Part 39 (2/2)
”How far down do we go?” asked Walter.
”About fifty feet,” answered the miner. ”Of course the mine is not that far underground all around. Some of the strata of rock we work lead almost to the surface in places.”
”Why don't you begin at the top and work down then?” questioned Tad.
”Some of the mines do that. In this case it was deemed best to sink a shaft. Here we are.”
From the darkness the boys had suddenly been plunged into a blinding glare of light. It was so intense that at first they were unable to see anything.
”Good gracious,” blinked Ned. ”This is brighter than the opera house at Chillicothe. It's enough to put a fellow's eyes out. What is it?”
”Electric lights,” laughed Phipps. ”We don't have many conveniences above ground, but down here we are right up-to-date, as you have observed.”
”As I perhaps shall observe when I am able to get my eyes open once more,” added Ned humorously.
”Why, the place is full of tunnels!” exclaimed Walter.
”Regular checker-board under ground,” agreed Tad. ”Where do all those tunnels go to?”
”Under where you have been tramping since you have been in camp.”
”To the Ruby Mountain?” inquired Tad meaningly.
”Yes, most probably that far, or pretty close to it, I should say; but I have never made a measurement with that in view, so that I am unable to give you a definite answer. We should have to bore through some pretty solid rock to get under the little red mountain, I'm inclined to think.”
”I'd like to go over that way.”
”All right, we will visit that part of the drift later,” replied Mr. Phipps.
What Tad's motive might have been in wis.h.i.+ng to get under the Ruby Mountain, perhaps he himself did not know. But he did know that somehow he felt that before leaving the mining camp he would solve the mystery of the place.
They first followed the drifts to the west where here and there a dull distant report told them the miners were blasting out the rocks with dynamite. After being broken up into large chunks the ore was placed on little cars and run along tracks to the hoisting apparatus from where it was quickly shot to the surface.
It was a busy scene that the Pony Rider Boys found--a different world from the one they had just left above them.
”Do these mines ever blow up or catch fire?” asked Walter a bit apprehensively.
”No, we have no fires of any consequence. We have never had an explosion and I trust we never shall,” answered the a.s.sistant superintendent gravely. ”You see there is not the same danger in this sort of place that you find in a coal mine. I would prefer to work digging out dynamite to mining coal.”
”Dynamite? Do you keep much of it down here?” interrupted the Professor.
”Oh, yes, we have to. There is enough down here at this moment to more than blow up the Ruby Mountain. The greater part of it is stored in what is known as the Ozark drift, the drift running to the southeast. I'll show it to you when we go that way.”
Now they were nearing the more active operations and the metallic click of the steam drills filled the air as they bored their way through the solid rock, necessitating the raising of voices that the boys might make themselves heard.
”Would you like to take a ride in one little cars?” asked Mr. Phipps.
The boys were quite certain that they would enjoy such a trip.
<script>