The daily gazette., 1877-01-09
THE MIME FIRE.
THE GREAT LYKESoS II AqRArIoS,
IMMENSE DEsrRecrIoN or rRorERr, .

IMMENSE DESTRUCTION or PROPERTY.
A despatch from Lykens, Pa, to the
New Y York Herald. is as follows
1.-THE Short Mountain and Lvisens Val.
ley Mines, which produce from 15O. 900 to
200, 900 tons of coal year, have been on
fire since Monday afternoon, and the Ly-
kens Valley Coal Company which oper>
ates the collieries, has already suffered a
loss of several hundred thousand dollars.
which promises to be largely augmented
Several men who had been driven from
the mines by the fire are engaged dayand
night in efforts to stop the work of de.
struction, but the difficulty of reaching it
has rendered their labor only partially
successful. The first four days they made
10 impression on the fire, but appearances
to day indicate that their work is having
beneficial effect. The temporary check
has not relieved the people here of the
fear that all c0llieiies in this county NAV
be visited by the fire. They are connect
ed by subterranean passages. and should
an untayorable draft ensue they would be
IN danger of destruction. The PRINCIPAL
efforts ofthe miners are directed towards
placing Instructions to the sweep Of the
fire where the Big Lick and Williams.
town collieries are located. Three and
five miles above this town about thirty
miners are constantly stationed in the Ly
kens Valley slope TO properly handle the
hose through which water is being con-
Quoted. The smoke is so dense in the
locality that they are occasionally prostra
ted by its effects, and are drawn in cars
to the surface, to be relieved by others.
The course of two small streams have
been diverted from their original channels
and water conducted into the burning
mines. Several lines of wooden troughs
carry the water to points where it is sup
posed to be most needed.
AZ the mouth of each mine is large
slope house, into which cars loaded with
coal are ordinarily hoisted. These
structures have been disconnected with
the slopes to save them from destruction.
A similar precaution would have preven-
ted, the burning of a large engine-house
and the inflication of great damage to the
machinery, which cost about $30,000.--
Between eighty and ninety. mules in the
burning mines, are supposed to have been
suffocated, all way of egresS have been
cnt OF by the fire. That no human lives
having been lost is in agreat measure at
tributed to the fact that the fire occurred
on holiday,when the mines were almost
entirely deserted. There is difference
Of opinion as to how the fire originated.
One theory is that spark from a minors
lamp stal ted il, while another is that the
heat from one of the epumping-engines in
the mine was responsible. The fire spread
with remarkable rapidity, ascending to
the top of the Short Mountain slope. nearly
800 yards from the supposed point of
origin, i'll six or seven hours. In addi-
tion to the large quantity of coal and tim
Der consumed much damages must neces-
sarily have been done to the machinery
i'll the mines, both by fire and water
Should the fire be brought under control,
which is by no means certain, il would
be impossible to repair the damage and
resume mining operations during the
winter. About 900 men are employed
in the mines. There are four anthracite
mines in Dauphin county which employ
between $500 and 5000 men. The Will
Jamestown colliery, five miles above this
place is the largest in the world. and
produced about 240,0 900 tons last year and
the year before 301 900. The total ship
ments from the four mines last year were
100000 tons, decrease of $4,000 as
compared with the previous year. when
the mines were kept in steady operation.
The bushes of the coal regions amounts
to ST 100000 to $2,000,000 annually. In
this town from So, 900 to 10000 are paid
to miners monthly.