The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-10-12
MOVEMENTS IN THE MINES
Extensive Improvements Being Made at
Some of the COllierieS.
NEW AIR SHAFT AT KOHINOOR
1t Will Also be Used to Hoist Men and
Occasionally For Hosting Water
Blmwood and Tunnel Ridge Are
to be Consolidated

Passing by the various COllierieS one fails
to observe anything other than the monoto-
nous putting of steam, boisting of cages, run
ming of cars, etc, but should the visitor
descend into the dark caverns from whence
the blackened cages come he would find at
several of the collieries many departures
from the ordinary course of work At the
Kohinoor colliery, for instance, some very
important new work is in progress. No. 2
shaft of that colliery which is low down to
the Holmes vein, is to be sunk to the Mann
moth vein, and may be extended to the
Seven-foot. The object is to make it an air
shaft, as well as a second opening for the
hosting and lowering Of men In the event
of a freshet it will also be used as an auxiliary
shaft for hoisting water, as is done in No. l
shaft.
In addition it is proposed to erect 21-foot
fan on the shaft. The present air shaft,
which is located northwest of the colliery,
is in danger of being destroyed by reason Of
the workings of the seven-foot and Buck
Mountain veins worked by the Thomas Coal
Company. A continual and gradual squeeze
has already been developed to the extent
that the surface in the vicinity of the shaft
has been already disturbed and large assures
branch in many directions
The new shaft will be of great advantage
to the employees in that it will afford addi-
tional means Of ingress and egress and the
solicitude of the p. & r. c. & l. Company for
the welfare of the employees is shown by the
fact that they are making the improvement
at cost of from 81, 900 to $4,000.
| The work on the breaker and washery
which are to be located near the shaft of the
old Plank Ridge coliery has been tempo
rarily suspended, but the work will be re-
sumed in about two weeks. The breaker is
about one-third completed. The suspension
is due to there being drag in the market
for the sizes of coal the place will prepare
and also on account of all repairsmen under
the p. & Il. c. & l. Company who have no
urgent work on hand being required to build
wooden tanks to be used in purifying sulphur
water to feed the boilers of the colieries.
All the collieries controlled by the company
in this region are to be supplied with these
tanks.
! The company looks to the proposed washery
]
which the plant will operate have never been
disturbed since they were created, which was
during the early years of operation at the old
colliery, when not only thousands upon
thousands of tons of what was then known
only as waste and is now put on the market
as buckwheat, pea and rice coal was thrown
aside, but thousands of tons of chestnut coal,
] ,nt in, nj. -
keep the men employed in the mines. If the
original owners who cast this coal aside
through such generous impulse were still
in command they would justly enjoy large
returning harvest. 1t is estimated that il
will take the plant three years to exhaust the
banks.
The slope at the ?. & r. G. & l. Company S
Elmwood colliery, on the outskirts of Maha-
noy City, has been sunk to the second lift
below water level and gangways are in
course of construction. A tunnel cutting the
middle and bottom split of the Mammoth
vein and one to the Buck Mountain vein are
also being driven. The depth of the slope
extension is 100 yards, making the total
depth of the slope 900 feet
being sunk to the second lift below water
level or about go feet, making total depth
of 800 feet. 1t is contemplated to drive
&. across the basin, pump all the water from
Tunnel Ridge, and take all the coal from
Elmwood colliery to Tunnel Ridge in order
to prepare all at the latter place. The object
is to consolidate the operations of the two
collieres in one and to that end there will be
built at Tunnel Ridge a mammoth breaker
modelled after the type Of the Shenandoah
City cOlliery. The consolidation will reduce
the working force at one of the collieries,
especially the engineers, iremen and slate
pickers. The cut will be felt principally
among the outside employees and there will be
a reduction in foremanships. 1t is claimed
that as the coal business has been so duh the
past few years, and the prices realized have
been so low in the line trade and at tide
water, the operators are forced to make al
retenchments possible