Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1871-11-28
A Chapter on Coal.

tell curious story about the first discovery o
mineral coal in the Richmond coal-feld. They
state that this discovery was -nade by a little
boy who was digging craw6sh out of their holes
for fish bait
The coal lies quite near the surface on lit
tie stream known as Deep Run, and here, about
ten miles from Richmond, it is said, the little,
bare-tooted fellow found the coal.
The smallest stone is called rock in Virgin
ia. The boys never throw stones," but they
frequently rock" each other. When the lit
tie boy dug up the ''black rocks" instead of
the crawfsh, he was puzzled to know what they
were.
Such shining pretty things attracted his Gu
riosity, of course, if not his wonder. and he
carried them home to his parents. But they
were equally ignorant of the character and val
ue of coal, and in turn passed the strange,
black rocks around to others, until they were
at length recognized by some old English mi
ner; but who this miner was, or whether he
dug the coal, deponent said not.
The old Deep Run miners, however, made
their owners rich, though the coal was dug and
carried to market in rude and primitive way.
The coal was found in Richmond early in 100.
In 1859 we saw large oak trees, which must
have been considerably more than one hundred
years old, growing in the old coal mines, or
open quarries, near Deep Run; and these are
the oldest evidences of coal mining that We
have met in this country.
This, however, like tho English, is bitumin-
Gus coal we mention it merely as an interest
ing item. 1t was used extensively in Richmond
as early as l775; was exported to Philadelphia.
New York and Boston as early as 1889, and
was used at the Western Foundry, on the
shell, during the Revolutionary war, until the
foundry was destroyed by the traitor Arnold in
1881.
The word anthracite is derived from a
burning stone and a COAL The Pennsylva-
MIA anthracite was first discovered and put to
practical purposes in the lovely valley OF the
Wyoming ION Susquehanna's side" and the
New England Yankee, as usual, was the Ge-
ME who has found the philosophers stone'
which has transmitted the rock of that famous
valley, literally into gold.
Judge Obadiah Gore, blacksmith, from
Connecticut, and his brother, were the first to
make use of our stone coal. They used it in
their forge about the year 1869. aud from
that time forward the smiths of Wyoming made
good use of anthracite coal, though it was
many years before their good housewives found
out that it would roast thanksgiving turkey,
or replace the yule log on the Christmas hearth.
But during this eventful period, the stout
yeomanry Of Wyoming went through the times
that tried mems sonls. Then ragged the feu-
dal "Pennamite war" Soon after the dark
hours" of the Revolution gathered around them
and more trying, more fearful and terrible, the
dreadful massacre that shrouded the fair valley
In still darker gloom, making memorable IN his
tory the vale that became so famous in song.
The first successful effort to make use of our
anthracite for domestic or household purposes,
appears to have been made by Judge Jesse
Fell, of the town of Wilkes-Barre in the Wy
oming valley, in 1903. He made ''grate oi
green hickory wood. with which to expert
meat. With this he was so successful that ht
went immediately to the forge of his nephew,
Edward Fell. and with his own hands helpee
to fashion the first iron CRATE IN which ou ~,
stone was burned. He set up his CRATE witt
brick. in the big, open Ere place, where tn,
back-logs formerly set Up their rpddy glare
In this he kinded brisk fire with dry oal
wood. on which the stone coal was placed, anl
in short time had q splendid fire OF mlnera
fuel.
The days Of back-logs weEa numbered, ant
thew we're few and short with tae good people
| of Wyoming, although, before udge Fell trle,
his experiment, but few believed in stone coal
| Now they were delighted with it, and raptu
| rous In its praises.
Though the anthracite region of Wyoming
| wss the first discovered and made use OF, ant ant
is COW the most extensively u. a.Neeioped sna seq N
| to distant markets. yet the celebrated -
coal is most famous and best known. II wa
discovered 10 l79i, By poor hunter of Mancl
Chunk. on the Bear Mountain, whose nam,
was Philip Ginter
He lived in rude cabin on the SUNNY side
of the mountain, where be and his wife cult
waited little patch Of land; but he supported
his family chiefly by trapping and hunting.
Poor Philip says: "One day, after bad
hunting season, when my wife and little ones
were on short allowance, | had unusua bad
luck with my trap and guns and was on my way
home empty-handed and disheartened, tired,
and wet with rain. when | struck my foot on a
singular stone. 1t was nearly dusk, but light
enough remained to show me that the rock
was black and shiny.
Il had heard Of stone-coal over in Wyoming,
and had frequently peered into the rock in
hopes of finding it. When [ examined the
black rock, | knew it must be some kind of
coal, and on looking around [ discovered black
dirt and great many pieces of stope-coal un-
der the roots of a tree that had been blown
down by the wind. took piece home with
gave 1t to Col. Jacob Weiss
The specimen was submitted to some gentle
men Of Philadelphia who pronounced it, as
suspected, stone-coal, Philip was rewarded
with the gift of tract Of land On which was
waterp-ower that he desired for a saw-miil ;
but, unfortunately, the land was af erward
claimed under an older title, and the hunter of
Mauch Chunk lost both his land and bis labor,
and died as he had lived, poor man, though
bis discovery made thousands rich,