The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-18 00:00:00

101 ; and at the foot of this, at the second 4,900 feet,

and 365 feet fall (1 in 10.6) ; in all, a fall of 720 feet in 1.83
miles, an average of 1 in 13.5, but at the steepest as much
as lin 6. Each plane is worked by a 250 (nominal) horse

power engine, and 2-inch (diam.) iron rope. Six full cars
ascend, and eight empty descend. They are obliged to
work day and night always. Attached to each end of the
rope is a safety car, against which the train butts, so that
there is no coupling required. This car runs on a track
of its own, about 3-feet gauge, within the main 4-feet
8k-inch gauge, which, at the foot of the plane, conducts it
into a pit below the surface, the train of cars running by
their own impetus over the top of it, and into a siding ; a
very clever way of detaching the rope without loss of
time. _ _

It is rather nervous work at first going down thes
planes, for should the rope break, and it has done so, no
power in the world could save you. The average life of
a rope is about 31 years, towards the end of which time
careful watch is kept for signs of decay, which show
themselves in the form of broken strands, caused by

crystalisation.
A rich vein of coal was passed near the summit, being
worked by the company. It crcps out on the surface of
the hill, a black shining mass of solid anthracite, 6i-feet

thick, slope 45 deg.
Shemokin is a mining village in the heart of the moun-
tains, surrounded with coal " breakers."
The burning mine was pointed out to me, a vein of
coal which took fire twenty-five years ago, and is still
burning.

Next day, in another engine, the " Witch," I:went by
Paloalto and Port Carbon, over the Mahanoy section.
The former is the head-quarters of this section, as Schul-

kill Haven is of the other; both places have eight or ton
tracks in and about them, workshops, engine sheds, &c.

The ascent to the summit of the mountain is more gradual,
but the descent heavier than tho others ; viz., 400 feet in
2,400, or lin 6. A 2i-inch rope is usual here.
At the foot of the plane I took the Mahanoy and Broad
Mountain Railroad to Fisk's Colliery, through which I
was conducted, going half-a-mile into the workings ; the
vein is 9 to 10 feet thick, and yields 40 to 50 cars a day, to
140 to 150 men and boys. _ . .

The " breaker" is peculiar to anthracite coal mining,
and consists of a wooden erection some 100 feet high, to
the top of which the cars of coal are hoisted by steam power,
just as they come from the mine; at the top they are tilted
over, the coal in its descent passing first over a screen,
which sifts out the dirt (dust coal), then into the breaker,
where it is crushed into lumps of all sizes, and on through
a revolving screen, having gratings of different sizes ;
thence it slides down iron guides, past a lot of boys, who
pick out the slate, earning from $2l to $7 a week, and is
finally deposited into bins, under which the railway cars
are shunted to load.
We then ran "wild cat"—i.e., running on a single track in
face of an expected train, rather ticklish work, to Mahanoy
city, 11 miles; and a little further on passed the junction
with the Catawissa, near Quakabe, and arrived at Tama-
qua, a thriving mining town of 6,000 inhabitants. Here
we met a gentleman, Mr. George Cole, who owns a mine
near the Fisk, in which the vein, or rather basin, of coal is
58 feet thick.
Tamaqua is 18 miles east of Pottsville, where we arrived
after dark, and next day returned to Reading. few miles
from Reading, east, a breakdown, causing two hours delay,
had blocked the line with coal trains ; I counted six of
them, each of 125 cars, in a mile and a half.
Two or three days later I returned here, after a very in-
teresting trip.
Mr. Kennard, engineer-in-chief of the Atlantic and Great
Western Railway, who is at present actively engaged with
the Morris and Essex affairs, contemplates constructing
four wharves for shipping coal at Hoboken, each of 1,500
feet, which will give a frontage of 12,000 feet. I find the
Reading have between 13,000 and 14,900.
Yours very faithfully, THos. B. MOSELEY.
PHILADELPHAIA ND READING RAILROAD 003IPANY.—The
traffic of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad for the
month of October, 1864, is as follows :—Received from coal,
1865, $1,185,406.81; 1864, $565,114.65; received from mer-
chandise, 1865, $110,376.88; 1864, $74,351.73; received
from passengers, &c., 1865, $123,448.28 ; 1864, $115,084.21;
total receipts, 1865, $1,419,231.97 ; 1864, $754,550.59.
Transportation, roadway, dumpage renewal fund, and all
charges, 1865, $602,746.10 ; 1864, $474,478.90. Net profit
for the month, 1865, $816,485.87 ; 1864, $280,071.69 ; net
profit for previous ten months, 1865, $3,412,034.49; 1864,
$3,523,011.45. Total net profit for eleven months, 1865,
$4,288,520.36 ; 1864, $3,803,083.14.
The Great Western of Canada traffic is for week end-
ing Nov. 24, 1865, £15,507 6s. 7d. sterling on 345 (miles,
or £44 19s. per mile per week ; Nov. 25, 1864, £11,597 6s.
ld. sterling on 345 miles, or £33 12s. 4a. per mile per
week.
The Grand Trunk of Canada traffic is, for week ending
Nev. 18, 1865, £28,857 sterling on 1,377 miles, or £2O
19s. Id. per mile per week; Nov. 19, 1864, £24,623 sterling
on 1,335 miles, or £l6 Bs. 11d. per mile per week.
The Detroit and Milwaukee traffic is, for week ending—
Nov. 23, 1865, £8,476 Os. 6d. sterling on 189 miles, or £44
16s. 11d. per mile per week; Nov. 24, 1864, £6,175 2s. 7d.
sterling on 189 miles, or £32 13s. sd. per mile per week.
American securities have not been exempt from the dull-
ness and depression which has characterised other markets
during the past few days. Yesterday was the lowest day
of the week, United States 5-20 Bonds having changed
hands as low as 624 ; Illinois Shares at 801 ; and Eries at
571.
At the close of business to-day a manifestly stronger
tone pervades the markets, United States 5-20's closing
634 to ; Illinois Shares, 80 to 1; and Eries 574 to 1,
with an improving tendency.
All descriptions of Atlantic and Great Western securi-
ties remain steady, and prices exhibit but little alteration
from last week. The new issue of Consolidated Scrip
closes 1 to 1 prem.