Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-11-11
Fires that Cannot be Quenched,
COAL MINES THAT HAVE BURNED
FOR YEARS, MAKING A DESERT
OF LARGE AREAS.


PoTrsvILLE, Pa, Nov. 2.-The failure
OF all tho attempts to cxtuguish the fire
i which hos been raging in the Kelley Run
collcry for several weeks, it ie feared, will
add another to the perpetualy burning
mines that now exist iu the Pennsylvania
anthracite regions. The greatest Of these
is probably that 10 the jugular vein, near
Coal Castle, this county. This has been
burning since 1885. Lewis H. Dougherty
opened this vein iu 1888. The upper drift
/ OF tho mine was above water level, ond
huge fire WAS kept 10 crate at the mouth
Of the mine in winter to keep the water
from freezing in the cutters One pight in
the above year the timbers of the drift
caught fire from the CRATE When it was
discovered the fire had been carried down
the air hole to the lower drifts, and was be.
yond control. Two miners entered tho
mne, hoping 10 recover their tools. They
never came out. The minc was abandoned.
No effort was mado to mine any of tho coal
near the burning vein, although it was con
sidered the best coal in the region, until
1856. Then John McGinuis put 10
slope on the cast side of it, below water
level. lie struck the vein at place where
the coal was 50 thick that two miners could
keep large breaker supplied When 400
yards of gaugway had been cxcavatcd tho
heat from the burning Doughcrty mine be-
gan to bother tho miners. McGinnis at
tempted to open on air hole. The heat
became 60 great that the men were paid
double wages to induce them to work
They worked entirely naked, and were re-
lievcd every ten minutes. Finally the heat
became SO intense that work was abandoned.
The niue was flooded. After being pump.
cd out, men could again work for few
days. The mine was flooded nine times.
McGinuis finally failed, and the mine was
then abandoned. The fire has been raging
in the vein ever since. An area Of half
nile IN every direction hNs been burned
No vegetation grows on the surface. In
places the ground has cavcd in, forming
chasns hundred feet deep There is but
thin shell of Garth over tho pit of fire.
at night blue, sulphurous flames issue from
the crevices in the ground. 1t is danger.
Gus to walk across the spot. Several per.
sons have mysteriously disappeared in the
vicinity during the past twenty years 1t
is believed that in majority of the cases
they have fallcu into the burning mine.
Doughcriy, the original proprietor of tho
mine, attempted to 80 across once. He
sank to his armpis through the crust, aud
was only saved by courageous friends who
venturcd TO his assistance. The stones on
the ground arc hot, and snow uevcr rests
there Rain turns 10 vapor as fast as it falls
on the roof of the burning mine. Millions
of dollars worth of tie best quality of coal
have been consumed by the file
The Summit Hill mine, near Mauch
Chunk, has been burning for twenty five
years. 1t is believed that this mine was
set on fire fy discontcnted miners Thou
sands Of dollars have been expended in
truitlcss efforts to cxtiugush the flames
The Butler mine, near Pittston, has been
burning 'brec years. It was set on fire by
party Of tramps who built fire in tho
mine in 1877. The fire is in the uppor
drifts. 1t is confined to 90 area of forty
acres by an immense ditch forty feet wide,
which was excavatcd between tho burning
drift and connecting ones The digging Of
the canal cost $4,000 But for that OBJ
stacc the fire would have communicated to
some Of the most extensive mines in the
Lackawana valley, and subtcrraneous CON
fagration would have swept under tho
whole of West fittston. Miners have
worried in tho lower drift of the Butler
mino 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 tho roof is scading hot. Tho
temperature is SO high that tho men can
wear but little olothug.
Mary PSatt rejected John X. Arnold's
offers of marriage for long time, at Kim
berly, Pa, but he was persistent, and at
length she consented There was a great
wedding, and the couple went off on tour.
After week tho bride returned to her
home, declaring that she had no recollection
Of anything between her last refusal of
Arnold and hor awakening to find, to her
great surprise and displcasurc, that she was
his vito She insists that she was out of
her mind during the interval, and declines
even to see her husband.
Travelling b9 stage coach in Nevada is