The Queen Mine in Bisbee, AZ

Bennie suiting us for the Queen Mine Tour.

This is Bennie.  He is the

character in this tale of our trip into the Queen Mine in Bisbee, AZ.

The Queen Mine was the most productive copper mine in Arizona during the early 1900's.  At that time, its orebody ran as as high as 23% copper with byproducts of gold and silver.  Not bad when its sister mines ran 3-4% copper.  When the Queen Mine orebody sank as low as a consistent 4% in the 1970's, it tenure as a functioning mine came to an end.  It re-opened the next year as a destination for tourists.

The mine culture, as Bennie described it, reminds me a little of the military experience.  The mine serves as the lifeblood of the community, and its workers rely upon each other for their survival.  Over time, the mine serves as a hyper-reflection of social turbulence tangling with the obliging need to trust and collaborate across cultural lines.  Resistance evolves into a begrudging nod, a slap of the back, and finally a handshake.

It is a working man's history.   In this, Bennie is our man.

Bennie started working at the mine above-ground when he was 17.  After a couple years, he went under for a 27 year stint as a miner.  He came up for good when the mine shut down in 1975.  His next career was 20 years as a police officer followed by another seven on the city council.  After he had spent nearly as much of his adult life above the ground as he had underground, he returned to the mine..  Last winter he returned as a tour guide for the Queen Mine.

His stories are real.  His attachment to the mine is palpable.  Its history is his history.  I feel like I'm in the presence of living history, and once again I am grateful for the opportunity.

These are some of his stories.

Miners were like brothers, and, if you have any, you know that is a rich ground for practical jokes.  This bike was the supervisors bike.  Each supervisor had a responsibility to see each miner two times each day.  That meant a lot of walking for the supervisor.  Eventually, the mine outfitted him with a bike. This bike ran on the track and had no brakes.  Need I say more?

Bennie laughed a lot telling us about the well-placed rock and the explosion of expletives that was sure to follow.

 

Bennie contrasting efficient drills with the 'widow maker.'

Up above, Bennie is contrasting two drills:  one highly efficient and one nicknamed the Widowmaker.  Thankful he was never tapped for the job, Bennie said it blew out so much dust, the operator was sure to get silicosis.

Bennie told us about dynamiting.   He said they'd pack 'Indians' (their nicknamed for sticks of dynamite) and then walk (not run) to their safety -- which amounted to walking some distance and tucking in behind a wall or a corner.  He described blasted pockets in the ceiling and more about the inherently hazardous conditions of blasting rock.

Copper mines have their own canaries to warn them of trouble afoot.  In copper mines, where the biggest danger is collapse, miners have befriended the rats.  Miners have learned to use their eyes and ears to listen for sounds of danger.  Mines have wooden beams on the walls and ceilings-- not to hold them up -- but to foretell a collapse by creaking and swaying.  When beams creak and rats scurry, the experienced miner is hustling up and out.

This is Bennie telling us a story about the cage or elevator between levels in a mine.  One holiday he found himself with a supervisor who wanted him to ring the bell and operate the cage to move the two of them to another level.  Bennie resisting pointing to the sign (that still exists) indicating that only bell operators were allowed to ring the bell and operate the cage.  The manager insisting pointing to the bell code board (which also still exists) and clearly indicates the bell code to communicate with operators on other levels.  Bennie continued to resist.  Finally, his boss insisted that he do as he was told.  After he ate lunch, Bennie did so.

He rang the bell to indicate they were getting in the cage and wanted to move to another level. They got in, shut the door, and waited.  The bell code was right.  What could have gone wrong?  

The communication was right but there was no one there receiving the communication.

They waited in the cage for 4 hours waiting for someone to discover they were stuck.  As we parted, Bennie said, "At least I had had lunch.  My boss hadn't eaten.  I never touched the bell again after that."

The Sanitation Station

Miners don't have the luxury of going using a regular restroom during work hours.  This was the miner's sanitation station, more often referred to by another name.  It was on a track, too.  And it didn't have a brake either.

New miners were in for a rough ride.  The joke was to release the brake on the pot.  Some unsuspecting Joe would climb aboard to do his business and, shortly afterward, the toilet complete with yelling miner would be rolling down the track.  After a bit, the jokers would concede and agree to help. 

"Turn that wheel to stop."  The hapless man would turn the wheel with all his might to stop the rambling toilet.  Instead of stopping, the wheel was really the mechanism for dumping the toilet contents.

A brutal practical joke which left the miner with his pants, marooned on a rambling toilet with a load of poop to clean up.

Bennie showed only signs of glee at the recollection.