Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-12-12
OUENCHLESS FIRES.
Coal Mines hat Race Burned for Mans
Years.

Goat Mines hat HGce Burned for Many
Years.
Worcester Gazette.
The failure Of ell the attempts to extin-
guish the fire which has been raging in the
Kelley Bun colliery, near Pottsville, Pa,
for several weeks, it is feared, will add an
other to the perpetually burning mines that
now exist in the Pennsylvania anthracite re-
gions.
The greatest of these is probably that in
the Jugular vein, near Coal Castle. This has
been burning since 1885. Lewis F. Dougher-
ty opened this in 1883. The upper drift of
the mine was above water level, and a huge
fire wac kept in CRATE at the mouth of the
freezing in the cutters. One night in the
above year the timbers in the drift caught
fire from the CRATE. When it was dis
covered the fire had been carried down the
air hole to the lower drifts and was beyond
control. Two miners entered the mine hop
ing to recover 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 it was considered the
best coal in the region until 1858. Then
John McGinnis put in slope on the east
side of il, below water level. He struck the
vein at place where the coal was SO thick
that two miners could keep large breaker
supplied. When 400 yards of gangway had
been exeavated the heat from the burning
Dougherty mine began to bother the miners.
McGinnis attempted to open an air-hole. The
heat became SO great that the men were paid
double wages to induce them to work. They
worked entirely naked, and were relieved
every ten minutes. Finally the heat became
so intense that work was abandoned. The
mine was flooded. After being pumped out
men could again work for few days. The
mine was flooded nine times. McGinnis
finally failed, and the mine was then aban-
oned. The fire has been raging in the vein
ever since. An area of half mile in every
direction has been burned. No vegetation
grows on the surface. In places the ground
has csvsd in, forming chasms 100 feet deep.
There is but thin shell of earth over the
pit of fire. At night blue, sulphurous flames
issue from the creviees in the ground. It is
dangerous to walk across the spot. Several
persons have mysteriously disappeared in
the vicinity during the past twenty years.
1t is believed that in a majority of the
cases they have fallen into the burning
mine. Doughterty, the original proprietor
of the mine, attempted to 60 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. Balm turns to vapor as fast as it falls
on the roof of the burning mine. Millions
of dollars worth of the best quality of coal
have been consumed by the fire.
The Summit Hill mine, near Mauch
Chunk, has been blrning for twenty-five
years. Ii is believed that this mine was set
on fire by disconnected miners. Thousands
of dollars have been expended in fruitless
efforts to extinguish the flames.
The Butler mine, near Pittson, has been
burning three years. It 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 confined to an area
of forty acres by an immense ditch, forty
feet wide, which was excavated between the
burning drift and connecting ones. The
digging of the canal cost $4,000. But for
that obstacle the fire would have communi-
| Gated to some of the most extensive mines in
the Lackawanna Valley and subterraneous
confagration would have swept under the
| whole of West 'Pittson. Miners have
| worked in the lower drift of the Butler mine
since the fire broke out, but there are but
! forty feet of rock between them and the field
of fire above. The water that trickles
| through the roof is scalding hot. The tenn
perature is SO high that the men can wear
Int little clothinc