and chilly, I was filled with dread and apprehension. We slackened speed abruptly and sank slowly to the bottom. Without any preliminaries or waiting we started out walking at once. I was told to watch out for the trolley wire (an apt caution because as one stumbles the impulse is to reach above to grab for support - the only thing one could have grabbed was the wire)- Almost immediately the ceiling which was generally 6 ft or a little over, went down to almost 5 ft and we had to walk half stooping. My escort was used to it & clasped his hands in the small of his back; as I was carrying my portfolio I could not ease myself so, and found it a back breaking job to walk. Weighed down with the battery & nervous, I began to sweat. I was disappointed in seeing that the ceiling & walls (of coal) were coated with a light gray dust. This, my guide explained was rock dust, put on to prevent explosions from spreading. It was not long until we could walk more erectly. We turned off at several by-passages, & I began to feel that we we (sic) getting hopelessly lost - from some remote place, I could hear what seemed like cars rolling; and once indeed, a whole train of coal-loaded cars came around a curve and we had to step aside. The miners in charge of the motor pulling the load had to sit bent over, or else lie flat on the top of the car.
     Presently we came to a larger area, well lighted, with a room built in the side. This was the dispatcher’s office, from here traffic was regulated. Here Mr. McGhee inquired for a motor to take us back to where the coal was being blasted out and loaded. A train of empty cars was just due and we waited