The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-09-03

PlrrAus. About 3s5 years before Christ, when
Alexander the Great conquered Egypt; and bull
Alexandra, the use Of tie Papyrus for writing was
FIRST discovered. The Pspyrus 10 sort OF great oul
ash growing IN the marshes OF Egyptnea the river
Nile. IL up 10 a stalk 10 the height OF fifteen
feet and is usually foot aud half In circumfer'
ence When the outer skin is taken of there are Sc
seral inner films, which easily separate from each
other; these when pressed and dried, made the pa
per which the anoieDts used and from this Papyrus
Is derived our English word paper There were ma
ny her modes OF writing. PiiDy tells US, thai the
most ancient method was upon a PLAIN leaf aner
wards the inner bark Of a tree was used, which m
ner bark IN Latin was called ibsr and IN Greek b.
bios, from the last Of which word book,
becau-e the leaves Of books ancently consisted oil
the inner bark OF trees. Among the Greeks and Ro-
mans as early as the time OF Homer, tables OF
wood covered with wax were used on these they
engraved their letters with bodkin or style oil
iron hence the English word style, TO designate the
character OF composition in regard to language
But the invention Of the Pspyrus nearly suPPlan'ed
all other modes Of WI ting Ptolemy PhiIadelPhus,
King of Egypt, caused the books u hiegteat library
to be copied out a this sort of pap3f II was ex-
ported into other S6hnricssSotk Eumenes, King oil
Pergamus, endeayorng to ssllstt larger library
who deprived a. him Of paper y prohibiting the 'n-
portaion OF the papyrus.
FIRE IN THE MMEs.-The Anthracite Gazette,
published at Po,tsyille, gives description Of q
thrilling occurrence which happ ned at the mine Of
Mr.. George IL. Potts, on the 18th utmos Ga that
day an explosion Of fre-damp occurred near the loot
of the slope, and harmless 10 its effects as Tar as
human life was concerned, but was followed by a
great increase OF carbonc acid gas which is recog-
nised in mining language as "choke Damp Tbs
gas prevailed to great extent that IL was impos-
sble for to survive in the mines In this situa-
ton of affairs Mr.. Potts had furnace and cupola
erected over air shaft at the western extremity oil
the vein, at more@than mile from thesshope, for
tle purpose of creating draft OF air fhrough the
workings, and in this manner rid the mine oil the gas.
CATER trial Of three or four days, and when
it was ascertained that good resulted from this
movement, two of the principal miners voun
tered 90 down the mine and discover the cause OF
lis failure. They accordingly entered at the extreme
end OF the working and cautiously appro iched the
place where the explosion had originally taken place,
when to their surprise they dscoveTe HAT the coal at
thai spot was completely on fire There was at least
one hundred tons of red hot burning coal on fire at
the time, and the draft which had been created at the
extreme end Of the mlne stead of benefi ing, had
only increased the rapidly of its ignition. The mi
ners has,ened up with the intelligence, aud means
were immediate taken on Saturday last u have the
fire extinguished before It spread any further.
i he plan adopted was to quench the fire with
water, and then haul up in the wagons the
fuse matter. Gang after gang of the miners
were sent down, aud after working five or s,x
minutes were brought up completely lieless.
The proprietor, however, persevered and by rubbing
and resusctatng the exhausted men as
brought 10 the surface, he succeeded IN conquerng
the element after thirty-sx hours of hard and per-
ilous labor. The fire completely extinguished
and about one hundred tons Of charred coal and
ashes were taken from the spot.
ave give this occurrence as a caution to all 9th
engaged in the business. Many Of our operators
are now working the veins below the water level,
and great deal Of inaammable gas is inevitably
produced The same accident may occur in any
mine, and may be followed by much more disastrous
consequences. Miners in working will sometimes
strike their picks into o crevice from which will
gush complete stream of gas. 1t sometimes happens
that these leaders, they termed, will continue
TO emit the inhammable matter for days. Such was
the in the instance we have described Az
ter the first explosion, the leader in of the
breasts continued to buro and had il remained unds-
covered few days longer, of the most valuable
collieries in he district would have been completely
destroyed As is, DO serious damage has occurred,
and the vein is now worked as usual