The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-11-20

COAL MINES THAT HAVE BURNED FOR
YEARS MAKING DEsERT or
LARGE AREAS.

Pottsville, Pa, Oct. 24-The faiIul
of all the attempts to extinguish u
fire which has been raging in I'll
Keeley Bnn colliery for several week
it is feared, will add another to th
perpetual burning mines that now e,
list in the Pennsylvania anthartic reg
ons. The greatest Of these is probat
ably that in the jugnlsr vein, nea
Coal Castle, this county. This la
been burning since 1885. Lewis I
i Doughcrty opened this vein in 1888
The upper draft Of the mine was abov
water level, and huge fire was KEEP
in q CRATE at the mouth of the mine il
winter to keep the watsr from freezing
in the cutters. One night in tn.
above year the timbers of the drift
caught fire from the CRATE, When il
was discovered, the FIRE had been car.
ried down the-air hole TO the lower
drifts, and was beyond control. Two
miners entered the mine, hoping to re-
cover their tools. They never came
out. The mine was abandoned. No
effort was made to mine any of the
coal near the burning vein, although ii
was considered the best coal in the
region, until 1856. Then John Nc
Ginnis put in slope on the east side
of it, below water level. He struck
the vein ut place where the coal was
40 thick that two miners could keep
. large breaker supplied. When 400
yards of gangwsy had been eScasatcd
the heat from the burning Donghcrty
mine began to bother the miners. Nc
Ginnis attempted TO open an air hole.
The heat became SO great that the
men were paid double wages TO induce
hem 10 work. They worked entirely
naked, and were relieved every ten
Finally the heat became SO
intense that work was abandoned. The
nine WAS flooded. After being pump
ID out, men could again work for q
ew days. The mine was flooded nine
lines. McGinnis finally failed, and |
he mine was then abandoned. The
ire has been raging in the vein ever
ince. An area of half mile in every
Erection has been burned. No veg
tation grows on the surface. In
laccs the ground has caved in, form
ne chasms hundred feet deep. There
J but thin shell of earth over the
its of fire. At night blue sulphurous
ames issue from the crevices in the
round. 1t is dangerous to walk
cross the spot. Several persons have
lysteriously disappeared in the vicini-
: during the past twenty years. tits
elieyed that in a majority of the
asses they have fallen into burning
line. Dongherty, the original pro
rietor of the mine, attempted to cross
nee. He sank to his armpits through
ne crust, and was only saved BY eour-
geous friends who yentured to his
ssistance. The stones on the ground
re hot and snow never rests there.
ain turns.to vapor as soon as it falls
D the roof Of the burning mine. Mil 4
ons Of dollars worth of the best
aality of coal have been consumed I
Y the fire.
The Summit Hill mine, near Mauch +
hunk, has been burning for twenty J
We years. 1t is believed that this 4
inc was set on fire by discontinued Z
liners. Thousands of dollars have
zen expended in fruitless efforts to q
itinguisll the flames. IL
The Butler mine, near Pittston has /
cen burning three years. 1t was set
fire BY a party of tramps, who built y
fire in the mine in 1877. The fire is Fl
the upper drifts. 1t is confined to 2
area of forty acres by an immense !,
tch forty feet wide, which was sexca- !
ted between the burning drift and
injecting ones. The digging of the !
nal cost $4,000. But for that OBJ /
acle the fire would have conmunica- 4
q to some OF the mostextensive mines q
the i.ackawanna Valley, and sub #
rraneous confagration would have #
'ept under the whole Of Nest Pitts d
n. Miners have worked il the lower II
lit Of the Butler mine since the fire q
oke ont, but there arc but forty feet =
rock betweenthem and the fire above.
le water that trickles through the o
Of is sealding hot The temperature q
50 high that the men can wear but i
lie clothing. N
----.. III
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