The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-08-12

G,oyes niu heafoaa Company. and M n r
number ef invited gaesis IN - civ =
M IN ~ sxtra tsains and.after : pesrsns ~,
Of abont two hourss they arrived e tne esr - ~
| of the Clover HIN railroad f - Z = '' = ~
Ihe DAY having besa set apart for the celebr,.
| tion of the Completion Of the now shaf ,rs;sh
opens into field Of coA Of superior oreaisv - :
| general holiday was observed at the piss ~ -.
| erations were suspended at all the workipcs M
the exception OF Beaver pit and the operstion Of
l raising coal being novel to many Of the COMPANY
this was visited by them, and half An hour vss
spent In watching the long chans rafting do yn ths
inclined plsin which extends for 1500 feet, q m
sngie of forty Eve degrees. down into the bow els
Of the EARTH the huge mouth Of the pit, gaping
wide and dark without ray of light to redeem
Its horrid gloom. The rapidly passing chains. a.
ter flying fer minute or two with lightning speed
| graduily change into more sober pace, and soon
10 seen emerging from the darkness car contain.
ing about thirty bushels of the treasures OF this
great Deep As soon as this reaches the top of the
platform, Is released from the chains and whirled
away to be emptled. while another il attached In
hs place. the engine reversed, and ia soou lost to
| 'sW. Ine majority were soon satisfied with this
exhibition and it to seek the pleasant shade of
| grove under which certain fragrant smells gave
| token OF more acceptable entertainment. Others
visited all OF the different working pits, which, we
may mere state, belong to three companies, viz ::
the Glover Hill Coal Mining Company, with James
| ii. Cox, Esq. for President Hall & Co, aud the
Clover Hnl Railroad Company; all being engaged
Ia mining at separate places; while the latter
| owning the road, performs the transportation for
| the whole. t FE
| The new shafts were visited by all the visitors
and well worthy of their attention. thev lin ~
tho westward Of all others in this neiehborhood-
are about 40 feet apart nine feet and half In di
ameter the north one 500 feet and the south a.,3
feet deep-being the deepest perpendicular shaf
| on this continent. Hitherto, the Midlothian Com
pany held the palm in this respect with shaft 7s0
feet deep, but this must now yield TO the Clover
1 L.
first broken on the 14sh of May, 1853 having oc.
cupied upwards of three years in their completion
and coating. including machinery and all expenses
| the sum of $4,000 This great outlay has, how.
| ever, been well rewarded, for at the bottom is
| found seam of coal sixteen feet thick, and six
teen feet above this is one four feet SIX inches
thick, both of them alike in quality, and superior
to any yet found in Virginia. 1t is quite light and
easily broken, but of bright black, and retaining
its brilanoy for long time, while exposed to the
atmosphere. 1t burns freely, possessing 1t does
large amount of bitumen, and will doubtless pro.
| duce large quantities of gas. The engine erected
to operate with the shafts is of superior workman.
ship and simplicity of construction, well proper.
toned for strength, and without any attempt at
ornament; just the machine for such place. where
use aud durability are the only requisites 1t Ia
of 80 horsepower, and was built at the old estab-
| lished manufactory of Samson & Pae. An offer
| having been extended to all who wished to go
| down into the pit, a number of persons avaiIed
| themselves of it, aud donning the miners clothes
| got into the bucket and glided down the deep
abyss We watched them descend until their lights
became invisible and no sound reached our ears;
and our heart sckened as we heard by.stander
tell another, that few weeks SINCE the fastening
| which held the rope to the drum, gave way just
| as bucket had reached the bottom. with three
miners in it, and the whole rope, nine hundred
feet long, and wei: ching nearly two tons fell upon
| and crushed their bodies into shapeless macs.
