Photo Essays > Salt of the Earth (15)
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Rob Bernhardt
A third-generation production miner, Bernhardt operates a scaler which removes loose salt from walls and
ceilings. -
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Chuck Martin
A production miner from Locke, N.Y., Chuck Martin installs reinforcement rods of varying lengths into the mine’s roof structure to minimize the collapse factor.
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Dean Donald
A maintenance mechanic supervisor, Donald says” If I didn’t look forward to being here (the mine), I wouldn’t go.
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Personalization
Most miners prsonalize their hardhats with decals and photos of their loved ones.
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Headlamp
With only his personal headlamp for illumination, supervisor Barry Carlson makes a quick fix prior to returning to the surface at the end of his shift.
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hoistlookss.jpg
The only way in, or out of the mine is a 8-person hoist that descends more than 2000 feet below the surface.
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Worklamps stand idle as they charge during a shift. All light is supplied for th workers 2000 feet below the surface.
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Jack Baity, left, and mechanical engineering intern and North Dakota State student Tadd Busch joke
above ground prior to the start of work. Comments: Baity was a resident of our readership/circulation area, and we were profiling workers from those areas in the story line. -
End of the shift
Miners are always wary of the only entrance and exit to the mine, a solitary lift.
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Rick “Moe” Jarrell
Production miner Jarrell takes a break while drilling a salt face prior to explosive charges being placed.
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posterss.jpg
Production miners have a "dry" sense of humor.
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The screening rooms control shack is carved out of a lode of salt over 100 feet tall. Screening sifts the
raw salt into uniform size for road salt applications. -
Breaktime
Bernhardt and two co-workers take a short break a couple hours into their shift.
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wagnerss.jpg
Five-ton Wagner tractors haul salt to conveyor belts for the products ride to the surface.