The Day the Mountain Shook [pencil script]
Scrooge's "mountain grinder" was based on a machine actually used in coal
mining. On March 29, 1971, U.S. News and World Report ran a
feature on the coal industry, discussing the vast deposits available and the
new technology for pulling them from the earth ("New Boom for an Old Industry,"
pages 60-62). At the head of the article was a photograph of a ferocious-looking
"continuous miner" in operation. Barks marked the picture with an X, clipped the
page, and was soon at work on "The Day the Mountain Shook".
Note that the Marietta Drum Miner shown in the illustration is not a boring
tool; instead it rips coal from the face of the rock. Barks redesigned the
machine in his story to create a more dramatic threat to Mount Greenglory.
[Illustration: © National Coal Association]
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