Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-08-20


- correspondent of the Boston Advertiser
nus describes the burning mine at Pittston.
Ia; SioSe 10y and In plain sight from the & an
t ual fa,lroad OF New Jersey; mile or so from
vie Lehigh alley and the Delaware Lacka
wanna and Western railroads. and iust out
si0e OF The borough of PittSton ian anthracite
oal Town In LuZerne CO.. Pa, large amount
Of enal I'm the old Butler mines has been on
fire f.. a year or more. The rule in coal lands
is 2Cfa so,.S OF coal TO one acre of one foot
thickness OF coal, about twenty-five acres of
land Sontainilg the fourteen foot vein (7c) Gno
tons.) out OF which two-thirdS of the coal have
been taken, is already burnt. and as much
more will be consumed before this fire
reaches the ''cut-off.'' Charles F. Conrad a
1900, began last February the work of
cutting off the fire. aud has by this time,
partly by tunnel and open cut-in ali over 200
feet long, 20 feet wide and co feet at the deem
est point-rescued the remainder of this coal
property from destruction unless the projected
work proves failure and the fire crosses the
cut" In which event it can be stopped at no
other point for ten times the cost OF the pres
emit plan. Distinguishing such fires by inject
ing steam into a shaft or tunnel Is not feasible
here, as the surface is broken by openings
through which the air circulateS freely; and
the other mode, of fOOding being impossible
from the elevated site of the land. AS one
walks up and down this cut he has before him
fine exhibition oil the coal and rock as IL lies
in its natural deposit, with an unusual display
OF impressions of ferns and thousand other
antedeluvlan plants.
IRE OIlSludtcu III the wooden props ana
coal pillars or supports of an abandoned part
OF the mlneS-the temporary retreat of an Old
"olnan-and has spread In horse shoe shape
within 500 feet of the cut off, and has burnt
TO ire ashes earth, rock, slate and coal where
-vtr air could feed the fire. Excep; this "cut
oil, nothing could hinder the fire from con
sImlng the entire coal bed for distance of Il
mllt S southwark down the SuSQuehanna river
afd indeed under il. where coal is now being
actually mined hundreds of feet beneath the
very ped e. of the river. This ltfoot vein is di-
sI n IN n naiveS by SIX inches OF slate, and in
nre OF ~ years ago in the same property this
strip OF STATE, where no air could circulate is
round burned to ashes for quite a distance,
while the coal above and below the slate can
be seen unscorched and as bright and clear
as he purest of anthracite. Ii NAV be that
anthracite coal has less gas than slate but
whatever is the explanation it is hoped that
THIS mysterious cremation may go on till the
entire slate Is eliminated from these coal beds
Standing on the top of this cut one looks out
on spectacle to be seen nowhere on the
lace OF the globe. Much larger than half of
Boston Common this burnt district stretches
away, dotted over with caves and pits caused
IN part by stripping the coal supports and
from every direction at night jets of blue
flame like burning alcohol, and i'm the daytime
the atmosphere is in such fierce and inceSSant
motion as TO be painful to the eye. L stood
looking into one OF the openings while the wind
was blowing from me, and saw solid rock red
hot, or burnt TO fine ashes. For a moment the
vino changed, and was forthwith enveloped
ing sounds, hObgoblinS and apparitions ''in
a way L despise" Last winter the line of
fire was marked with utmost dStinctness by
surrounding SHOWS coming up to the very
edge. and inclOSing the large area of dry and
fading vegetation. Milton has imaginary de-
Scrlptlons OF this earth, which, he thought he
had sketched more inimitably than would
ever be found after regular formation should
take the place of chaos. No doubt the great
poet succeeded, and yet a stranger cannot
enter one of the underground countries in
these anthracite coal fields with now and then
an alr-hoe" glimmerng, without realizing
Win some nearneSS of resemblance that poets
description OF this earth as Satan first SaWit:-
Dark waste and Wild, under the frown of night
StariesS exposed,
Save on that side which, firm the wall OF heaven.
Some small reflection gains OF glimmering air.
Sure we are if the most Skeptical of the an
clients could be summoned from his long sleep
and taken around this burning abyss he would
after all. The heather mythologies would
grow lnte!lglble he would realize the Grecian
picture OF the world of spirits from which his
lnhdeIlty had left him no eScape-nOt the Ely
sian fields, where the air was wholesome. Sc
rene and temperate, but the veritable Tarta-
rus assigned to wicked spirits. We were won
to read over the story or the CretOn labyrinth
with It's winding passages and intricate con-
StructlOn, but, though fabulous, how vastly be-
low In extent, in purpose and results to these
labyrinthS in the anthracite coal fields over
which the inha bitantS of coal towns walk daily
in all the reality of fact. No tourist whose way
takes him through Wyoming Valley for the
first time should fail to stop at the birthplace
OF the black diamonds, and 90 into one of those
subterranean workshops and take a look at
this burning mine.