97

AV & DM inter. M/M Sulk
- 23 -
8/11/72
Tape 25-2

way youse don't kow how to handle them that's whats the matter, but they
are stubborn. We had one theere we called it Stock & Cake
they couldn't do anything with it and they brought it
up here, well would that thing get balky, even with 3 mules in front couldn't
pull her, she'd put her goddarn feet up like this and brace herself and you
couldn't budge her, and when she'd start kickin' she'd kick the coor in the
car and then she'd set in it, they said do what the hell you want with 'er,
well I didn't know what to do, they use to balk the other mules because they're
quick to get balked, I'd just take the dam thing if I had her I'd take her out
and put her in the breast and have her stand with the 3 mules, and I got the
work done.

DM: I was going to say how would you make a mule like that pull cars

JS: You couldn't do nuthin' with her not with that Stock & Cake then the next day
you'd take her out agin and she work and then maybe she'd get funny agin and
when she'd work she'd work then she'd get funny spell comin' up, but you know
there's a trick with the mules in the mines too it's not just to go and pull
cars in, because there's lots of ditch you have to sprag them you know and
jesus if you can't sprag watch out you're goin' to have all the cars goin' to
hell, they're as quick as the divvel, see they have sprags on the sides of the
cars, the patcher he's on one side and you're on the other, he starts to sprag
right away and you hive him a start to make make the pull like when
the cars start comin' they're comin' like the wind passin' you, and you get that
used to that they can just keep on, you know, puttin' them sprags in, and they
use to pull up them runs one time the 4 mules would pull 3 cars and they were
pretty long too a pretty good distance till later on then they made a plane down
there, a short out for the empties to come down but the loaded would go on to the
slope and the mules, see some places you had to fly them over you stacked all
your cars up on the top when you had a full trip and was ready to go down and