Frostburg mining journal., 1880-07-31


dent of the Savage Friedrich com
pany, and superintendent of the
Flog Hill coal mine. With spank
ing, rapid team, and an easy-goine
vehicle, Mr.. H's schedule made him
due at Keystone at IL a. n., nearly
the exact hour of arrival.
An excellent dinner, spread by
Mrs. w. r. Hobltzell, was duly en-
ioyed, and we started thence to IN
spect the works close by. These com
prise probably the most complete
brick-burning apparatus to be found
anywhere, which, with a clay of un-
surpassed purity and skilled work
manship, enables the establishment
to turn out brick which has already
obtained national celebrity. Up to
that date (26th) nearly a half million
brick was the production for July.
The establishment runs night and day
almost without intermission, saving
Sundays, and gives profitable en-
ployment to a large number of hands.
The crushing, moulding, dressing and
burning departments, all go together
like clock-work, requiring the sturdi-
est discipline and activity of the Ia
borers to keep "on time" As with
harvesters, those who go before must
keep out of the way of those who
press persistently from behind. All
shapes and sizes Of bricks for all pur-
poses are made here, the patterns in
the former case numbering $500, and
in the latter sometimes weighing
1000 lbs. In its soft state the hand
ling of one Of the latter without in
dentation, or breaking off the brittle
edges and corners, is a job requiring
as much skill as care, but mishap
rarely occurs.
Without knowing precisely the
next move we obeyed signal from
Mr.. Hoblitzell to get on the Pitts
burg Express which came laundering
down to the station platform. A half
hour later we got off at Williams
Station, the location Of the Savage
company'a clay mines. Here we
found Mr.. James II. Noel, formerly Of
Frostburg, in charge. A heavy show
er came up and progress was delayed
somewhat, but after awhile we began
the ascent Of a plane 800 feet long at
grade Of 2,640 feet to the mile
just little short of perpendicular.
1t was an Alpine ascent, the snow lett
out. We entered the mine, the open
ing for nearly a hundred feet being a
huge perforation of sclid rock, ae-
compliehed with great labor and
heavy expense. In all the mines of
this extensive seclicn this one stands
q unique. With covering of seven
ty-fve feet of solid rock there is not
a prop to be seen through its entire
extent, though the headings now reach
600 feet in length. The thickness Of
this vein is variabla, as also It's foun-
dation. The average in the one case
is fourteen feet, the marimuDS fifteen,
the nalmimum about an inch; in the
other the explorer finds himself in
short distances ascending, descending,
walking on level, and SO on, When
the miner: reached the point whero
the vein diminished almost to naught
they feared that the limit had been
reached, but Mr.. Hoblitzell's energy,
always equal to lis faith, prompted
them to go on through the solid bar
rier Of rock, and soon again the clay
broke 10 view in all its richness.
The clay is a series Of irregular brittle
layers, smooth, CLASSY, apparently
semi.stone, and yaritinted. Out Of
a thousand pieces no two can be found
alike. In places it comes out easily;
in others blasting is required. One
popularity is the presence at inter
walls Of pockets" Of iron, huge boul-
ders Of it weighing sometimes half a
ton, imbedded near the bottom Of the
vein. This feature gives rise TO the
suggestion tha. this enormous deposit,
properly a mineral, as other minerals
no douGt, was at one stage a molten
mass which shared itself to the con-
formation of the disiintegrated straia
of rock between which it lies. The
presence of the iron globes indicates
this probability. 1t is understood
that wherever fire clay appears it is
an incident Of coal iormation--uot an
indispensable one, else Mr., Hoblitzell,
after an expenditure Of large sum
Of money and finding his original