The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-09-10
BURNING FOR FURTY.FIVE YEARS.
4 Pennsylvania Coal Mine that Caught
Fire In 1885 and Ia StiIl Rurnine--An
Attempts to Put Ont the Fire Aban.
doned.

4 Pennsylvania Coal Mine that Cnurhi
Fire In Is35 and Ia stiIi Burnine--AIl
Attempts to Put Ont the Fire Aban-
doned.
One of the most interesting and exten.
sive fires ever known in this country has
been raging in a colliery in Schuykill
county for nearly forty-fve years. Thou
sands of dollars have beer spent in vain
endeavors to extinguish the fire, but at
ast the idea was abandoned, and since
the beginning Of the war nothing has
been done to subdue the confiagration,
which RACES without'interruption.. The
history Of this mine is very interesting,
and, strange to say, though hundreds o.
travellers visit the coal-ields of this and
adjoining counties every year. hardly any
of them hear of this great curiosity. The
vein that is burning is called the "Jugu.
lar" and the surface crop was first
worked in 1888 by Lewis E. Dougherty
ut place called Coal Castle, one and q
half miles west of what is known as
Mount Laffee. The coal taken out was
of excellent quality and the mine very
productive. When q drift is worked
above water level it is the custom tc
keep huge CRATE filled with burning
coal Just outside the mouth to prevenl
the water in the cutters from freezing
Such q crate was in operation in the UP.
per drift of Mr.. Dougherty's mine in The
winter of 1885. One Saturday night the
CRATE was filled with an unusually large
quantity of coal, and the miners went to
their homes. On the following Monday
morning when the mine was visited il
was found to be filled with flames. Il
is supposed that the fire in the CRATE be.
came communicated to the timbers, and
moving along the upper drift was, by
means of an air-hole, carried into the
lower drift. At any rate, the coal In
both drifts was on fire when the men
came to work on Monday morning, and
two of the miners recklesslJ went in to
save their tools and never returned.
Efforts were made to extinguish the
fire, but, after working for severalw weeks,
NJ Dougherty gave up all hopes. and,
abandoning the place, opened another
colliery about half mile west of it.
During the winter of 1867. Mr.. John
McGinnis. of Pottsville, heard Of the
large body Of coal that lay near the
abandoned mine and concluded that
some of it could be got out without
reaching the fire. He put in slope on
the east side of the vein and below the
water level. The work, however, pro-
gressed slowly, and owing to heavy
masses of rock encountered was very ex-
pensive. He was finally rewarded by
striking the "Jugular" vein at point
where there was deposit of coal so
thick that two or three miners could
keep the breaker going, and although it
was worked for months, they never sue.
ceeded in getting through it. The coal
proved to be first-class, and four hun
dred yards of gangway had been driven
when the miners began to complain OF
excessive heat, and then Mr.. McGinnis
knew that they were approaching the
fire in the mine Dougherty had aban-
,Ioned. This was about a year after the
slope had been started. and Mr.. McGin-
mis- saw that it would be necessary to
open an air-hole. This work began
ut once, but after driving twenty
or thirty yards the heat became
so intense that the workmen were al
most suffocated, and many of them re-
fused to continue. By paying double
wages number Of men were found will.
ing to work in the air-hole; some idea
of the Intense heat may be had when it
is stated that the men worked perfectly
naked, and were relieved every ten min
utes. After the air-hole lad been opened
about fifty yards the heat cameunbear-
able, and the men tainted when exposed
to it q minute or two. Seeing that 1t
was impossible to complete the air-hole'
work in it was given up. and at fortu-
nate time. for it was atterward dlscoV-
cred that if the hole had been carriedup
a few wards further it would have struck
thewater on the upper level and drowned
every one in the mine. About this time
the miners noticed that when a shot
was fired, and the coal came rolling
down in huge masses, it was so warm
that it c, uld not be comfortably handled.
Every dav the miners expected to see
fire break out. and ut last, when coming
to work one morning, they found the
gangway filled with smoke and flame.
As this was expected to happen sooner or
later, preparations had been made to ex-
tincuish the fire, and the mine was soon
filled with water. This treatment had
the desired effect, and when the water
was pumped out work was resumed.
From this time forward it was almost
q continual fight with fire, and no less
than eight times was the colliery filled
with water and pumped dry again. The
ninth time the mine was filled with water
the machinery got out of order and the
pump refused to work. AS Mr.. McGin-
mis- had sunk all his capital and could
not raise enough money to purchase new
machinery, the mine was abandoned IN
the winter of 1859. The fire continued
to burn until the barriers between the
mine were consumed, and the timbers in
Mr.. McGinnis' mine gradually rotted
away, and finally the slope caved in.
From that time until now the fire has
continued without interruption: and the
coal has been consumed for half mile
in every direction. The ground has
caved in in many places, leaving great
chasms that vary from fifty to one hum
dred feet in depth. Travel over the
burned district is exceedingly dangerous
TO any one not familiar with the coun-
try. for in many places great holes are
only covered tv a shell of burned earth
three or four feet thick. Mr.. McGinnis
states that even rs familiar rs ne IS with
tie locality, he came very near losing
his life there = few years ago by 1alllns
through the crust. He was crossing
norton of the burnt field when he felt
the earth giving way under his feet. and
ON starting to run for tirmer ground ne
sank ND to his armpits in dry ashes and
burned earth. Fortunately he managed,
With the assistance of Il friend. to eXtri--
c,te himself and reach solid ground
without injury. Inhabitants OF the re-
rion never attempt to cross sover the
burning vein ut night. =,
The only external evidence Of the
ercat contlagration that is going on un-
derncath the ground ut that point IS the
total absence of vegetable life. stones
on the surface If the ground are so not
that thcy canro. be held, and snow. is
melted rs f;,st rs it falls. During rainy
weather the surrounding country is en-
veioped in dense clouds of fog that rise
from the overheated earth. The fire has
now burned across the top roc and into
:, dirt vein. or vein of soft coal, where 1t
m,y last for many years. During the
n,riv mart of Mr.. McGinnis' connection
with the mine, it was noticed that the
water oozing into it from the levels
,bnve Ind tie effect of destroying the
minars' shoes rs soon as they came in
contact with it. The water was not I'm
nleasantly warm, and the men found
th,t if a wound was washed with it
speedy. sI cure followed. The curative
orm,litics of this water soon became
known, and hundreds of people t1ocked
TO Coal Castle during the summer OF
1858 to test its merits. Remarkable
cures of rheumatism, scrofula and other