The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-04-20

l.. S. JoYSEs, NJ. D.,
Dean of the Faculty.
THE CLOVER HILL Coal FIELD-HIs-
TORY AND EXrLoRATIoN-THE CAUSE OF
THE LATE DIsAsTER-PREsENT CONDITION
OF THE WORKs-FCTURE PROSPECTs.-The
late fearful explosion at the Glover Hill
Coal Mines has excited so much interest
in the public mind that we publish in full
the following report to the Board OF Direc-
tors Of the company:
To the Board Of Directors Of the Clorer Hill
Raaroad Company:
The recent dcplorable accident at one
of the pits of the Glover Hill mines having
called public attention and interest to that
coal region, and as some of the directors
and many of the stockholders of the COM
pany have lately become interested in the
property, | feel that it would not be inap-
propriatc in me, as your late superintcnd-
ent and general agent, to furnish you a
brief history of the discovery, progress,
and present condition of these mines, and
the cause which produced the late sad ca
lamity.
HISTORY OF DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION OF
THE CLOVER HILL COAL BASIN.
The Clover Hill coal-feld is a part OF
the great basin of coal which extends from
some point south of the Appomatto1, in
Amelia county, across Chesterfield county,
in a northeasterly direction, crossing the
James river into Hcnrico, and perhaps
Hanover county. 1t is supposed TO be
about twenty or thirty miles in length and
from five to eight in width. Being BASIN
shaped, it has, of course, two lines of out
crop, one on each edge of the basin, and
dipping in opposite directions. The Glover
Hill field is on the eastern out-crop, be-
tween three and four miles from the APP
pomattox river, and about twenty miles
from the cities of Richmond and Peters
burg.
The coal of the Clover Hill field was first
discovered by me on my farm in the sum-
mer of 1889, in gully on hillside, where
it displayed itself within few feet of the
surface. In the fall of that year | sunk a
trial shaft on the out-crop, and found the
coal rich in quality and twelve feet IN
thickness.
More than thirty years previous to this
discovery coal had been found in this re-
gion both to the north and south of the
present Clover Hill workings but owing
to the paucity of the veins, the difficulty
of transportation, and want of enterprise,
it was unskifully worked for few years
and abandoned. In lS40 | commenced
and continued to work the vein | had dis
covered upon my own account until the
formation of the Glover Hill Coal Mining
Company, who purchased the property and
commenced operations on more extended
scale. The next year lS4l) coal was dis
covered on a contiguous tract OF land, and
operations commenced by Moody < John
son. At this time the only mode of trans
portation was hauling by wagons to Pc
tersburg, a distance of twenty miles.
Afterwards the mode adopted was to haul
by wagons to the Appomattox river, dis
tance of five miles, and ship by keel boats
to Petersburg.
In 1874 the Glover Hill railroad was
constructed, extending from the mines to
a point on the Richmond and Petersburg
railroad now called Chester, thus giving
coal to Richmond, Petersburg, and ship
ping point known as Port Walthall. Up
to this period all the workings had been
near the out-crop, the shafts ranging in
depth from 80 to $50 feet. About this time
Hall & Cheatham had discovered coal on
a tract of land to the south, and com
menced operations. The Glover Hill Rail
road Company had also purchased land
and commenced mining operations. sc
that in 1915 four separate companies were
operating in the Glover Hill field.
As operations continued, shafts had tc
be sunk further into the field, and ofcourse
to a greater depth, the strata lying not
horizontally but at a dip or inclination va
rving from 90 to A. degrees. In 1916 the
Clover Hill Coal Mining Company sunk
shaft, known as Cox's pit, to the depth OF
400 feet. Here was encountered the first
explosive gas ever seen in any of the Clo
yer Hill pits. In this narration | may be
permitted to digress so far as to say thai
ras rarely, if ever, is found in a shallow pit
unless there be fault or break in The
strata between the workings and the sur
face, because the gas, from its formation ol
generation, has escaped through the tissue:
of the coal, and thus found its way to the
surface.
In 1850 there was an explosion in thl'
pit, by which six lives were lost. Thi
happened on Friday at ! o'clock A
NJ, and was caused by the men (wh'
were slaves except onc) going down il
the night without gasman to complete
their tasks that night, so as to have th'
following day as holiday. No explosion
having ever occurred in that pit, or il
any other at Clover Hill, they becam'
careless, and for disobcdience of order
paid the forfeit with their lives. There
was a small explosion afterwards IN ont
part of the pit, but no lives were lost
This pit was worked for fourteen years
with an average Of about fifty men, an'
the above statement furnishes the list o
casualties by gas.
In the year 1859 the Clover Hill Goa
Mining Company sunk another pit an,
incline, called the Raccoon, to the dept
of 62S feet perpendicularly. In this pl
there was an explosion in 1868, by whlcl
seventeen lives were lost. Many men Il
the pit at the time escaped unhurt, AM
gave unmistakable evidence of the caus
of the disaster. 1t is the duty of the gas
man to descend the pit at o'clock ever
morning, and no man is allowed to ente
until every part of the pit has been ex
amined by the Davy lamp, and ne has re
turned and reported call right" In thl
case the gasman, who was sober,
careful, and skilful man, being little lat
in getting to the pit, and finding the Ia
borers waiting to descend, and not havin
seen any gas in the pit for many days, tol
the men there was no danger, and to 70
low him. lie proceeded into the pit wit
an open light, ignited the gas, and fe
himself victim to his own imprudenc,
No other explosion ever happened {
this pit, and it is now in operation.
The Clover Hill Railroad Company con
menced to sink the pit called the BRIG