The New York herald., 1869-09-09

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Accurate Description Of the Scene Of the
Disaster-The Miners Safety Lamp-In the
Labyrinth Of Darkuess-The Fire-Damp.
From the Philadelphia Evening Telegraph Of yes
terday.l
The Avondale mine has been worked for two
years. Three months ago the miners struck. They
resumed work on Thursday last The mine IS en-
tered by q shaft on the hillside. This is the only
entrance. Wooden buildings, 100 feet high and 200
feet long, covered the mouth Of the shaft. The mine
was filed with narrow passages from four TO ten
feet high, which occasionally opened into immense
pockets or caves. railroad track was laid on the
bottom Of each Of these passages. The cars were
filed with coal, three-quarters Of mile from the
shaft by the miners at work. The coal cars were
then run through the various wooden supported
passages to the shaft. They were then run upon
platform, which was raised to the top OF the shaft
the same as q common elevator or vertical railway.
When the cars reached the earths surface they
run out over q trestle railway through the wooden
buildings ana dumped. The coal would fall in huge
screens, where, In some cases, 1t was properly as
sorted and then dumped into the cars Of the Blooms
burg ana Lackawanna Railroad, by which means It
was taken to market.
ENTERING THE MINE.
person wishing to enter the mine would get into
vator at the top Of the shaft Alta given signal the
empty car would Drop and at the same time q
loaded car would ascend the double shaft. As the
bottom was struck the empty car would glide on
into dark passage and loaded car would take its
place. In an instant mule would be hitched the
empty car, which would be drawn at q rapid rate to
the foot Of inclined plane. Here train Of light
cars would be formed, which were then drawn up
the plane by the simultaneous descent Of train Of
loaded cars.
THE LAMP AND DARK TUNNELS
The various veins Of coal in the Avondale mine
are some nine feet thick. and have gentle upward
slope. passageway Is cut along each vein. These
tunnels fearfully dark Their only light is that
from the miners lamps. These sarety lamps are
worn on The miners hats.
THE BREASTS AND THE PoCKDrs.
The "breasts' in which the mining is carried on
sometimes resemble huge halls and rooms. One
vein In the AvOndale mine is thirty feet thick and
the gallery along this VEN is cOrrespondingy large
The mine Is simply vast network OF black laby-
rinths. expanding occasionally into immense pock-
cts or "breass," where larger blasts than usual
are made. The coal is cracked by these blasts and
loosened Dy the pick and shovel. after which the
cars are filed. The miners work in these dark gal
leres in gronps Of from nve to q dozen men. The
hold about two tons apiece. In brisk times the
mine will turn out about 600 tons day. The mi
ners proper work by the carload, and easily make
five dollars per day. The mule boys generally get
five dollars per week. The men who handle the
cars and attend the hoisting are also paid by the
week.
THE DEADLY FIRE AND CHOKE DAMP
As there was but one nam shaft to the Avondale
mine, its ventilation Was dificult. 1t had not been
worked for some time and much foul air had col
ected In the damp places. Beside the bad air gene
t,u and and t,yf IN 80
lamps and gunpowder innammable gases issue from
crevlces in the coal. These gases mingle with the
foul air OF the mine and will explode the approach
OF q lighted candle. This gas is the fire-damp SO
much dreaded by the miners. To breathe 1t thirty
seconds ls sure death.
The fredamp Is composed OF carburetted hydro
gen and the choke-iamp of carbonc. When blast
ing for coal 1t will frequently issue in Jets called
blowers. At times, when the cavities are broken
into the coal by pick or crowbars, these blowers
will burst out, creating singing noise by the force
current The great danger Is from opening pent-up
reservoirs holding under great pressure immense
bodies OF gas disseminated through large areas of
coal or collected in abandoned workings.
AN EXPLOSION.
When such bodies are innamed the whole atmos-
phere of that portion of the mine explodes and the
coal dust floating through the passages is ignted.
The mine is like the interior Of fiery furnace. The
flames rush through the long Corridors causing
peated explosions. In some cases they spring up
the shafts as II issuing from the crater OF the vol.
cano. The subterranean walls frequently shaken
as If by an earthquake. The miners In their work
ings their lights blown out by the force OF the ex-
plosion, hasten through the dark passages STUN.
bling over heaps Of rubbish.
THE FATAL FURNACE.
Il ia possible that the accident at the Avondale
mine was caused by one Of these explosions Per.
sons entering the mine complain OF the sulphurous
fumes choking up the corridors. The mine was ven.
tated by a furnace at the bottom Of the shaft By
this furnace the air was made to circulate through
the complicated passages OF the mine. The air for
feeding the furnace was Of course drawn from the
lower part Of the mine.
DEADLY VENTILATION.
Avondae mine has but one shaft That was divi.
ded by an air-tight partition into an upcast and a
downcast. The fresh air across the passages below
caused the air pass to any and all desired points
before reached the passage leading to the furnace.
Ingenious expedients were adopted to regulate the
currents of air. and to cause only the air which had
passed through the purer portions of the mine to
feed the fre lest the impure currents should
become innamed and the explosions follow back In
to the most removed workings. The partitions
across the great gangways along which the coal was
run to the shaft, was furnished with DOORS which
were opened and shut as the coal cars passed
through. Thus the furnace was the sole means of
ventilation.
THE PIT OF THE DEAD.
The cause OF the disaster WIN never be known.
At early morn stream OF fire shot up the shart with
rightfu rapldity, and the buildings above were
wrapped IN names quickly that the engineers and
others barely had time to escape. Tne wood of the
shaft either caught fire from the furnace or the
rushing blaze came from the lighting OF nre-damp
within the mine The drynees Of the mine favors