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