The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1880-11-05
Fires That Cannot be Quenched.
COAL MINES THAT HAVE BURNED FOR
YEARS MAKING a DESERT OF LARGE
AREAS.
A despatch from Pottsville TO the N. y.

A despatch from Potsville TO the N. y.
Sun, says:
The failure Of all the attempts to extin.
gui,h the fire which has been raging in the
Kelley Run coliery for several weeks, it is
feared, will add another to the perpe'ually
burning mines that now exist in the Penn
sylvaria anthracite regions. The grea'e't of
these is probably that in the jugular vein,
near Coal Castle, this county. This has
been burning since 1888 Lewis f. Dough-
er opened this vein in 1888. The upper
drift Of the mine was above water level, and
huge fire was kept in CRATE at the mouth
OF the mine in winter TO keep the water
from freeing in the cutters. One night in
the above year the timbers of the DRIFT
cargnt fire from the CRATE. When it was dis.
ed the fire had been carried Gown the
air hole to the lower drifts. and was beyond
,untiu. Two miners entered the mine, hO-
ping to recover their tool+. They never
came out. The mine was abandoned. No
Effort WAS made to mine any of the coal near
the burning vein, although it was considered
the best coal in the region until 1856. Then
} In McGinuis put in a slope on the east
side VI it, below water level He struck the
vein AT a place where the Goa! was so thick
that two miners could keep a large breaker
suII led When 400 yards of gangway had
been excavated the heat from the burning
DousLer'y mine b. = gtn to bother the miners
I air biol.
Tie heat became so great that the men were
paid double wages To induce them to work.
They worked entirely naked and were rt-
LEY ed Every ten minutes. Finally the heat
became 50 intense that work was abandoned.
The mine was flooded Afer being puml
ed out, men could again work for few
d ys. The mine was flooded nine times.
McGinns finally failed, and the mine wss
in the vein ever since. An area OF half n
mile in every direction has been burned.
No vegetation grows on the surface. /.
places the ground has caved in, forming
chasms hundred feet deep. There is but
a thin shell of earth over the pit of fire. At
night blue, sulphurous Flames issue from the
crevices in the ground 1t is dangerous to
walk across the spot. Several persons have
mysteriously disappeared in the vicinity du
ring the past twenty years. 1t is believed
that in a majority OF the cases they have
fallen into the burning mine. Dougherty,
the original proprietor of the mine at
tempted to go across once. He sank to his
armpits through the crust, and was only
saved by courageous friends who ventured
to his assistance. The stones on the ground
are hot, and snow never rests there Rain
turns to vapor az fast as it falls on the roof
of the burning mine. Millions OF dollars
woIth of the best quality of coal have been
consumed by the fire.
The sammt Hill mine. Near Mauch Chunk
has been burning twenty five years. 1t is
believed that this mine was set on fire by
disc0ntented miners. Thousands of dollars
have been expended in fruitless ,hOrts to
extinguish the flames.
The Butler mine, near Pi'tstou, has been
burning three wears 1t WAS set on fire by a
party of tramps. who built fire in the mine
in 1877 The fire is in the upper drifts 1t is
conf ,"d to an area of forty acres by an i'm
mense ditch forty feet wide which was ex.
cavated between the burning driit aud con-
Meeting ones. The digging OF the canal
cost $4,000 But for that obstacle the fire
would have cOmmuni ated to slme of the
most extensive mines in the Lackawanna
VALLEY, and n suhterraneOus c0uhIratiOn
would have swept under the whole of West
Pit'ston Miners have worked in the lower
drift of the Butler mine since the fire broke
out, bu, there are but forty feet of rock be-
tween them and the field of FIRE above. The
water that trick les through the roof is scald-
ing not, The temperature Is so high that
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