The Underground Miner |-|黂消d

Underground Miners daily tasks involve:

Mining Tid Bits

Sunshine Video

1: Drilling & Blasting

Making underground openings to extract ore or

rock. Miners drill holes in a working face of ore, or waste rock,
with drilling machines.
(Jackleg, Jumbo, Buzzes)
He then inserts explosives in the holes drilled, times each hole of explosives to what order he wants them to explode. Then sets off the blast, to break up the mass of rock.

2: Moving or Hauling the Rock. 'Mucking'

Loaders, or chutes (draw points), load the rock (muck) into mine cars, that have locomotive attached. The more modern Mines have rubber tire mine trucks and loaders. Then off to the main haulage ways, and to the surface, by drift and, or shaft for hoisting.

3: Miners use different type of Ground Support
Bolting & Timbering

Wood (timber), rock bolts (split set, resin, mechanical, cable bolts) and, or shotcrete, steel sets, just to name of a few. The support holds the walls (ribs) and roof (back). Also, we use timber for chutes and staging. Not only is it the miners job to extract the rock, but to support, and make it safe as well. It's not only for all there lives, but the life of the mine as well.

4: Miners Pay

Miners get a hourly wage, but what a miner is there for, is the Bonus Pay. Bonus is usually based on, the feet of advance, or by the square cube of rock. That's what we all work for, but there are times when the ground conditions get bad, so we have to put in more ground support, and also blasting can be slowed too. We blast bad ground a lot lighter, so we don't fracture it anymore then we have to. Sometimes we'll only blast half the face. Two blasts to get the same amount of footage. That slows the advance and the pay goes down.

   So, a miner is always hoping for that great rock that breaks easy, with not as many blast holes, doesn't make boulders when blasted and is easy to support. A miner is always waiting for that type of rock.

   With all that said, you can probably tell that it takes a certain type of person to be a underground miner, He has to be able to work in hard conditions. This a daily thing with miners. With the more modern mining methods, it is a lot better then years before. But a miner still has to deal with mine gases, dust, heat, cold, less oxygen, diesel exhaust, fall of ground, rock bursts. But between the mines and the miners, they have found pretty safe ways to do it all...

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Rock Burst is:
A spontaneous, violent fracture of rock that can occur in deep mines. The opening of a mine shaft relieves neighboring rocks of tremendous pressure, which can literally cause the rock to explode as it attempts to re-establish equilibrium. Rock bursts are a serious hazard.

I am A Miner

As I make my way into the darkness, I think of my family and what I leave topside. I am a miner. A member of an elite group of men that make their living thousands of feet underground. If she starts to creek and groan, if all hell suddenly cuts loose, remember this. Kiss the kids, I love you and I'll see you on the other side. I am the light at the end of the tunnel.
I am a miner!

Pat Mulligan

The Silver Valley

I was born and raised there. Growing up the towns, bars, and mines were booming. It was a very wild place.

( Yes, I loved it ! )

A Family of Miners

My life as a miners son, and then becoming one myself, and now, all my sons are miners. Not just miners, but,
Great Miners!

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Miners have
Feelings too!

Feelings of being a miner, proud, disappointment, happy, angry. The gypo sheets being posted, looking to see if you topped the board.
I could go on and on.

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Tramp Mining?

When is it time to quit Tramp Mining? Is it age, job security? Maybe now, the next job? Hmmm.. Does that feeling go away? Does one just know? So little time, so many places, and different people. I know I love it, and she doesn't..... Ahhh.... hmmmm
I'll just worry about it later!