New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-06-29
A WEEK AMONG THE COAL MINES.

A WEEK AMONG THE COAL MINES.
Leaving Great Bend on the Erie Railroad, the Del
aware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad leads, by
route Of less than fifty niles, to the northernmost OF
the Pennsylvania anthracite c0alhelds. The country
through which it leads 10 generally wild; after passing
New Milford. about seven miles from Great Bend, the
road follows a narrow valley, in many places almost
gorge or rsvne rocky and densely wooded until op-
poetic Montrose and the same general character OF
country to the Tunkhannock. There see some
fertile valleys and good looking hlfarms, but, going
southrard, the country becomes rugged again, and
the dividing ridge south of the Tunkhannock Valley
/, crossed at the sumit by tunnel Of should think,
600 or 500 feet in length The hills grow higher as
the Lackawanna Valley is approached, and steep,
precipous bluffs bound the deepgorge called Legges
Gap through which the railroad enters this great coal
basin. This is in fact part Of the Wyoming Valley
the Lackawnnna running through it for half III
length, ill., near Pittstor, the Susquehanna breaks
into IL through its bounding mOuntairdge, and re-
ceives the minor stream, with which it flows on past
the celebrated fields of Wyoming, until it again bursts
through the barrer-hi to the west by the Nanticoke
Gap and leaves the valley. The entire length Of the
basin, including the LaCkawanna Valley and its pro-
longation by Wyoming, is some sixty miles AMI it
breadth perhaps average Of four or five-its sur
face Except the river meadows nca Wyoming gently
unduating or billy, and the mountain ranges which
border it being long, straight ridges running n.
and S. w. with the general direction of the Ap
palachian ranges. The examinations of the brothers
Rogers. in the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, lead
us to believe that the rocks of this region with their
intervening coal STRATA originally level in position,
we're crumpled and folded into their present form Of
alternate basins and ridges by the same tremendous
commissions or slow changes which crowded up the AL
jeehapy ranges and that, since then, the action Of
diluyial and atmospheric agencies have worn away
the upper or coal-bearpg strata most of the high
and exposed points leavidg them only in the troughs
ar depressops sheltered between the mountanranges
of the three such basins in Eastern Pennsy vsna the
Wyoming coal-fed is the most northern and the
LARGEST From side to eide il is filed with the coal
measuresa series of slate and sandstone strata here
some zoo feet thick and having about eight layers OF
coal from four to fourteen feet in thickness, inersratl-
fed among them The Carbonate mines lie in the up
per part of the valley; lower down, near where the rail-
ro,d enters through Leggets Gap, is Scranton busy
towu which shows the suddenness of its growth IN the
stumps which still remain in the streets, and the Tree
use of capital in the large and substantial buildings
rpread around The mines not yet very extensively
worked lust here but will yield immense quantities OF
coal when the railroad facilities fer transportation are
complete. The increase of value in farms has been
very great consequence of the speculation in coal
lands Farmers who bought many years since, at *io
per acre, are now offered from $3.50 to $ooO Large
coal estates ore owned by the railroad and iron COM
panies, which employ about 1900 hands-the latter
having extensive furnaces and rollng-mls At the
furnaces, recognized the familiar voltic iron ore OF
Oneida County and the limestone of the same region
the latter being used a Aux, and the former to
mix with the from the vicnityof the works. The
engine used to blow the furnaces is gigantic struc-
ture-one of the largest, if not the largest IN the
country, costing s55 00O and working up to 200 to
800 horse power. At the foundation of the furnaces
layer of good coal six eight feet thick, is seen,
lying exposed like a stratum OF limestone in quarry
From Scranton reached Wilkesbarre by a ride of
eighteen miles IN coach-the first nine miles over
hly road through the insulating Lsckswanna Valley,
and the last nine along HE SusQuehanna In the
Lackawanna Valley, coal-wo,ks were being erected
here and there and lines of rails laid down to connect
the mines with the main railroad when finished. At
Pittston, where reached the SusapsLspus are the
extensive mines Of the Pennsylvania Cosl Company.
whose coal goes the mountain by vcries of in
clintd planes TO Honesdale and thence by the della
ware and Hudson Canal. From Pttston 10 Wilkes
barre uames Of anterevoluiouary origin an ,s.oois.
tion) the road lie through the celebrated VsNay os
Wyoming a basin perhaps four miles wide half of rcb
bottom lands OF fats, and half Of undulating lsua
bounded by straight rdgy mountains 500 to eco feet
high. The eastern range is all forest the western has
s slopes partly cultivated but the valley itself
thoroughly fertile and beautiful, though this season
the farmers hepes lad been partly blasted by the
ruin Of the wheat crop by the ny or" weevl. Many
acres Of il were left uncut as worthless. About three
miles below Pttstop, on the western fat is seen the
monument raised to commemorate the disastrous ba.
tie Of l77s-an obelisk of gray masonry. vas sorry
10 ind so little romance remaining about this spot
famous in story and sore. circus was performing
" Whkesbare, and amore rough, drunken aud pro-
fare crew than ,ha; which was corgr.ested on Sgs-
"quehauna's SIDE fan Wyoming" / never saw.
Probably m, VIC, bad representation Of .he topus