, 1890-06-26
THROUGH ASH TO COAL
How the Famous Newcastle Mines
We're Discovered.
An Admirable Pen Picture of the
Northern Galleries.
Opening of the Veins and Estab-
Iishment of the Town.

Perhaps it was a bolt Of lightning from
the sky; perhaps only the fire that a cave
dweller built to cook a steak cut of a
mammoth's flank. At any rate it was a
prehistoric fire that burned its way into
the seam Of coal in Coal canyon, says the
Omaha World Herald. and left ashes to
be discovered 10 the latter end of the
nineteenth century by COWBOYS.
In the meantime the fire had eaten its
way twenty to thirty feet into the coal
and consumed the support of the rock
overhead. Then the rock had fallen, the
fire smothered and the bulk of the coal
has been preserved. That is the story read
BY the mining engineers as they drill
through the stone and earth to the coal.
On the outer side of the canyon, across a
table land or mesa, two or three to FIVE
miles distant, the coal crops out intact.
But while working through the scene of
that prehistoric fire, ashes and cinders
must be cleared away, and sides and
roof OF the tunnel supported with tim,
Der until solid coal is reached, to avert a
second collapse.
Newcastle, Wyoming, the site of the
mines, Is about $40 miles from Omaha on
the Burlington extension to the north
west. The city is planted on the edge
of the foothills, fully one,half of its
plat embracing the pine slopes. 1t could
go no further without climbing the canyon
and landing on the plateau or level divide
at the head of the CANYON. So Newcastle
waslocated at the mouth of the canyon,
and no one needs to go up the steep and
rocdy sides except to reach the mining
town seven miles away, which is called
Cambria. The mines are situated at 5, 500
feet above sea level, about $50 feet below
the top of the divide, and 65 to 95 feet
feet above the bottom of the canyon. Two
t~restles connect them and form chutes to
the cars below.
Sad eyed mules pod to and fro IN the
chambers with dump cars, and the miners
stick little lamps in their hats, but tourists
are given large lanterns. There is no
safety lamp. no fear of FIRE damp or rock
fall, no shaft downward and no elevator.
You walk into the side of the ridge and
on with a slope OF only two feet in 100.
There is no trouble from water. If you
get your feet wet it is because you come
across a sprinkling hydrant. Iron pipes
convey compressed air to drive the ma
chimes and wires feed electric lamps. At
the mouths of worked out chambers
wooden bulkheads are placed This is
merely to help ventilation, which in the
Jumbo mine is effected by a rotary fan
sucking a drauEbt through. and in the
Antelope mine by a fuo connected with
the mammoth chimney.
An old Pennsylvania miner will point
out to you that in this Wyoming %colliery
there are no breakers or crushers in use
Though one is erected), there are no boys
picking slate and there are no piles Of
slack or culm. Perhaps he will also point
out that in the 300 or 400 men employed
there are nc miners-that is in the Penn.
~sylyania fashion. Instead OF a boss miner
who picks with a hand drill, blasts and
loafs while his laborers clean away the
coal, there is an engineer or machinisi
cutting with a rotary file six cubic feet
of coal in a few minutes, and knocking
it out with blasts in machine drilled
holes.
No housewife will have a chance tc
burn Newcastle coal, for it is not that
kind. 1t would smoke her out 10 short
order. 1t Is so rich in gases that a strong
draught is necessary to consume it; and
therefore for steam aud for cokiug il
excels any other known. At the present
time the Burlington is taking about hall
OF the output for its engines.
All OF the heavy mining machinery wa:
hauled in wagons last September from
Alliance. the nearest station, lis miles
south. When the opening sale of town
lots was held in September $1,000 was
invested in lots of twenty FIVE foot front
at 81, 800 each. Crawford, at that time
the nearest station on the Burlington,
was ninety-eiGht miles away, and Custer,
the nearest city in any direction, sixty.
three miles distant. Those who built
Newcastle and developed its mines.
brought their nerve and cash with them.
The mines heve been SO busy that the
owners, Fitzpatrick Brothers & Collins Of
Beatrice, Nebraska, have not had time tc
roof over the battery OF the boilers and
are now adding to the number. The
present output is forty car loads a day.
They refused SO, 900. 900 for the mines
alone last fall. Visitors to Newcastle be
come interested when they see dance
houses aud saloons running; and yet the
ome vote at elections.
r-l ST.