The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-11-30
ANTHRACITE COAL.
Where the FIRST Crate Fire or An
thracite Was K.ndled.

Where the FIRST Crate Fire or An.
thracite Was Ktndled.
WiLRtsBArI:E, Ocr. 27.-Visitors to Ply.
nouth,.a mining town six miles below
this city on the Susquehanna River, will
il they care to look for it, find there one
ofti1es Grstopenings that was aver made
to the anthracite treasures of Pennsyl-
vania. 1t is in the side Of a hill. whose
Lntse ior nearly 100 feet is almost per.
penulcular. Line opening Is IN the shape
OF the letter A, and is fully twenty feet
high. 1t was made in 1907, and some
idea of the vastsamount of coal stored
away in the hill may be formed when it
ID stated that this mine is still worked
with great profit to its nj There
are pronAbiy very few people of the
present day who have an idea of the diff
ticulties that beset tile early d,ggers of
anthracite coal. The pioneer in the
business was Abijah Smith OF Plymouth,
who settled there in 1906. A year after
Smiths arrival in tine valley he pur-
chased seventy-tive acres OF coal land for
whick he pnid$500. Atthat time $500 was
Rbly amount of money, ard the persons
who sold the land thought they were
getting a good price for it. 1t could not
be bought to-day fer less than 5000 or
5000 an acre. The year following his
purchase MT. Smith Opened the mine
described above, and began taking out
coal.g Insthe fall of 1907 he came to the
city. bought an ark of q merchant, 1oated
1t downto Plymouth. loaded with fifty
tons ct anthracite, which he safely land
ed9at Columbia, in Lancaster county,
late in the season. This was the first
cargo of anthracite coal ever offered for
sale, at least SO the loca! historians as
sert. The production Of 1907 was fifty
tons; that Of 1870, in round numbers,
was sixteen millions tons. Itmav be- es.
timated that the production of 1883 will
reach thirty million tons.
Anthracite had been used to a certain
extent in the valley long before MI.
Smith began operations. AS early rs
] 1775 the blacksmiths here had discov.
cred that the f''black stones" as they
called them, which they picked up on
the surface OF the ground, made good
fuel for the forge. But for years nobody
believed that anthracite could be used
without an air blast, 30 the FORCES and
furnaces had a monopoly of its use. 1t
was the Hon. Jessie Fell OF this city, one
Of the Judges of the Luzerne county
Fcourts, who first practically demonstra-
ted the fact that anthracite could be
used for ordinary purposes. The
revelation came on the 1lth day
of February 1908, and in less than six
months after the departure OF the first
cargo from the Plymouth mines. Judge
Fell was then proprietor Of a tavern on
the Fell house. The greater portion
of the old tavern is still standing. I. is
in the heart of the city, and is occupied
as a saloon and variety theati r. Tue
judge being acquainted with the coinpo-
I tion of anthracite, concluded that ali that
was required to make it burn freely was
a good draft. Accordineiyhe constructed
q crate OF green hickory saolings, and
putting a large fireplace in his bar-room
fl!ed it with broken coal. Putting aauan-
tity OF dry wood under the coal he set
fire to it, and soon!the anthracite ignited
and cracked merrily until the whole
body, was a mass of glowing fire. The
Ewooden CRATE was quickly consumed Of
course, but the success of the expert
ment was con plete. Subsequently
Judge Fell CONSTR cted a wrought iron
crate, and had it fixed in the old fire.
place with brick and mortar. Into this
the "stone coal" was heaped. and for
the first time anthracite was utilized
without the aid of an air blast. The
Judge made this memorandum at the
ttime on onesofthe hy~~leaves, of +a~book
entitled ''The Free Mason's M~onitor:"
Feb. II, OF Masonry 5s.s Made the ex
pertinent of burning the cummon stone coal
Eof the valley in a gratein = ssconlnl on g1re-
place in Riy house, and lind it will answer
the purpose of fuel, making q clearer and
batter nre at less expense than burning
wood IN. the common way. VI
Feb. II, 1908. JEssIE FELL.
The experiment was noised abroad.
and the farmers and others in the vicin-
ity fockeu to the old tavern. AS the
days passed the interest %deepened. and
circle Alter circle gathered about the
q owing CRATE in the low, rafter-crowned
harr0om, WHARF, " bowls of punch
drunk with enthusiasm. Soon the in
nabiiants of the valley introduced the
CRATES generally in their homes.
The important discovery made by
Judge Fell led Mr.. Smith, in the year
succeeding his first shipment, TO intro
dtlce anthracite coat into The market.
In 1903 Abijah Smiths Brother John
came to the valley. He purchased the
coal in q tract Of land adjoining that of
his brother DESIGNATED in the deed as
Potts of Goa" for $500. 1t was a tract
Eofl2O acres In those days the coal
was sold in pots, or basins. Tie Smiths
time they began mining coal in 1907,
they did nothing else, Abijah dying in
1926 aud John in 1852. While neither
Iiived tosee their a%nticipations realized,
the r descendants, who are still the own
ers of the land they purchased, are reap
ing the benefits of their ancestors fore
| sight. The coal business was continued
in this small way until 1920, and as late
as 1910 1t was not regarded as a success.
The Man Who Leaves the Door