Show blind utah miner works his claim drills blasts mucks and lays his tracks alone I 1 theres no light on hh miners 1 cap no sunshine seeps along his foot shaft james newman drilled and blasted friday in darkness 1 just as he has for 10 years newman is sightless blinded in a blasting mishap in 1929 he I 1 waited until his wounds healed then back he went to his claim I 1 and his cabin in the wasatch mountains east of salt lake now his mine runs feet into the hillside he tunneled every inch of it drilling blasting mucking rail laying and tie cutting the tunnel is eight feet high planned that way so he wont bump his head hopes for strike newman can tell exactly where his drifts lead off from the main tunnel only one factor in his quest for pay dirt stumps him he must depend on friends to describe rock that may contain ore ile he has taken out some gold but the strike that goal that leads all miners on still eludes him now 45 newman a bachelor lives the year out alone at his mine coming to town about every three months for supplies he works night shifts too why not friends marvel at how deftly and quickly he finds his tools and fires his shots it seems perilous this business of a blind man mining newman laughs at that it nearly as dangerous for me to fire blasting powder in my mine as it is to cross a street in the city and the pay dirt the sudden riches im still hoping newman says idaho daily statesman |