That Time in the Mine

I worked in an underground coal mine from 2006 to 2008. Here are a few of the things I learned mixed with some stories.

The fire boss (AKA crazy sum' bich)
Back in the day, the mine would send in some underpaid scrub with a lit candle to test for pockets of explosive gas. They found these pockets of gas often, and rarely survived when they did. They would usually be in very thick clothing that was soaked with water, but it only did so much. The fire boss would be the first in the mine, and after it was found "safe", the rest of the workers would go to work.

The Canary

Fire bosses along with other workers, usually supervisors, would carry a canary underground with them. Canaries die when exposed to too much carbon monoxide, as do humans. Canaries would die before humans, so if you are toting a canary, and it dies, GTFO!!! Today, miners carry electronic devices called "canaries" that accomplish the same purposes as the bird.

Miners did not give one single fuck if something was inappropriate. The rules were basically don't hold another guys dick or balls with the bare skin. Touching was fine, as long as you slapped, just don't hold it. Wrenches, foam, hands, feet, and whatever else were all viable tools for touching other miners. Women were not immune to harassment. Zero. Fucks. Given.

You NEVER touch a miners lunchbox. You could play any prank you wanted to unless it involved a lunchbox. I remember when a noob started working, he filled a lunchbox with foam sealant. This did not end well for him. He was stripped naked, and tied to a pole. He was left there for several hours.

Methane can be extracted from coal seams. In the mine that I worked at, the methane was not extracted to be sold, but it was extracted to produce heat for the mine. Basically, the explosive gases were sucked from where we worked, then ignited on the surface, then pushed back through the mine through ventilation shafts.

I would occasionally remove myself from the lighted areas and turn my lights off. You have never experienced pitch black until you have traveled three miles into the center of a mountain and turned off all the lights. During the winter, I would enter the mine before the sun came up, and leave the mine after it had gone down. I would go weeks without seeing the sun.

This is a long wall. The idea is that the roof is held up with hydraulic jacks, and the machine goes back and forth and the coal falls onto a belt and is carried out. You move the jacks forward as you cut the wall away, and the mountain falls in behind you. When the mountain caves in, it supports itself. When the mountain caved, it would cause mini earthquakes. Fun.

Sorry, I don't have a TL;DR version. If this fails miserably, I would understand due to the wall of text. Good night imgur

I had many questions, so I tried to answer as many as I could in this second post. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to message me questions if I didn't answer then here: http://imgur.com/gallery/QMWyj