Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-02-21

mines ports IOT run OF NINE Cods was
Per Ton
Cape Breton .fi fu
Pictou- Acadia mine ..... ,1
Pictou-Drumd ~
Spring Hill ............. 10
The above prices and rates are for
the ton Of 2,94O pounds.
DARIUS Ii. INGRAHAM,
Consul-General.
RGl0dr, JdBt1rU {, 1894.
The annual report OF Eltric Drew
Ingall, mining engineer 10 the geolo-
gcal survey of Canada for the year
1891, (beiore the present tariff discus
sion had been cemmencedl shows that
the total exports OF Nova Scotia coal OF
all kinds for that year were l94,S67
tons. valued at S417. SIG, or s2.li per
ton. Included In these exports was =
great deal OF slack coal, the principal
kind shipped TO the United States,
which sells at very low price and con-
ssquently the actual cost OF good coal
az the shipping point was considerably
greater and would not vary much from
the figures given by Mr.. InEraham.
"The actual cost" says the Mining
and Engineering Journal, 'Of mining
run OF mine coal az the largest collier
les In Nova Scotia to-day is about Sl.2O
per ton.". This is the cost "at the
largest collIerAs," and Is less.than the
average cost at all the mines as -
by Mr.. Ingraham.
That the cost OF production should .,
so much greater 10 Neva Scotia than it
Is In this country when the prices or
mining are so nearly equal, may seem
strange, but an explanation Is found In
the report OF the Geological Survey Of
Canada. referred to above, Ia which
Mr. Ingall, the mining engineer OF the
survey, gives much interesting inf0r-
nation regarding the methods employed
in the mines. In the United States
fully 20 per cent OF all the coal mines
are developed by drifts, the cheapest OF
all methods. There are few shafts. and
those not deep, and not very many slope
mines. In Nova Scotia the mines are
nearly all very deep, from $50 TO l,70O
feet under the surface. most OF the Inn
portant veins pitch from 90 10 45 de-
grees; nearly all are gas mines,ln which
safety lamps are required, fire bosses
must be employed. and expensive de-
vices made use OF to provide against
fire. No explosives are allowed In
the mines, making mining more slow
and costly than In West Virginia, aud
the roofs are all very bad, requiring the
haul-ways to be timbered, and Ia some
cases walled ia with masonry. Mr..
Ingall reports 10 bis government, IN re-
gard 20 the Acadia mine, a. Westville.
the second largest 10 Nova Scotia, that
"the mine has perpendicular
DEPTH or 1900 FEEr
The coal Is tender aud contains a
large per centags OF gas. The enormous
pressure causes gas 10 evolve from the
roof, pavement and sides and the
niue being as we'll very dusty. Is ex-
tremely difficult 70 manage" Regard
ing another very deep mine the writer
SAYS: "Some very heavy feeders Of
water have been. struck. entaillng con-
siderable loss and expense. The pumps
were insufficient 10 keep tho water out.
and they we're obliged TO food the low
er.mine bOrd, causing them 20 carry
the air for hundreds Of feet With brat
trlce, and the bottom being " soft
nature, caused falls 10 the mine b0rd,
which had 10 be cleaysd and tlmbered
The MANAGEMENT were obliged 70 place
two new Knowles pumps In the mines.
These pumps throw out about 500 gall
ions per minute-Or about 20. 100 bar
rels Ia q hours" 10 regard 20 another
mine he writes. II found the pillar
work stopped and masons busily en-
ployed building them OF. The temper
atnrs kept constantly rising ard
as IL was beginning 70 get alarm
inglv bot, the management, de-
cided, after careful survey, thas
IL was all but on fre and closed up this
portion OF the mine with brick. stone,
sand, etc" Another mine he speaks Of
as having 10 be timOsred with pieces
foot Ia diameter 20 keep the roof up.
Ia another the hanlway was walled 10
with masoorY. The SprlRg Hill mine.
the largest 10 Nova ScotIa, and enc Of
the largest 10 North America, II where
the terrible explosion Of gas occurred 10
February, 1890, which killed 80 many
men. guchst atements as theses how WIZ
the cost Of coal production "a 50 lar
In Nova Scotia and why 10 Gao DOS
much reduced. Ii can not be said th.
the mining is all done on . small sea.
there and that enlarged operations
would lessen the cost. for the Spring
Hill mine, as has beeu stated, is one of
the largest on the continent, its product
10 1901 being 5l3.45s tons Many Of
the large mines there produce annually
from 100. O0O 90 100000 tons, and most
Of the mines are larger than the average
West Virgiois mine I All are well
equipped and well E1aneged aud The
cost Of production y bout as low as lt
can be gotten
The statement cost oi q
f,.o coal Ia n will No
xatenslIy = ce
tt By the W
tbirts