Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-11-15
has the unusual deptb Of s. feet and the

coal Is OF very superior quallLy lOI Sidlco
and stoves, burning with a brilllancy L
have seldom seen equalled and IS last pc
coming known and popular. | followed
the Superintendent to the end of this
working" some two hundred yards where
[ saw the operation carried on with more
ease than i'll any mines have visited, the
miner standing almost O. ect at his Work.
THE NEW RIVER MINES.
Between Coal Valley and the New River
mines, as you come east, NO other mines
are opened on the Kanawha, the first on
New River being at Hawk IS Nest; then
the Sewell Mines and Nuttallburg, another
fine working of the popular coal well
known in Stanton as the Nuttall, which
has been extensively sold there and at
other points east and west by Mr.. VIM. A.
Burke, of your city. Nuttallburg does not
now display its Characteristic activity.
There is nothing doing. That curse of
mining regions .estS over the place-the
miners are Oh d strike Oh rather they
did strike about month ago Tor higher
wages, and when they found they could
not get them and got hungry, offered
to go to work again. then that plucky old
gentleman, Mr.. John INITIAL, went on a
strike himself, told them h. was not par
tlcular about their working this winter;
it was an unpleasant country to spend the
winter il any way; planked up his mines
and went hoEe tn Pennsylvania, and the
silly striker, after eating The last OF Mr.
Nuttal!'s ratio. ), drawn in advance, suck
ed their finger, and are skirmishiug up and
down the Vale, now, hunting for work
with not The best Of recommendations
shall have to give you chapter OH strik eS
solneLime-the subject is an interesting
one.
FIRE CREEK.
| The only stop made on New River was
ut the works of MI NJ. E. Miller, of youl
city. | wanted to see where the 81 ed
ASH came from and how cokewas made
| Fire Creek is the most picturesque place
ON the river. The cliffs are absolutely
grand, and cut right through them, up tie
steep side OF the noun ain, is tie iron raj
track, that leads l 200 feet and As degrees
| up to the mouth of the mine. The Wi itea
didn't go up,a nd he found intelligent gentle
men, VINO nave been there for months and
had opportunities every day to go up, ana
| they ''hadn'J beeu," THOUGH the Superin-
| tendent and his ASST slant and the miners
| 90 up and down all day, and night, too,
| for that matte. like the angels i'll Jacobs
| ladder, the resemblance here not being to
the angels, but to the ladder, and breaking
down az the mouth OF the mine. at night
| too it really is wild and weird Sght to
! see the last cars come down from away w
| there in the mountain, with the miners
| hang ing all around and over them as close
as they can pack, every one with his burn
ing lamp Oh his head, lighting up the dark
| track like a second class meteor at halt
| speed. The Imagination of your readers
| Can fill up the picture and make allowance
| for the black, satanic looking fellows THAT
tumble off the Car when they reach the
bottom. BuC
HOW THE COKE is MADE
| is the question. Here, then, are two ows
stone, raised II or Is feet above the ground
with tramway running between the
| double rows. A mule draws a Car OF coal
along this railway, from which the coal is
| dumped by the ton into the seething fur
naces in the ovens on each side. When
| the furnaces are full, the openings in the
| wall below are bricked up, there beng left
small orihces for draught. Inside these
thirty fiery furnaces the hottest fire RACES
| for iorty-eight hours, and when Sunday
comes in, for sixty hours. throwing Off
| many tons Of gas and volatile matter, anes
at night illuminating the horizon for
| miles. until the coke is thoroughly burnt
when a long iron tube, perforated with
many holes, is inserted into the red hot
mass and a continue US stream of water
forced through the burning matter for 20
or 80 minutes till cooled, when it is rakt(i
out and is ready for shipment. The yield
of coke to the ton varies according to the
coal. The Fire Greek coal turns out So
tons of coke tor less than SO tons Of coal
which is considered good yield. The
coke of this valley is making rapid in
roads upon the Western article made at
Cumberland and Clearfield. Regretting
my limited time at this interesting place,
| took nasty leave of my polite aud HIS
pit BILE entertainers, and leapmg aboard II
passing eastern Irain rapidly left the Coal
N 0'S vs. w. ' T. G, M.