From this we turned away, and with . friend
who is curious in such matters, looked over the
| huge pile of fossil remains of vegetation, which
| grew and bloomed and perished long,
| Before antiquity begun" ......--
| These are found in the stratum Immediately
| everything the deposit Of coal, being apparently
formed Of the rich loan which was first deposited
| on the submerged forests which form our coal
fields and while in plastic state received the i'm.
| pressions Of the plants peculiar to such soil
This deposit is the last removed in sinking shaft
| and among the pie around this are many curious
specim ems; delicate traciDgs of fern leaves and
minute flowers with tiny stems and petals lie
| mingled with those of a mammoth lily whose leaves
| more than foot wide are in some instances
| crushed asunder by the stem of great reed or
bamboo, evidently the product of tropical tenn
| poster. Many an hour could have, been well and
| profitably spent in studying the immense cabinet
| Of the medals of creaton:" but we were sum.
| moned to dinner, and the whole company, inclu-
| ding many gentlemen from the surrounding coun
try, were soon assembled under the umbragrous
shade of the grove surrounding Clover Hill church.
| Three tables capable of seating two hundred per.
| sons covered with dishes of barbacued meats
amid which smoked huge plasters of a delicious
| Brunswick stew The operation In the line were
greatly facilitated by endless quantities of punch
and other liquids which disappt arsd almsst fast
if eD,pted into of the pitssr huge pitcher
| of whisky toddy at one end of the table must
have been very palateable indeed judging from the
| deep draughts made and the high commendations
| bestowed upon it by two representatives of the
"gem o. the ocean" and ''tbe lord of the mist and
| the food" who are proverbia for their taste and
Judgment in this as well as other matters Of more
| Importance -.r...f ,.-.s. .,s,-5t 1Er
w II Macfarland, Esq, presided at the table as
| sisted by Messrs Jas III COX and ID L Woodbridge,
| and after the eating had been well accom-
plisbed and 1.-The cloth removed" lin imagnatoD)
| the President toasted Mr Cox, the one to whom
ali praise due, as the pioneer in the coal bus
ness in this section, and the benefactor of Clover
| Hill To this Mir Cox replied disclaimng any
more credit than simply trying to better his own
| fortune, without doing injury TO others, and desi
ring ii possible to benefit nis race and his neigh
| borhood. He also added, that as credit should al
WAYS be bestowed where 1t was deserved, be
would propose the health Of the man who, through
toll and dangers, had superntended the sinking of
| the new shaft, and whose merits were only equal
led by his modesty--he alluded to Mr. Jas Owens.
Mr. Owens called for loudly, but being man
I of deeds and not words. he begged to be excused
| ii oni attempting reply. Judge Crnmp and Geo
| Whitfield, Esq, were toasted, and replied with ap-
| propriate remarks and sentiments complimentary
| cred together at this time. 1Messrs Dodamead,
| Wynne. and w Ct Percival were also called out,
| and each of them responded The last named gen.
tleman, after alluding in bis remarks to the SUBJ
| act of light, as elected by those who preceded
| him, concluded by giving a. toast The light OF
| womans eyes. the best light God ever made, and
| singing Let the toast be dear woman"
| The company was then dismissed, and about
o'clock the guests of the company were invited TO
| call on Dr. Wake, who resides in the neghborhood
and in his simple but tastly furnished cottage we
| received one of those welcomes which make visi
tor feel that he gives rather than receives
After glancng at the rows of we'll selected books
which adorn the shelves, we were invited to take
some refreshments, and while the corks wore pop
ping and glasses rattiiuE, crossfire was kept up
| with great spirit among seme of cur party whicn
| was itself . treat
The shades of evening beginning to admonish
us to return, after drinking stirrup cup with our
| host and the repetition of sentiment Of the I'm.
| mortal Webster by Charley Thompson, the com
pany adjourned. In few minutes aftcr the steam
| whistle sounded and we were gliding boueward
without the recollection of . single event 10 mar
| the pleasure Of our jaunt
| Great credit IL dns TO Messrs. ID t. Woodbridge
| and Dodamead for their attention TO those on the
train TO and from Riehmond, and also 70 james n