Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1875-06-12

berland coal field is, therefore, but recog-
milton of the fact which has been well
/ known cotemporaneous with the develop
mcnt of the region itself. Men who We're
! intimately acquainted with the manner OF
mining the big vein" from the commence
ment have locked on with establishment at
the waste engendered by the present
criminal manner of mining" and which, by
the way. is the same mode that has per
vaded the entire coal field along Georges
| Creek for thas nci Mr.. Douglas, ST., said 1t y
the last eighteen years, not only with my
self but several of the largest mining opera
tors in my neighborhood' And how Won
drously strange to reflect that the best
mode of mining this big vein" should have
been obtained simultan eous with the open
ing of this magnificent coal field ~
The Inspector charges that in many
abandoned mines, after all the pillars are
got which can be reached by the present
criminal manner Of mining, more than one
half of the coal is left in the mine and there
it will remain forever, lost for all time
Along Georges Creek at least five feet of
solid coal of magnificent quality, three feet
ofwhich is of easy and inviting removal, is
left untouched in the mine" This, Mr.
Editor, is the statement that the MeSsrs.
Douglas take exceptions to and is charac-
terized as "a mere display of pcdentry with
evident disregard for facts, must render the
usefulness of your report very doubtful
with those whom it should have best sery-
ed" Plainly stated, | rcitera,e that in many
abandoned mines more than one-half of the
coal is left in the mine, the wrath, gas and
nonsense of the defence TO the contrary
Notwithstanding. And | base my strict
ures on practical knowledge Of the work
ings of the mines in the big vein" for up
wards of ten years rs working miner in
the mines there to wit: Washington, Eek
hart, (both slope and minc,) Hoffman, Pom
pey Smash, (all three,) Miller jackson,
Dctmold, Franklin and Hampshire, al
though Mr.. Douglas, ST., would seem to, OBJ
ject to the last named as being located in
Maryland, still it is in and forms part of
the celebrated Cumberland cQal field, no
matter whether it is located in the state or
not The coal in it is .tonrteen feet Mich,
and, better, all boldly removed, EXCEPT the
waste occasioned in drawing pillars. They
(Messrs. Douglass Should keep cool and
thereby, nursing their ignorance, avoid
making frantic suggestions upon an impcr
feet knowledge of facts.
1t is vauntingly asserted by the assail-
ants Of Mr.. Roy that the usefulness of his
report is to be held in doubt in point of an
thentcty, when, l dare say, the intelligent
reader of this veXed controversy will bear
me out when say that they have never
shown anything in support of the doubtful
ness of his report. But, on the contrary,
there is a curious and suggestive parallel
between the recent fluctuations of father
and son in the presentment of their facts (?)
For INSTANCE, the son says that he obtains
II 900 tons to the acre the father says g.,
700 tons to the acre is recovered! Again,
the father says that the three feet coal of
Easy lNllioN III 10 Dut WV iStt
nine inches; the son says that the three
feet of magnificent coal the Inspector and
his friends take so much delight in drivel-
ling about, has no existence outside of their
own fertile imaginations," yet, almost in
the same breath, he admits its existence.
1T is true he says, that in the mines
along Georges Creek three feet of the bot
tom coal is not removed" which reminds
us of the striking similarity Of the tabled
ass who died between two stacks of hay
while making up his mind upon which to
fodder. They are evidently between two
dif1icultles-the demands of the people on
the one hand for retrenchment and better
results, and guilty consciences of having
robbed PROSPERITY of their natural and in
herent rights, on the other: TO take their
place in history with men who have betray-
ed their trust only to reap harvest of
shame. Verify, disappointed ambition is
its own terrible punishment
An acre Of coal contains 1,6l3b tons at
one foot thick. Assuming the correctness
of the excavation rs presented by the de-
fence at nine feet, by the present manner
of mining we have in round numbers H..
500 tons of coal to the acre. And, as truth
is generally to be found between two cX-
tremcs, Prof Hodges 5,122 and the elder
Douglas 300 tons to the acre, respectively,
as given by themselves and admitted by
their respective pa,tizans, we have the
enormous (?) mean yield of 7,111 tons Of
magnificent coal per acre, which comes
very near the Inspectors figures, saying
nothing of the three feet of bottom coal left
in the mines along Georges Creek. &c.
taking the vein at twelve feet, las they adj
nit of mining feet and leaving 3 fcct,)
then the Inspectors estimate of one half of
this magnificent vein being wasted is, to
say the least, only too true. Bear with us
a little longer while we complete the calcu-
lation. Twelve feet of thickness of coal
contains 1860 tons to the acre, and we
will take, for convenience sake, the elder
Douglas figures of 900 tons actually OBJ
tained (since he became DIR. to his company
for this amount,) and we then have the
"prodigal" sum of 1860 tons, or $50 tons
more than Qpe-half the coal left in the