Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1875-05-08
Mr.. Roy Replies TO "iiosS Miner"

CoLUMBus. o., May 8, 1870.
10Me ofMo FrostjuJg Mining JourAa1:
have received copy of the Journal
of April 2ltlr, and find a letter therein from
a Boss Minor who, | am informed, is Mr..
John Douglas, sen, of Homecoming. The
charge make is a serious one and is to be
rcfutcd by an appeal to facts, not by any
chullition of wrath, gas and nonsense. The
following is the statement which appeared
in my report
This coal scam, (thc Big Ncin,) which
twenty years ago was considered rs practi-
cally incNhaustiblc, is already threatening
exhaustion, not SO much from coal actually
mined and removed to market rs from the
wastctul modes ofmining. In many aban-
doncd mines, after all the pillars are got
which can bc reached by the present Crimi-
nal manner Of mining, more than one-half
of the coal is left i'll the mine, and there it
will remain forever, lost iOr all time.
Along Georges Creek at least five feet of
which is of easy and inviting removal, is
left untouched in the mine; and it is a mat
ter of wonder that the operators OF the
mines will permit this waste, seeing that
the Hampshire mine coal which is fully
fourteen feet in height, being all bodily re
moved except the wastes in drawing pillars.
MI Douglas does not deny the above
charge, but branches off into defense of
his square system of mining. ! make no
charge that the mines under his supcrintcn-
dencv are OF worked on square, ] charge
that more than half the coal has been lost
in mining in many abandoned mines of the
Cumberland coal region of Maryland, and
that five feet of solid coal, three feet Of
which is of easy and inviting removal, is
left unwrought in the mines along Georges
Creek All the answer Mr.. Douglas can
make to this charge is a stupid attempt to
write down my report. might retort by
saying he will sooner write himself down
an ass But that has nothing to do with
the matter complained Of Give us the fig
urcs-thcy wont lie.
Since, however Mr. Douglas has made
such a display of his square system of min
ing, | will copy from the report of Prof.
Hodge in regard to the yield of the mines
of the Georges Creek Company under his
charge, Prof. Hodge, passed the summer of
1869 in the Cumberland region and made
an extended examination Of the yield of
the mines in tons per acre. He estimates
the average yield of the mines of this Com
pany at SIP tons per acre. Allowing the
mine to average eleven feet of thickness
every acre of productive ground would
yield 11,14G5 tons if all the coal were mined
out. According to Prof Hodge, 12,0252
tons are lost by Mr. Douglas system of
mining forever; 5,7l2 tons recovered This
is still 4 more serious charge of wanton
waste. Are these facts, Mr.. Douglas
Give lis the tigurcs-thcy wont lie.
In Netherlands Coal Region of America
several pages are devoted to the wanton
waste in mining in this coal region, and
method of getting more coal can be contriv
ed, the thickness of the vein will prove of
no benefit Whatever He adds:
"This great waste in mining is not a pleas
ant spectacle, and the region is greatly in
want of some first -rate mining engineers,
and much improved system of mining.
The present plan is Mochin9Ly ar"stTM.'
Mr., Douglas may continue to boast that
he and others are mining by the book, but
unless he can show a greater average yield
per acre than onc-half the coal of the mine,
people will continue to characterize his sys-
tenn as "wastcful' and "criminal.' Nor
will it benefit his case III the least TO fill
columns of newspapers with pcr> Qualities,
He may write up his squares and his pill
lars, but what will continue to concern
practical people will be what becomes of
the balance of the coal That is the main
question in these days of practical ideas.
Can Mr.. Douglas answer it?
ANDREW Roy.
p S. Since the above communication
was written | have been informed that Mr..
douglas, jr, and not the old gentleman is
the author of the letter TO which this is