly ever used we did
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| until I paid for my movie ticket. Of
| |
| | not bother with swim suits. Larry and I
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| course I brought him the change
| |
| | were taking our usual swim one evening
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| back.Being a boy, I played around the
| |
| | when two girls and a boy showed up. They
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| mine more than I worked. As long as I
| |
| | must have lived somewhere on the mountain
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| made up a good pile of dummies, paper
| |
| | and they looked very rough. They started
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| bags about a foot long and the size of
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| | making fun of us and throwing rocks. We
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| the dynamite sticks, and was around when
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| | would not come out of the water as we
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| the belt started running, I was free to
| |
| | were nude. Then one of them hit Larry in
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| roam and play on the tipple or explore
| |
| | the head with a rock. Before I knew it I
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| the mountain side.I must have some
| |
| | was all alone, Larry was out of sight
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| attachment to the coal mines of the
| |
| | chasing them down the road, naked as a
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| Appalachian mountains. I was born in a
| |
| | jaybird. He did not catch them and I am
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| small coal mining community in the
| |
| | glad he did not because he sure was mad
|
| eastern Kentucky coal fields. Dad was a
| |
| | and I had seen him in fights before.Coal
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| supervisor in charge of one of the mining
| |
| | mining in the mountains is quite
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| crews. He started mining in western
| |
| | different from level country. You never
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| Kentucky and had taken a job near Seco,
| |
| | know how high the coal seam will be. Dad
|
| Kentucky in 1941. I was born that year
| |
| | told me of one mine he visited that the
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| in a coal mining town. On December 30,
| |
| | seam was so high that they had to use
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| 1970, I awoke after having a nightmare
| |
| | telephone poles for props. However, it
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| about a coal mine disaster and I shared
| |
| | did not last for long and closed back
|
| the vivid dream with my wife. I had
| |
| | down to only inches. As long as the coal
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| never dreamed about mines or disasters
| |
| | remains four too five-foot high the
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| before and was quite surprised. Later
| |
| | equipment can clear and you can make a
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| that day we heard on the news about the
| |
| | profit. However if it gets lower and you
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| Finley Coal Co., explosion in which 38
| |
| | have to take out rock to move ahead, it
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| were killed. The location of the mine
| |
| | gets very expensive. Walking in five
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| was given as eastern Kentucky near Hyden,
| |
| | foot high coal can be quite interesting.
|
| Kentucky, only a few miles from Seco
| |
| | Coal miners walk bent over with their
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| where I was born. The explosion was
| |
| | hands grasped behind their backs. This
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| caused by excessive coal dust and other
| |
| | saves the back from strain. I have found
|
| combustible materials, insufficient rock
| |
| | this to be helpful in caving also.In the
|
| dust, and other violations. The coal
| |
| | summer of 1955, the mine on top of Aetna
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| dust explosion was so extensive that dust
| |
| | Mountain played out, so we moved to
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| and other materials were expelled from
| |
| | Spring City, Tennessee where dad leased
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| all eight openings of the
| |
| | coal on the mountain just west of Spring
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| mine.Thirty-four widows and 103 children
| |
| | City. Shut in Gap Road heads up the
|
| were left to mourn the loss. I do not
| |
| | mountain then turn of onto Hard Rector
|
| know what possible connection other than
| |
| | Lane that runs along the top of the
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| being born so close to the disaster could
| |
| | mountain until you reach the mine. I was
|
| cause me to have that dream. I only
| |
| | traveling along this road one morning
|
| lived there a short time and had no
| |
| | with dad on the way to the mine, when he
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| relatives in the area.During the spring
| |
| | stopped the truck and jumped out running
|
| of 1954 we moved to Hale Town, Tennessee
| |
| | into the woods. About ten minutes later
|
| on the Tennessee river near the Alabama
| |
| | he returned and asked me if I had seen
|
| and Tennessee state line. Hale Town was
| |
| | the bobcat run across the road! Dad said
|
| no more than post office and a trailer
| |
| | that he wanted to get a better look at
|
| park found up Hicks Hollow Road. A few
| |
| | him and chased it through the woods.In
|
| miles north, Aetna Mountain Road winds up
| |
| | the place of a belt line, we used a
|
| Aetna Mountain where dad leased coal on
| |
| | three-wheel electric car to haul the coal
|
| the side of the mountain. Claude Cain, a
| |
| | out in trailers attached behind the car.
|
| close friend and mining partner built the
| |
| | Dad had two-twin brothers working for him
|
| tipple and assembled the belt line that
| |
| | and they were experts at driving that
|
| ran from the mine to the hill side for
| |
| | car. They would come out of the mine at
|
| loading the coal onto trucks.We only
| |
| | top speed, whip around and back a string
|
| stayed in Hale town a few months and then
| |
| | of three trailers out onto the tipple.
|
| moved to South Pittsburgh, Tennessee
| |
| | That always amazed me the way they could
|
| across the river and on the border with
| |
| | keep the trailers strait backing up like
|
| Alabama. That summer when school was
| |
| | that. We had a big electric generator
|
| out, dad started taking Larry Cain and me
| |
| | for powering the equipment in the mine
|
| to the mines. Larry was Claude's son and
| |
| | and it required a can of ether in the
|
| they lived just down the road from us in
| |
| | morning to get it started. It also
|
| South Pittsburgh, dad always said that
| |
| | charged the batteries on the electric
|
| one boy was half a boy and two boys was
| |
| | car. The speed control for the car was a
|
| no boy at all. I think that he was
| |
| | line of contacts on a lever with each
|
| referring to the work that he could get
| |
| | contact slightly offset from the next.
|
| out of us.The mine on Aetna Mountain was
| |
| | As you pushed the lever forward, it
|
| created by cutting the side of the hill
| |
| | engaged more of the contacts to bring
|
| away to expose the coal seam and then
| |
| | more of the batteries into the circuit
|
| just tunneling into the side of the
| |
| | for the motor. There were no brakes, and
|
| mountain. The lease that dad had was
| |
| | you just reversed the power to the motor
|
| between two other mines and no one knew
| |
| | to stop. With one front wheel you could
|
| where the mine operators would go once
| |
| | turn on a dime, this may be why they
|
| they got underground. Dad soon found out
| |
| | could control the backing of the trailers
|
| that each time they would move to the
| |
| | so easy.I think that dad tired of mining
|
| right or left then would break into the
| |
| | after opening these two Tennessee
|
| old workings of the other mines. The
| |
| | mountain mines, so he took a break and
|
| older mines used ponies or donkeys to
| |
| | opening a gas station in Englewood,
|
| move the coal out on tracks for the coal
| |
| | Tennessee.I have started writing as a
|
| cars. The coal seams were too low for
| |
| | hobbie and plan to write about my life,
|
| the animals so the rock had to be cut out
| |
| | work, hobbies, region and many other
|
| of the ceiling for head room. This
| |
| | things of interest to me and maybe others
|
| slowed the forward progress of the mines.
| |
| | will enjoy also.
|
| Dad and Claude used electric mining cars
| |
| |
|
