• Sunday-What'sUP January 6 - 11:45 am

When Hank Lehtola sent us the top photo this week, two things came to mind: 1) For some reason she reminded me of Amelia Earhart, 2) They sure had a lot more snow in the winter of '35!

Here is a UP snow photo for you. It was taken of my mother Laila Niemi at age 20 in the winter of 1935 at the Niemi home in "Brooklyn Location" of Baltic. The dark area to her left at feet level is the eves of the out house. Behind her is the Baltic Mine #3 shaft/rock house.

Henry Lehtola

Mom told me that the patch job to the upper portion of the shaft house in the picture was the result of the hoist operator falling asleep at the controls and the rock skip coming out through the top of the shaft house. Good thing it wasn't a man car.

My first thought at seeing the top photo, that it was Anne Morrow Lindbergh, but then I thought 'what would Anne be doing UP there'.
I also admired Amelia Earhart. Those women had courage. Thanks Henry and Charlie.

BTW, Charlie, when I clicked on 'Cam Notes' this morning, Dec. 30 pix came up.....so I had to click on today's photo instead.

Interesting pics and stories.

Love Laila's jodhpurs!

Thanks Hank Lehtola for sharing a pic of your mom Laila
Niemi. Chances are my moms sisters were friends. The
Mattila girls were 20, 18, 16, and my mom 14 in 1935. They
lived in the Ist house to the left of the swamp in Brooklyn
Location. Any more pics of her with friends?

Re: Baltic #3. Being a hoist engineer was a high status job with pay to match. One had to work through wiper, oiler, and assistant engineer jobs to reach the top. For all that, it had to be about the most boring job at the mine. Hundreds of repetitive trips listening for signals, watching the miniatures, facing a hypnotic drum spinning in front of you. No wonder there were sleeping hoistman or over-travel incidents. There were hoist "controllers" installed to prevent such accidents, but they didn't always work. One of the last incidents was at Centennial #2. Most, if not all, companies had a policy that required 2 operators on the platform during man trips. Much more caution was used when the mancar was used. Occasionally, men would ride the skip during the shift and there was an additional signal to indicate the skip was carrying people. This required slower speeds and a stop at the collar rather than a fast trip and a dump. C&H on the Calumet Lode had dedicated man shafts where separate hoists with permanently attached mancars were used.
Jodhpurs evidently were THE unisex fashion statement of that era. You see them in photos of both men and women in the '30's and '40's.

ANN: My mother had older and younger siblings. She lost a 12 year old sister Vieno, in 1935. Because she had younger siblings she had to quit school in the 10th. grade to care for them when her father and step-mother divorced. Her older sister Alina was married to a Mattila from Atlantic. As a teen I lived in the Niemi house for two years in the 50's and had, and still have a very good friend, Uno "Junior" Mattila, relative?

In 1947 at the age of 12 I was given a pair of jodhpurs and boots..but no horse. :( But they worked just as well with my bicycle.:)

Paul H. Meier (Paul):
"… Being a hoist engineer … Hundreds of repetitive trips listening for signals, watching the miniatures …"

Watching the miniatures?

FRNash,
The miniatures were/are the not so miniature dials indicating the locations of the skips in the shaft. They were calibrated and geared to the hoist drum. I'm not sure where the term "miniature" came from but that is what I have heard them called. As to their precision, I would think they were close but not dead on. The hoist engineer still had to rely on the bell signals from the landers and platmen.
Back when visitors were welcome, we would visit Ahmeek 3&4 and watch them bring up the miners. The mancars used there had compartments rather than the stairstep design. Just on the lander's bell signals, the hoist engineer was able to spot each compartment at the lip of the shaft collar.

Hank: small world. My mom quit school to care for her younger
siblings after the eight grade. Their mom (my gma) died in
1936. Uno sr. was my moms brother, uno "junior " is my
cousin!

Our internet service kept going off yesterday, so I just finally got to read all of this. So interesting, and I love the boat pictures!

I knew of a Henry Lehtola when I was growing up in Lake Linden. They lived up the street somewhere from where Louie's is now.

Ann: I have a couple of old photos with Ida Mattila in them. I believe another good childhood friend of mine, Ron Kaiponen would also be a relative of yours.

Deb: I grew UP mostly in Chassell with a couple of years in Baltic before moving down state. Interesting to know that there was another Henry Lehtola running around though.

My Dad worked in Ahmeek 3 & 4 before we moved to Detroit. Believe the man cars they used there were called "cages" and were enclosed because of the near verticle drop at the beginning of the shafts.