Show I J I After years of waiting and threatening I finally had a new experience Friday I went deep Into ft a mine in the mountains of ot Park City It was a II tremendously enjoyable trip and I learned lots lotsof lotsof lotsof of things The Tho occasion was WIl a II news briefing brier brief ing f. f for r the big event of ot the next day the groundbreaking ground ceremonies ceremonies ceremonies ies for the year-around year playground playground play playground ground at Park City About Abou 20 of ofus ofus ofus us from the news new 6 media along with about a III dozen ski enthusiasts enthus lasts fasts made the guided tour Now I had always supposed that when you rode a man train as compared to an ore train you sat sedately In twos and I glided through spacious brightly- brightly lighted tunnels You might stand standup u up or get off oft and walk Believe me nothing is further from the truth ruth In the center of a very narrow nar row lOW car on the tiny track Is a wide foot raised and padded platform or ledge running the lull full length You sit on It ASTRIDE and the guy or gal ahe ahead d and behind all snuggle UP I You lire warned to sit still sUlI and rot not stick out your arms When WIlen a photographer turns on a light you can see eee why The telling Isso Is Isso isso so low and jagged that you instinctively in Inv duck The walls are so close and Jagged that if it you stuck out a hand you could say Look Ma no elbow ebow The tunnels I expected are those from which ore has bas been taken out The once onea we were In aro are for tor transportation only When they sink a shaft straight down and hit pay dirt they drive a 1 tunnel In tro frou the side so BO they can haul it out instead of ot lifting It out Park City people who take tako all this completely for tor granted grant grantS ed because e they've lived al all their lives with it must be snickering at nt my naive explanations And one wouldn't get out and walk There Is water on the tunnel floor and some dripping dripping drip drip- ping from the ceiling We Re Weere were ere gl given n rain-coats rain and hard hats ber before re we set out I was amazed to learn oarn that there are more than miles mUes ot of tunnels in those mountains And dark What a place for tor a per person on wIth claustrophobia This Is not at all the type of ot tunnel and transportation planned by ly United Park for tor tourist transportation trans Tourists will ride deep f Into the heart of ot the mountain on n trains enclosed in gloss glass Then they will be shot shat to the surface on an lifts litts enjoy the sightseeing and a lunch and go back down on gondolas Finally Friday we reached a station which U Ls a wide spot I In the tunnel We had pa passed d a couple of ot stations which were points points' of ot branching railroads and others other which contained electrical installations This ThIB station was the end of ot the line lino for tor us We IVe transferred to the lift This is a small like cage-like eleva tor In which nine persons all standing tightly together In threes streak to the surface Again we were warned about sticking out arms and when the light on the operators operator's cap turned sideways we saw laW that this wall was even more close At Af the top the view was awesome awe awe- some There Is a huge air all compressor com com- there which shoves compressed compressed compressed com com- pressed air all all through the endless endless end end- less miles of ot tunnels It is U used ed for tor drilling and also for tor fresh tresh air In dead ends An Interesting feature feature tea fea fea- fea ture was a group of ot severa several geranium geranium geranium ger ger- plants In strange contrast I to all that machinery We went back the same way At the station I noticed the dampness damp damp- ness neBS on huge wooden beams and asked Mark Jolley our guide and and who will be In charge of Bonanza Installations if It wet wood wasn't weakened On the contrary he said Those beams have been here since about 1880 When we move around and have to haul a wet beam to the surface It completely disintegrates as aa soon as It 1 dries Lovable Lawrence Berry regal regal- regaled ed us with tales of his 38 33 years In the mines lie He drove horses In Inthe Inthe I the days claN before the trains were I I powered Those Thase horses were smarter than we were The min ute they hit the collar they could I tell if it they had more or less cars than usual 1 They wouldn't move until the change was made I lIe He said he never had heard of ot ofa ota a horse or mule being born living living liv liv- ing and dying below ground But Buth Buthe Buthe he h did say ay that when an animal was taken to the surface it was necessary to blindfold it until 1 It became used to the sunlight Lovable Joe Street told us of the old days when ho so many miners died of consumption The compressor air drills were used dry and the miners miters Inhaled In Inv haled rock dust all al day Mia lUlu ers er's con was the usual lengthy and painful death In those days Now water Is injected Into the drill and there Is no dust duat crt Ctt was Wild fun tun interesting exciting down in the bowels of ot the earth But that sunshine looked mighty good when we came out Who knows maybe Im I'm slightly claus claus- And maybe Id I'd just rather be a newspaperman newspaperman Mac Mac |