Ajax Mine

As the miners were paid by the ton of coal, they didn't take out any extra rock or dirt. All the rooms (shatts) were as high as the cribbing, the thickness of the coal seam. Only the corridor allowed horses and men to walk upright. the seam lay perfectly flat, or horizontal, making the mine easy to operate. The posionous gas so common in other Alberta mines never became a problem here.

Each miner did his own blasting, usually at the end of the day so dust could settle overnight. The next morning, he shovelled the coal into the car and drilled holes for the next blast. Portable tracks aloud the coal cars to roll right into the rooms or shatts.