The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1880-12-11


The failure Of all the attempts to ex-
tinguish the fire which has been rae;ur
In the Kelley Run collisry for
weeks, 1t is feared, viii add another to
TIE perpetual burning mines that nov
exist IN the Pennsylvania anthraeise re-
gions. The greatest Of these Is probabiy
tnat IN the 9uguiar vein, near Coal Cas-
Tie, tins county. This has been burning
slEce 1888. Louis .. Dougherty opened
this vein IN 1888. The upper drift Of The
mine was above water level, and huge
iire was kept in grxte ct the month Of
the mine In winter to keep the vatsr
from freezing in the cutters. Ons night
IN the above year the timbers of the drift
caught fire from the CRATE. Whenit was
discovered the IRE had been carried down
the air hole to the lower drifts and wss
beyond control. Two miners entered tke
mine, hoping to recover their tools.
They never came ont. The mins vas
abandoned. No effort was made % mine
any OF the coal near the burning rein.
although it was considered the best coal
in the region, until 1856. Then John
McGinnis put IN slope On ths east
side OF it, below water level. He
struck the vein at place where tl1z conl
was so thick that two miners could keep
large breaker supplied. Whsn Mye
hundred yards of gangway had been ex-
cavated, the heat from the burnin9
Dougherty mine began to bother tbs
miners. McGinnis attempted to ops1 a
alr-hole. The heat became 90 great thai
the men were paid double wages 70 IN
duce them to work. They Horked
entirely naked and were relieved eSc0
ten minutes. Finally the heat becems 20
intense that work was abandoned. The
mine was flooded. After being pumped
ont men could again work for few
days. The mine was flooded nine kin5ss.
McGinnis finally failed and the mine Has
then abandoned. The fire has baea rag
ing In the vein ever since. An area Of
half mile in every direction has
been burned. No vegetation Crews
on the surface. In places the ground
has cayed In, forming chasms hundred
feet deep. There is but . thin shell Of
earth over the pit of fire. Atnizht hIus,
sulphurous flames issue from the ground.
1t Is dangerous to walk across the spot
Several persons have mysterious1y dis
appeared in the vicinity during the pzst
twenty years. It il believed thai II ;
majority of the cases they have fallsn
into the burning mine. Doughsrty. the
original proprietor OF the mine, attenpt
ed to go across once. He sank 70 his
armpits through the crust, and was only
saved by courageous friends who ven
tured TO his assistance. The stones O
the ground are hot, and snow naysr rssa
there. Rain turns to yapor IS zsst 81
falls on the burning mine. Millions Q,
dollars worth of the best quality q coe
have been consumed by the fire. th {
Summit Hill mine, near Msunch Chuns
has been burning for twenty-five yszrs.
1t is believed that this mins was
set on FIRE by dissontsnEei
miners. Thousands of dollars have Z
been expended in fruitiess efforts 70 exz
tinguish the flames. The Butler nina.
near Pittston, has been burning Tires
years. 1t was set on fire by party Of
tramps, who built fire in the nine In
1877. The fire is in tks uppsr drifts. Il
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 dieRin9
OF the canal cost $50 600. nnt for that
obstacle the fire would have communi-
Gated to some Of the most extensive
mines IN the Lackawanna vaIlev. and 6
subterraneous conhagration would have
swept under the whole Of West Pittston.
Miners have worked in the lower drift Of
the Butler mine since the fire broke out,
and there are but forty feet OF rock be-
tween them and the field Of the IRE
above. The water that trickles through
the roof is scalding hot The temper
ature is SO high that the men can veal
but little clothing.-[N. 7. Sun.