Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-11-06
OPENING or THE BARCLAY n. n.

formally opened ; large number OF invited
guests being present, with number of Stock
holders from Philadelphia. We fud in FER
sos's Mining Register some interesting par
ticulars, in relation to the mines of this compa-
ny and their facilities for the shipment of coal.
The coal is mined by drifts from a vein FIVE
feet seven inches thick, exclusive Of slate. At
the drifts mouth the grade Of the railroad is
1928 feet above the grade at the Towanda
DAM The length Of the road being l6 3-4
be passed down l.22s feet from the mining end
to the shipping end Of the road. And the way
this descent is accomplished, aud the cars re-
turned empty to the miners, is at once simple
aud effectunl, attesting the skill and practical
sense of the mind that planned and superin
tended the construction of the work FROM
the drifts mouth, the loaded car passes over
a grayitating road, half mile, descending
twcnty-eghr feet to the head of a chute, which
has fall Of seventy six feet, down which the
coal is panged into car upon track below !;
loaded thus from the chute, the car passes
down gravitatng road one and quarter
miles, with a descent of sixty-eight feet, to the
head Of Il sclf-acting inclined plane 1851 feet
long, and with u fall of 4SS feet, At the foot
of the plane, the cars are coupled in trains of
twenty-five, FIVE ton cars, and passed on behind
a locomotive down fourteen and half miles
of road, with descent of SO feet. At To
wanda, the railroad tracks, upon trestIc- work,
are carried alongside basin connecting with
the river pool and from the bottom of the
ears the coal is dropped into ebutes with aprons
leading into canal boats lying parallel with the
tracks above them.
There is threfore, no handling of the coal,
after the miner fills the car in the drift, until
the canal boat shall have arrived at her desti-
nation with her cargo No steam power is
employed in working the inclined plane, nor is
steam used or fuel consumed in working the
road at any point, except upon the fourteen
and half miles between the foot of the plane
and the canal whcreon the locomotive is run
From the head of the plane to the chute, and
from the head of the chute to the drift, the
empty cars are drawn up the grade by mules
And to get rid of this mule power, it is pro-
posed to construct, hereafter, short inclined
plane with grayitating tract to return the
empty cars Down the inclined plane, three
loaded ears are passed at time, and, simultan-
eousy, three empty cars are passed up the
plane, which has four rails midway where the
cars pass and three rails elsewhere Loaded
cars can be passed dewn the plane fifteen times
in an hour, and the locomotive engine, over its
course from tie plane to the canal, can make
with ease three round trips per day, with
twenty ive,fye-ton cars in train so that
with one locomotive, the company can deliver
into canal boats at Towanda 315 tons of coal
per day, and, with five locomotives they could
deliver almost FIVE times that quantity every
day
The Company arc now bringing to the basin
at this place large amount of coal daily and
are shipping as fast as the limited number of
boats to be had will allow. There can be no
doubt that that this trade is destined to be an
extensive one, aud Of great profit to this place.