Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-09-06
A Century Fire.

At Parkgate, near Sheffield, most ex-
trRprdinary phenomenon can be seen by
aninternfed in colliery wonders.
About one hundred years ago, several
Parkgate gentlemen sank shaft known
as the Old Bassett Pit. They at once
found a rich seam of coal-the Barnsley
bed. nine feet In thickness. This coal was
worked in very careful fashion for sew
eral years-great blocks and pillars OF
coal, containing many tons, being left to
support the roof In place of modern
wooden props. For several seasons every
thing proceeded smoothly; but one day
the pit caught fire. Nobody can tell how
1t was ignited; and the ancient miners
appear to have been utterly dismayed by
the unexpected disaster, as they left the
pit to burn at will, instead of closing up
the shaft and commencing anew, as they
might have done. Many years afterward
"the burning pit" was again approached
by the lord Of the manor, Earl Fitzwil-
liam. who began to work out coal in the
locality. A shaft was sunk at some dis
tance from the Old Bassettt Pit, and the
coal in the direction Of Rawmarsh was got
at-the new workings being kept at what
was considered q safe distance from the
fiery pit. Everything proceeded salts
factOrily till 1868, when a miner named
Parkin descended the Bank Pit shaft--the
name by which the new shaft was known
and was greatly alarmed to find fire only
ten feet from the pit bottom. He at
once gave the alarm-the principal Off
cials were upon the spot, and efforts
made to extinguish the fire. "Parkin's
flames" were soon put out; but it
was found that the whole pit was on
fire, and as the Earl's collieries extended
for miles, 1t was feared that the fire
would spread over the entire workings.
The Old Bassett shaft was at once filled
up; the old Bank shaft was also closed a
third shaft, the Top Stubbin Pit, was also
filled up. A long and thick wall was
built to separate the Old Bassett workings
from the newly opened portions of the pit.
Explorations had to be conducted by
crawling on hands and knees in the midst
of suffOcating smoke; but the wall was at
length completed at tremendous expense
and great labor-it being 1000 yards in
length, and from one foot to five feet
thick. Cross-walls were also built to cut
off airways, and so help in choking the
| fire. Thick iron pipes, with iron plugs,
were inserted in the wall at intervals Of
fifty yards, so that views could be OBJ
tanned of the interior of the Old Bassctt
workings looking through these pipes.
The great wall occupied the time of a
large body of workmen for whole year.
A new futtrell"-the entrance to coal
mine-had to be constructed. 1t had to
be brick-arched above and below with
strong brick walls. Entering by this
place, the wall is inspected daily, to get
information if the old fire has reached it
in any way. The last fire was seen in
1871, and on being examined last week,
nothing but g black damp" came through
from the orifices; but the most dangerous
place-where the workmen labored at a
great wall at the peril of their lives-is be-
lieved to be the fiery stronghold. Here
the flames are still believed to be raging;
although securely imprisoned by the
work of the underground heroes who
built its prison. walls. Until a year or two
ago, the farmers found that their crops
over this pit were materially accelerated
in growth by the heat; and the fact that
this acceleration is not so apparent now,
is the strongest proof to professional
minds that the burning pit has about
spenrits strength, and after a " long fire"
of one hundred years.-English Paper.