The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-29
THE NANTICOKE DISASTER.
Opinion of a Mining Expert as to the Cause of
the Tragedy.
Washington Special.

the Tragedy.
Washington Special
A well-known mining engineer, now in govern
ment employ, who has studied the systems of
mine working in this country and Europe, and
has practical acquaintance with the coal basin
workings of Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, said
to-day, with regard to the causes of the Nanticoke
disaster:
1.-THE coal measures near Nantcoke contain
fifteen beds, aggregating 102 feet in thickness.
This nominal thickness includes, of course, slate
and bony coal differentiated with the different
coal benches. The everything mass is q loose and
friable sandstone, covered by surface ground
of swamps and Quicksands The mines
are worked on the system known as the
pillar and breast In all the breasts, or work
ing places, are long and narrow rooms. They
are driven nearly parallel to each other They
are separated by long, narrow pillars of coal,
broken only by small openings for ventilation
The thickness of pillars varies from six TO ten
yards. In addition to this pillar support it is
necessary frequently to use very heavy timber
props Round timbers almost exclusively
used on gangway work. The average thickness
used is from twelve to fourteen inches, but
heavier stuff is often needed, and would be used
if it could be obtained at moderate prices.
with thorough timbering there be no
question that disasters like this at Nanticoke
could be avoided. Wood is so expensive, how
ever, and the profits of coal mining 80 narrow,
that adequate protection is scarcely to be
looked for. In the decade ending 1880 there
were 1927 casualties from roof falls in the
Pennsylvania anthracite mines alone, very
large percentage of which could have been
avoided by closer attention to propping and in
speeding the roof. Only when such an extra
ordinary disaster occurs in the present in
stance Is any general attention called to such
facts.
1.-The officials of the Susquehanua Coal Com
pany say that the initial break of the cave was
the collapse Of about five feet of an incline or
wipge leading to An upper level in the Ross yein
This break opened the way for the slump OF a
large bed of Quicksand. Through the enlarciu q
fssdre thus made the huge pile of culm above the
mine began - sink, driving the intervening
water and sand before it into the mine levels
ard oh oklng the passages leading from the work
ing incline and manway. Accepting this state
ment as correct. it is evident that there was too
much culm above or too weak tmbering below.
''There is so far evidence 30 show that the
workings were less securely braeed and support
ed than is usual in the mines Of that region.
The precautions taken by the mine owners were
doubtless on a par with those ordinarily OBJ
served In such formation as that at Nanti-
COKE it is difficult to measure the often-shlfting
pressure on the mine-props, the resistance
which the walls will offer. The ordinary skill of
mine foremen cannot be trusted to determine the
extent of such strains or the points of dangerous
pressure with certainty Yetwhere the services
of the best experts could hardly be relied
upon to provide adequate protection to the
working force of miners, the lives of men are
trusted to overseers of limited experience and no
fertility of resource. This blind indifference is
highly cupable. This happy go-lucky mining
should no longer continue. 1t stamped out
in the great silver mines Of Nevada. after the
fatal rockfalls of 1865 and 1867 but the terrible
accident at the Golden Terra mine, near Central
City, d. T., in May, 1880, emphasized the urgent
appeal then made by me for the necessity Of ex-
perience. skill and care in the development of
our mines.
I'm the old Roman days there was such thing
as criminal ignorance, for, by the laws of
Theodosius and Valentnian, those who occa-
stoned the loss of life and property by the falling
cause they had set themselves up as professors
of an art which they did not understand In
our more enlightened time such men plead the
excuse OF customary precautions and go scot
Free