The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-12-27
BORING FOR COAL


Although tho geologist and practical mi
ner can determine the structure and boun-
Diary Of coal field where the TANKS of the
strata rise to the surface, and direct
search for coal in productive ground, it
sometimes happens that = coal basin Is ev-
erywhere capped by newer formations, in
which case experiments by boring are ne
cessAry to Disclose the existence and ex-
tent Of the coal rocks. Boring IS more
over indispensable TO ascertain the depth OF
coal below the surface, the thickness OF the
seams and the lines OF direction 81 snip
dikes. sc A vast expenditure OF 'i"'
and mesn. are involved in these snoterrS-
aaar axnlorn.ions, and they demand the |
.onlie.tion of great engineering ability,
and practical mining experience. Where
the coal rocks are covered by newer strata
explorations are often made to no purpose.
The coal basin Of LIE Maine, in France,
which il covered at all points by the creta-
ceous strata Of the Mesozoric era strikes an
abrupt ridge Of the older rocks at Nalen
ciennes, which doubles up the coal meas
ures, and through the prolongation Of the
basin backward, till it presents the shape Of
an obtuse angle For many years boring
for coal, involving ruinous outlay was pros
ecuted formed on the supposed line of di-
rection of the field, and WAS finally aban
doned in fruitless despair. In l848, while
an artteian well was being sunk, the new
line Of this BASIN was struck, prospecting
vas renewed, and the field was found in
its original proportions.
Along the northwestern flank Of the Al
legheny coal field where the largest coal
seam rests on the uuevenly extended sur
face of the Waverly sandstone, and is only
deposited in patches or troughs of irregu-
lar form and limited extent, boring for coal
is an absolute necessity, and neither scion
tic research nor practical experience avails
the mining adventurer in his investigations.
Here 1t Is world of chance. The Brit
ish coal fields are remarkable for their
many slip dlkes; which are sometimes Of
such extraordinary depth as TO change the
level Of the coal seams up or down, for
1000 feet; borings are III continual opera
ton.
The tools used II. boring for coal consists
OF set Of iron rods from twelve to SIX
tee feet IN length, and one TO one and 8
half inches in diameter, creSed together.
A steel bit is attached to the end Of the
rods by means Of screw, and the rods are
supported on a spring pole, TO assist the
drillers III striking into the ground
The tools are lowered and raised by means
Of a windlass and rope A tall derrick,
having a pulley block fastened at the top,
allows the rods to pass up out of the hole,
when they are unjointed. The size of the
hole cut is usually two and one-halt inches
IN diameter, and is made by the borer CIV
ing the tools a rotary motion, with each
blow of the drill. From one to two feet
Is cut, if the material be soft before the
tools are Withdrawn. Ii tho rock be hard
il may not be more than few inches the
pump is now let down and filled, and the
debris, after beng carefully examined, is
poured out and the tools put in anew.
Sometimes a rope is used instead Of iron
rods For deep boring the rope is prefer
able, a. greater progress can be made in
deep holes where iron rods are used, great
part of the day Is expended in screwing
and unscrewing the tools every time the
hole requires cleaning. Some drillers use
hollow iron rodA, while no pumping is
required, the debris rising up through the
rods, and flowing out with each blow Of the
chisel.
Of late years steam drilling machines
have been brought into requisition, and for
many purposes have been proved grand
success. One Of the best of these drills is
that of Severance & Holt, which consists
Of q small upright boiler, attached to which
is . small engine of about seven horse pow
er. The tools are hollow and the bit is
about four inches long, having imbedded
with three roas Of black diamonds.
core is cut, which passes lrto the hollow
iron rods, and shows, on being extracted,
the strata in their natural structure. This
drill has been tested in boring for coal, but
was found to work enthusiastically in shale
the soft and muddy slate choked up the
hole and prevented the bit from turning
at all, but In rock and gritty shale ii made
extraordinary progress and with the most
satistactory results.
In the continental States Of Europe. two
Saxon miners, father and son, the Messrs
Kind, havemade themselves world renown-
ed by their wonderful successes in boring
for coal Their tools consist Of a gCuge in
raj cutting blades attached, made of cast
steel. They cut out q solid core, and drill
holes FIVE and eight inches in diameter to
. de 9TH If fifteen hundred and two thou
sand feet, one hole cut in the coal basin
" Creusot in France, having been sunk to
the enormous depth of three thousand and
seventeen feet. Shafts eight feet in diam
ster have been sunk by means Of boring
tools by these great sinkers, who have been
styled the Napoleons OF their art In the
year 1868, the st. Avoid Coal Company, in
the basin of Saarbruck in Germany, after
having expended upwards of four million
dollars, and many years of anxious but
fruitless effort in attempting to sink shaft
were led to induce MessrA Kind & Chan
dren to pat immense drills at work, and
IN two and one half yeArA-twe- shafts were
completed -vns:fhird the cost Of the
money formerly expended. This was one
OF the greatest triumphs of mining sngin-
esring skill ever performed on the globe.
Z ring tools Of immense aize we're used,
consisting Of enormous trepans, one of
which weighed fifteen tonA The tools
were suspended in the shaft, and were
made to operate on the ground by rising
and falling precisely As small holes Of two
and one-halt inches are cut. Three en-
Rines were used Of twenty-five horse pow
or each, one for lowering and hosting the
boring tools, another for working the tools
and the third for pumping hot and cold
water.
Many wells for artesisn purposes have
been sunk TO great depths, with diameterS
of from four and ak feet, by means of Dor
ing machines, IN continental Europe.
In all the applications Of mining opera
tons the French and Germans far excel the
Englsh and Americans Thisis undoubted-