Daily Republican., 1881-07-26
,,om NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Votes From y Wandering Cores
~epdsnl I'm the Coal = Regions.

snacial Correspondence Of the REPUBLICAN
TAMAoUA, Pa, July That wa
sbe most pleasant car riding 1 ever e1
perienced." =,
The above expression was caused by
taxing ride over the Switchback rail
road the other day. Starting from Sum
NIT Hill, which is four miles from here
.n,, ,re carried by an inclined plane
1;na miles to Mauch Chunk, and it is
not slow riding either. One is carried
noarlv s I, AZ fast as the ordinary trains on
other road with engine attached. After
4 viewing the different sights in and
around Mauch Chunk, which is not in
anlly called the Switzerland of America,
one can take the Lehigh Valley Road,
and in a few minutes ride to Glen OnocO
which for romantic scenery is nearly a.
grand and enchanting as famous Wat
kins Glen.
Returning to Mauch Chunk we were
pulled up an incline to the top of Mt.
pisgall, over 600 feet high, and were soon
run down to Mt. Jefferson, then up
another steep plane, then we are soon
on Summit Hill our starting point.
Here at Summit Hill is where some of
the first mining for coal was done in
the State. One can see great holes dug
in the top of the mountain, tor the first
mining was done by digging from the
surface, taking up rock, DIRT and coal
together. There are three different
ways of entering mines now. One is by
q prrpendicnllr shaft, another Is bv an
inclined plane called a "slope,' the
other is by going straight in the bottom
Of the mountain, this is called drift. y
From the bottom of the slope there are
what are called gangways, these are all
propped with heavy ttlnbers along the
sangways. Tracks are lald for small
ears from these gangways. The miners
work following q vein away up the
mountain side. This is called the |
breast. Here all alone probably four
Ar five hundred feet beneath the earth's
sn,face and as many from the main
works, the sturdy miner is in danger
every moment of his life either 10y snf-
focating gas or falling rock, aud gets for
his labor the pittance of about - per
day.
It will not be long before the question
will be ag:tated what will we do with
our coal dirt? 1t is piled mountain
high and covers thousands of acres of
land, and operators find it difficult to
find a place to dump the s!ateand waste
from the breakers. 1t is estimated that
At least one-third Of this waste IS good
coal, as the breakers do not, t,and As they
are constructed never will clean ont all
the good coal.
Would you believe Messrs. Eitors
that there is ice in these mountains yet?
well it is so.
About quarter of a mile from the
village on Summit Hill there is n cave
which the sun never reaches. 1T Is
rather difficult to get at, but once there
you can see plenty Of ice. |,
The farmers, what few there are in
lhis vicinity, have all GOV i'll their gram,
but corn and potatoes and grass are al
suffering for the want of rain. The
roads are very dusty and in fact every
thing is covered with dust, but the
nights are very cool and pleasant. There
ARE great many rattle snakes on the
mountain side and they are dangerous
customers. Are you not going to have ,
IN excursion from Wilmington TO
Nauch Chunk thisyear? "A.