The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1879-11-20
A,lLI INIELLlCENCER,
thursday. Novem'r 20, 1879
NEWCASTLE.

Newcastle. This train is in charge Of
conductor Orion Byrd, who has been
op the road ever since it was frst COM
mepced. and who is noted for his cour-
.esy and efficiency; while engineer
Bird, who has been employed on the
road almost as long. manipuistes the
throttle Of the good engine Aka. Over
the frost rails the train sped,
only halting occasionally to let some
way passenger jump on or off, until we
reached Rcnton. formerly lively uiu-
ing town, but at present dull country
village The people there feel confident
that the Renton mine will soon again
be opened, when the place will be more
brisk than before. Here we came to q
halt to let the Debny's train Of twenty
five or thirty loaded cars pass on their
Why to town. Mr. L. II. S;mithers' =
BEAUTIFUL residence stands about half a
mile from the town Of Ren.on. and
shows off TO good advantage from the
road.
The cry of All aboard" is heard,
aud soon We are moving along toward
the coal minc up the hill," with a
locomotive at each end of the train; the
Bodie. which is kept at Rentou for that
purpose. having taken hold to help us
mp We have before given descrip-
ton Of the six miles AZ road from Rem
ton to Newca,tle; but. for the informa-
ton of these who did not read il. and
who have not been to the mines. we
will briefly notice some Of its salient
features. After the first two miles the
country becomes very rugged. being
composed Of hills and gulches. In
building the road it was necessary to
cut through the hills and bridge or
construct trestles over the Culches. One
minute the train is passing through q
cut with perpendicular sides one hun
dred feet high. and the next whizzing
over trestle 100 feet above the ground.
There are twelve or fifteen of these cuts
and like number Of trestles. varying
in hight and depth according to tho
lay Of tho country over which the road
passes. The framework Of these tres.
ties is substantial and we'll brsced. SO
that there is no more danger in riding
over them than there ~ GA any other
portion Of the track.
On arriving ut the mine one is re-
minded, by the appearance Of the place.
of the gold mining camps of California
in early days; the houses being mostly
small and scattered around in al ire
gular manner although in Newcastle
there is a number OF comfortable resi-
dences surrounded by neat yards, a good
church schoolhouse. Odd Fellows hall,
hotel, store, stable. sewmill, &c. Mossrs.
Coppin and Payne. of Seattle. built the
Company's store which is now occupied.
1t stands in the extreme northern end
Of the town. and is 80 by 40 feet. The
building is sealed overhead. and nicely
painted and grained. Mr. NJ Il At
kinson is in charge Of the store. Chas
w Young is bookkeeper, and Messrs.
Haley. Custer and Bode clerks. These
gentlemen all have families excepting
Bode. who is related to the President of
the Company, and has only been in the
store u few weeks. Everything about
the premises is conducted in manner
not surpassed by any business house in
seattle Near the store Mr.. Williams,
the mining superintendent, is having
Mr. Coppin build him q neat family
residence. which. when completed. will
be the largest and best dwelling house
in the town 1t will contain ten rooms
and twelve windows. and be hard fin
shed throughout Three Of the rooms
will contain fire CRATES. Mr. Atkinson
is having his residence finished by Mr.
Payne Considerable other work in the
Way of building and preparing for win
ter is going on.
There are now atont 200 men at the
mines, 1870 Of whom work in and about
the coal tunnels, cutting and transport
ing the coal from tho mines to the
bunkers. To draw these cars back and
forth about thirty well-trained horses
and mules are required. but next month
the Company will put on little tunnel
engine which was purchased year ago. |
and thus dispense with at least twelve
Of these ANIMALS. Work is going on in
two of the tunnels. but large majority |
OF the miners arc employed in only one.
which now penetrates the mountain
about two miles and is being extended |
every day. Every forty or fifty feet
along this tunnel may be seen passage
ways four or five feet wide. leading to
rooms thirty feet wide aud extending to
the surface of the mountain, where the
coal Is cut. After the rooms are all
worked ont q gang Of men 60 in. and
with powder blast out the partitions.
which are left by the miners. thus rem
dering the interior of the mountain one
vast cavern. The work in the mines is
continued night and day, without ces-
'ation. The miners arc divided into
gangs or shifts. and have their regular
ulne for work One gang commences
~ o'clock in the morning, and work
uii o'clock in the afternoon; the Sec
oad take their places and work til! IL
ec'oek at night, when they are relieved
" miners who work until o'clock in
.ue morning About five hundred tons
s'e being cut each day. and about six
hundred and fifty tons being brought
@'own' the miners having got big
s'aft on the road, will be able to keep
running at this rate for several weeks
N: Ar. P J Quealy is INSIDE boss"
.au mas Immediate supervision Of the
s S'fx In the mine. After coming out
III tue mines in small horse cars, the
dtvs