Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1876-03-08
RAMBLES IN THE EAST.
Glen OnokO---Nature Of the Coal
Fields---DOwn In Mine--MOney
IL King.

IL hings
Correspondence Of the TNxs.
MAUCH CHUNK, Pa, Feb. 10.
Glen Onoko is about three miles
above Mauch Chunk, on the Lehigh
Valley Railroad, and belongs to that
company. There is no way of do
ing" the Glen except on foot, for no
team was ever there or could get
there. 1t has been improved and
fitted up at an expense of several
thousand dollars by the railroad COM
pany, who get their pay in the in
creased pleasure travel. Imagine a
hot August day with the thermome-
ter in the nineties, when dust and
heat render the city intolerable. We
are set down at Glen Onoko. and the
train goes shrieking and painting
away up the wonderful valley. This
station is unused in winter, it being
solely for visitors to the Glen. From
the depot a footpath leads back down
the river few rods on the west side,
and then turns to the right and be-
gins steep ascent, while clear little
brook splashes among the rocks at the
left. Soon the path becomes steep
stairway, rude steps of stone as of
logs being built, and thus we climb
up, up, now crossing the stream on
rustic bridge; now resting on the
seats, which have been prepared in
profusion iu the cool shade of the
timber which covers the mountain :
now standing at the foot of a .o-foot
fall, and again looking as far down
upon the dashing stream below, which
looks three times the size of the quiet
little brook that at first attracted our
notice. After climb of mile We
reach the summit, having made an
ascent of 900 feet above the point of
starting. Here just sufficient of the
oak, hemlock and white birch tim
Der has been left to make the place
cool and refreshing. Many are the
picnics that gather here every year.
A dance hall, swings, etc, have been
erected, while those who wish can
get an ever-changing view by stroll
ing among huge boulders, which
cover the ground. Half mile 10
the right Of the path we have come
is Packers Point, high, iutting
rock, from which one can see far up
and down the Lehigh Valley, alive
as il is with moving coal trains,
which go darting in aud out among
the rocks and hills like things of life
Down stream we see Coaidale, East
Mauch Chunk. the Lehigh Gap, sin
teen miles away, and far beyond in
the blue distance the mountain which
rises back of Allentown.
Under these mountains spread
about us, and at our feet, lies all the
coal. The mines in operation nearest
to Mauch Chunk are al Nesquehon-
ing, seven miles north. You can
enter the tunnel here and follow the
railroad track 10 Tamaqua, sixteen
miles away, passing from one mine
to another, without seeing daylight,
When mine is To be opened, the
first thing to do is 10 find where the
vein lies the lowest. This for pur-
poses of drainage. The veins lie
horizontally, at various depths, and
of various thicknesses, from three or
four feet or less to thirty or forty
feet. Sometimes, as at l.msford, the
vein crops out at the base OF a hill
and tunnels are run in on level,
saving the expense of hoisting. In
most cases ii Is necessary TO raise the
coal by machinery. A shaft is sunk
where, by The general lay OF the
land, it is supposed the vein lies the
lowest As soon as the shaft reaches
the bottom of the vein, pumps. are
put to work To remove the water
which rapidly drips from the coal.
Then, as the men work away from
this shaft, cutters are made to carry
the water back to the pumps. Four
or five main headings" lead away
from the shaft in different directions.
The shaft consists of an inclined
plane up and down which the coal
cars are carried by u stationary en-
gine. Tracks are laid along the
main headings, along which the ears
are hauled by mules.
The mine which entered was 600
feet from the surface, and the vein
sixteen feet thick. From the main
headings, oneither side, the "breasts"
branch off Each miner works a
breast, so feet wide, between which
and the next breast pillar of 40
feet of coal is left TO support the scot
of rock. When a vein Is as thick rs
this one, the miner works under
digging away the bottom portion OF
his breast. until at last the whole
mass which he has undermined