The month of October showed an improvement in weather conditions over the previous month.

With the exception of a few heavy wind and rain storms, which caused no damage locally, fine Indian Summer weather prevailed.

The Autumn season, herald of a finish to summertime's bright bloom, when the roses stop growing and there is no sound from the songbird in the trees overhead.

The robins and others have gone southward. Only a few of the hardiest of their flock remain to winter in our climate, confident that despite snow and sleet, food would be found.

Although autumn brings signs of summer's ending, it is a time of beauty. The leaves turning to brown, present a striking contrast to the countryside. All nature seems at its best, giving one the feeling of restfulness.

News from employees and their families on the sick list:

• Pensioner Nath SHEPPARD entered the Grace Hospital, St. John's, for treatment, in October.

• J.M. LeDREW, Pay Office, has recovered sufficiently from his recent illness to return to work.

• William CLARKE, Cashier at The Dominion Wabana Ore, Limited, was operated on in the Grace Hospital, St. John's. Bill is back on the job and feeling fine.

• Gus CONNORS, Engineering Department, has been on the sick list during the past few weeks. He is reported to be feeling better.

• Norman TARRANT is home from hospital and recovering from his injuries.

• Kevin, nine-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Lem BICKFORD, entered the Grace Hospital for treatment in October.

• Tommy, four-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. George HIGGINS, was in the Grace Hospital for tonsillectomy, he is feeling fine.

• Patricia, seven-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick EZEKIEL, entered St. Clare's Hospital, St. John's for tonsillectomy recently.

• Howard PITTS entered the Grace Hospital, St. John's for treatment, in October. It is expected that it may be necessary for Howard to go to Montreal for an operation.

• Herbert HARNEY entered the General Hospital, St. John's, for treatment, recently.

• Drin REES, of the Watchman's Department, was injured when he fell from a moving motor vehicle while returning home from work. He entered the Grace Hospital for treatment and is reported to be improving.

• Thomas POWER, Jr., No. 3 Slope, is recovering from a hand injury.

Sympathy is extended to Leo GALWAY, No. 6 Slope, and Mrs. GALWAY, on the death of their one-week-old infant son, recently.

Traffic signs were erected during October, in the vicinity of the various schools on Bell Island, warning motorists of the necessity of exercising special care when driving through the school zones.

The stork was airborne again during October and while that busy bird was flying over Bell Island, visited the homes of the following employees:
Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred WHALEN, twin boys on the 18^th
Mr. and Mrs. John BENNETT, a son on the 18^th
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas COOMBS, a daughter on the 18^th
Mr. and Mrs. Ellis KENNEDY, a son on the 18^th
Mr. and Mrs. Leander PICCO, a daughter on the 16^th
Mr. and Mrs. Selby WARREN, a daughter on the 4^th
Mr. and Mrs. Ches PARSONS, a son on the 10^th
Mr. and Mrs. Norbett LAHEY, a son

Congratulations are extended to the following employees, who celebrated wedding anniversaries during October:
Pensioner James and Mrs. POWER, 47 years married
Dr. John and Mrs. YOUNG, on the occasion of their wedding anniversary on the 18^th
Mr. and Mrs. Jerry DALTON, 6 years married on the 20^th
Mr. and Mrs. Vincent BICKFORD, 7 years married on the 5^th

Pensioner Norman RYAN and family left recently for Galt, Ontario, where he will reside in future. Before retiring on pension, Mr. RYAN was employed as foreman at No. 3 Slope. We wish him and his family continued good health and happiness while on the Mainland of Canada.

Congratulations to Donald, son of Anthony SIMON, No. 3 Slope, who successfully passed a course and graduated as a television technician at the Derry Technical Institute recently. Don is at present visiting relatives in Toronto. He intends to return to Bell Island where he will practice his chosen profession.

Iron ore shipments from Scotia Pier, to the markets at Sydney, Nova Scotia, and overseas, from January 1^st to the end of October this year, amounted to 2,438,505 net tons.

During the month of October alone, total ore shipments amounted to 242,476 net tons.

Amounts sent to the different markets during the 10 months of this year are as follows:
To Sydney ...............................  426,359 tons
To Great Britain ........................ 895,310 tons
To Germany .............................. 954,245 tons
To United States ........................  10,550 tons
To Holland ...............................    61,520 tons

The Bell Island Curling Club rink reopened for this season's activities on October 19^th. Members of the club keep the rinks busy and the usual Saturday night dances are held at the Club lounge.

The month of October and early weeks of November proved to be a busy time for the Executive Director of the Wabana Boys' Club preparing for the official opening of the building on November 17th.

However, with the help of a number of Bell Island people, who donated their time for painting the inside of the extension to the building which contains the gymnasium, it was possible to have things in readiness on time for the official opening.

The first inter-town football meeting held on Bell Island in a number of years, took place at the sports field in October, when the St. Bon's school league football team visited here for an exhibition game with the St. Kevin's boys school team.

