The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-04-21
THE MONTANA MINES
Again at Work At err Being Destroyed b
Fire-The New Machinery,

Again at Work At.er Being Destroyer ny
Fire-The New Machinery,
FAIRMoSr, W. Va, April 2O-on
February . the big plant of the Mon
tana Coal and Coke Company few
miles below this city was destroyed by
fire. The plant consisted Of tine large
tipple, boiler and engine houses, eleya'
tors and coal-washing room. The COM
pany have a plant OF los coke ovens,
and this disaster placed them in bad
position, US a failure to supply the
ovens with coal meant serious imam
ci1l loss, to say nothing OF the possibill-
ty OF losing some OF their orders,
The general superintendent and min
ing engineer, Mr., j. q, Gaskill, was
equal TO the emergency, and early on
Friday morning, the Sd, assisted by the
mining boss, Mr.. O. u. Gasklll, had q
force OF men at work grading new
road from the mouth OF the mine, dis
lance OF 600 feet around the hillside
with raise OF nine feet to the hundred,
thus getting elevation enough to build
a temporary tipple aud empty the mine
cars direct into the Larries from which
tho ovens were charged. By o'clock
on Sunday thirty-three ovens were
charged aud the others were soon taken
care OF. For two weeks, until an engine
could be rugged up, the coal was hauled
in this manner by mules and the ovens
kept in blast
AS soon as lumber could be secured a
new tipple was built, and coal was
dumped from it on the 7th OF March,
Arrangements were also made for re-
placing all the buildings and renewing
the machinery, and the entire plant is
now again in full operation, with capa-
city for doing large business in both
coal and coke, but they, like other COM
panies IN this district, are experiencing
great difficulty in securing sufficient
railroad cars 10 supply their increasing
trade The railroad companies have
made promise to remedy this deficiency,
and all operators OF tho district are
hopeful Of change for the better this
spring.
The extensive mines OF the Montana
coal and coke company were well open
ed up aud finely equipped, making
them among the largest miners and
coal shippers and coke manufacturers
in this part Of the state, These mines
are worked on the double entry system.
Tho roads and drainage are good
throughout. Good ventilation is secured
withf -iiiteen.foot fan. Mr.. O. L. Gas.
kill, the underground boss, takes pride
in keeping the department under him
in good condition.
This company now has one Of the
most complete plants in the state. The
machinery consists OF five boilers, three
OF them are sixteen feet long and five
feet in diameter, with 1ifty.two four
inch tlues in each. The other two are
twelve feet long and tifty-four inches in
diameter, and each contain ffty-four
three.inch ilues. These boilers operate
the hosting engines, pumps, fun and
crusher engine. The new engine Is an
Atlas heavy duty engine. with twenty
four by thirty-inch cylinders, u ten-inch
main shaft and l0.00O-pound Aywheel,
This engine is to do all the work. They
have three coal crushers and two sets OF
elevators-one sixty feet long and the
other eighty-tive feet long. Their carry
ingcapacity is one tonpe minute. These
elevators carry the coal up to the re.
volving screen after passing through q
Cornish roll crusher, which reduces the
coal to inches. 1t then passes over
tho revolving screen, which has 7 feet
OF R.inch cloth, then feet Of 1-inch
cloth. The coal that goes through the
s.inch cloth goes direct to the washer,
and such as goes through the l.inch
cloth goes into corrugated or No. 8
roll, where it is reduced to ! coal, thus
preparing it for the coke ovens. Some
times egg coal is made and stored in a
lOO.ton bin for shipping. They have
six washers, with capacity OF 600 tons
in seven hours. The washed coal passes
up the S5-foot elevator and empties into
a 450.ton bin. This machinery is tho
strongest in the upper Monongahela
valley.
This new plant and machinery has
all been designed and laid out by Su.
periuteudent J. G. Gaskill, who per-
sonally superintonded its construction.
Tho company own large tract OF fine
coal here and are now prepared to do a
larger business than ever before. At
present they are doing all they can get
cars for to transport the product