The game proved interesting to local football fans. It was a closely contested match with the visitors winning by a 2-1 score.

Congratulations to the following pensioners, on the occasion of their birthdays, in November:
William HEDD, 88 on the 11^th
John DWYER, 83 on the 15^th
John KENT, 80 on the 22^nd
Allan HUSSEY, 78 on the 17^th
Joseph LYNCH, 77 on the 8^th
Nath SHEPPARD, 74 on the 19^th
John McLEAN, 73 on the 20^th
George CURTIS, 72 on the 29^th
Ben PENNEY, 71 on the 13^th
Tim SNOW, 70 on the 14^th
Mike MURPHY, 69 on the 20^th
David NOLAN, 67 on the 20^th
Israel PENNEY, 67 on the 5^th

Training classes for Underground Maintenance men were resumed at the school, which is located in No. 3 yard, on the 9^th of this month.

The school was first established at Dominion Wabana Ore, Limited, on May 30^th, 1955, when it was declared officially open by the Vice President and General Manager, Mr. H.P. DICKEY.

The course in maintenance training is under the direction of Mr. William FRENCH, Maintenance Supervisor at No. 3 Slope. The Instructors are Messrs. Jack FLEMING and Bert BOONE, representatives of the Joy Manufacturing Company, they are being assisted by Harrison REES and Michael HICKEY, of the Maintenance Supervisory Staff.

Mr. V.J. SOUTHEY, General Superintendent, Mr. Fred REES, Assistant General Superintendent of Mines, Mr. J.G. ARCHIBALD, Plant Engineer, Mr. Gordon PHELAN, Electrical Engineer, Mr. T. GODIN, Safety Director Supervisor of Mining Development and Research, Mr. Eric LUFFMAN and other officials of the Company were guests when the classes resumed.

Our operations are highly mechanized today and it has been found necessary to have maintenance personnel trained to a high degree of efficiency. To provide the basis for such training, the Company is providing courses of instruction, based upon the Manufacture's recommendations, for the operation and maintenance of equipment.

Sixty-seven employees are enrolled for the course. They are divided into two classes and the training sessions are of three hours duration and are held twice daily on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The course will conclude on December 7^th and those employees who successfully pass the examinations will be presented with certificates.

Bell Island is the center of a great industry - iron ore mining. Since the discovery of this valuable deposit of ore a great many years ago, giant steps have been taken towards the development of this industry. It has been a very strenuous, difficult and expensive task, but, nevertheless, it has had amazing results, for now Bell Island boasts of the largest Submarine Iron Ore Mine in the world. This, in no small measure, is due to the development and modernization program undertaken by Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation Limited, which was started some six years ago.

The first phase in the cycle of mining of iron ore is the drilling. The purpose of drilling is to make holes in the ore so that explosives can be placed therein to loosen the rock. Various types of equipment are used for this operation from small air powered drills to large, electrically powered drill mobiles.

Before drilling can be commenced, the foreman has to prepare a miner's road map. With the help of surveyors they outline the place that has to be worked and its connections with the rest of the operation. The drillers, who need a great amount of experience, have to drill holes in such a way that the greatest amount of ore can be obtained with the minimum of drill holes and amount of dynamite.

There is one Mine in operation on the Island, and entry is made through three Slopes, namely No. 4 Slope, No. 6 Slope and No. 3 Slope. Three different types of machinery are used for drilling. In No. 4 there is used a column and bar-mounted automatic feed drifter. A small drill mounted upon a light air cylinder is used in No. 6 Slope. This is usually referred to as an air-leg drill and it is very light and versatile. The last type of drill, which is used in No. 3 Mine, is the rubber tire-mounted mobile drill. This has two large drills mounted on independent hydraulically controlled arms. In operating this machine, the driller drives it up to the face and by operating a few devices he is prepared to set to work. Although this type of drill is used primarily in No. 3, the air-leg drill is also used to a smaller extent.
(continued in next issue)

The "Submarine Miner" wishes, at this time, to bring up a very important matter, one that should be a vital concern to the parents of Bell Island.

Certain sections of the Island, containing open pits and worked-out mining areas, have been fenced by the Company.

It has been brought to our attention, that children are in the habit of climbing over the fences, into the enclosed areas. This is a very dangerous habit and parents would be wise to instruct their children to keep away from those places entirely.

Teachers in schools throughout Bell Island are co-operating, by impressing upon children attending school, that the Company's enclosed areas are out-of-bounds for them and under no circumstances should they even attempt to climb over the fence.

In a short while the cold weather will set in and water in the open pits will become ice. Unless otherwise instructed, some children may go there to skate.

It should be realized, that during winter as well as summer, children are not permitted to enter the Company's enclosed areas and it is the responsibility of parents to have their children stay away from them.

The importance of preventing your children from entering the Company's fenced-in areas, cannot be stressed too strongly.

We ask parents to co-operate, by impressing upon their children that, in their own interests, they must immediately discontinue this dangerous practice.