Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1897-06-23
DOWN IN A COAL MINE.
An Interesting Letter About the
Black Diamonds.

tiful thoughts, which the lovely brillian
light above ground could not suggest
The mine v hich we visited was tn
Clear Spring Coal Mine, situated on tn
west bank of the Suequehanna River il
West PittstOn, Pa.
On approaching a colliery, the first
thing that attracts ones attention is {
mass of black looking buildings, and th,
immense culm pilee.
These culm piles appear as great blacl
mountains, and are the refuse of the Goa
after the different grades of coal arr
taken out.
We first pass the office of the Cleal
Spring Coal Co., which contains tn,
offices of the superintendent, civil engi
neer,, book-keeper and clerk. Among
these, are two who were Port Republic
boys, the Superintendent. ]. L. Cake
and the Civil Engineer, G.. Fl. Collins.
Next we pass a general store for the
accommodation of those employed il
the mine, the stables for the mules anG
horses of the mine, the blacksmith shops
the boiler house and the breaker.
1t is in the breaker our interest is now
centered. Here we see the cars of Goa
hoisted in the elevator from the mine
into the tower of the breaker, which il
about eighty feet high. Here the coal il
emptied on an incline SO that the Goa
will pass through huge rollers, which
break the Jumps into. the required
grades.
From there the coal passes on dOwI
through a series of circular screens, eact
screen having meshes smaller than the
u +h4%
assorts and retains it's proper grade O
coal and runs it off through chutes into
pockets, from which the cars are loaded
and sent to the various trade centers
The different grades of coal were the
lump, steamboat, stove, egg, nut, pea
buckwheat and still smaller, some
times washed from the culm, called birds
eye.
As the coal passes through the chutee
small boys are seated SO as to pick the
pieces of slate and bone from the coal
The refuse and the finest of the dust are
hauled to the culm piles.
Nearby are the immense fans, which
keep the circulation of air within the
mine complete.
We now threw our mackintoshee
about us, to protect us from the drip.
pings in the mines, bid good bye to OuI
friends and gave them the addresses oi
friends to notify if we failed to appear
again above ground. stepped on the
elevator or cage and were lowered two
hundred and fifty feet through intense
black space to the third vein, the Marcy
vein.
The height of the chamber is regulated
by the thickness of the vein of coal. This
vein was about five feet thick, another is
eight feet and another twelve.
Along the bottom are laid the tracks
over which the cars, after they are
loaded by the laborers, are pulled to the
gangway either by the means of station
cry engines or mules. There are about
fifty mules which are kept down in the
mine for pulling the cars.
These mules are happy and contented
in their dark home, and probably are
kept in good humor by thinking of their
two weeks vacation which they are
given each year, when they are brought
up from the mine and allowed to run in
the sunlight and pasture for a time.
think their pleasure is somewhat i'm
paired though, by the fact, that being sc
long in darkness their eyes are no longer
accustomed to such brilliant light, and
while above ground must move from q
sense of feeling as they are often blind.
Some of the men after coming out Of
the mine after their days work will veal
dark glasses until their eyes become &C
customed to the light.
Having the barns and feed in the
mine, there is also a colony of very
friendly rats.
One of the men had q bit of very
tempting cheese for his dinner, which ht
placed under lamp and stepped back 6
short distance to watch what our little
gray friends would do.
The cheese Immediately attracted 6
number of them, but before taking it
they must first investigate the lamp
And an amusing sight was the number
of grey noses lifted up around the light
To assist the uncanny feeling aroused by
the scurrying sound of the rats, was the
wierd look of the coal blackened faces o1
the miners, whose eyes seemed SO large
and over whose faces the lamps in theil
caps threw a Pickering uncertain glare
against the intense darkness of the back
ground.
To intensity this feeling was the sug
gestion of the terrible Twii shaft disaster
OF one year ago, when sixty men were
entombed, in the colliery opposite ani
adjoining the Clear Spring under the bee
of the river. Though not superstition
we could almost imagine we heard thu
mysterious tappings which for time
buoyed the heart-broken friends witt
false hopes. If we had been in the bot
tom vein which is four hundred and fifty
feet deep. l think this feeling would have
been still greater.
think many of our friends on tht
level shorelands have formed an idea O
the miners as poor ignorant class O.
foreigners. True, number of the Ia
borers are Hungarians, but the miners
are necessarily an intelligent well=edu
Gated class of people for to become 6
miner necessitates not only an experience
of two years as laborer at loading the
cars, but also, a thorough study of the
nature and effect of gasses and the meth
ods of working the different strata and
grades Of coal, A severe examination
must be passed before the Board of Ex
aminers for the District, and then, thu
applicant is granted a Miner Certificate
AlUCI uVC JCuAc OApCiAOhcO oo O AAihO'
and further study the applicant is quail
fed for the examination for foreman
Among the most respected and happy
citizens of Pittston appear the miners. !
Every laborer has the chance OF ad
vancement, if he but work and study
His wages are good, being on an ayeragt
of two dollars q day, as each man il
allowed to load five cars q day and re
ceives forty or forty-one cents per car
There are about six hundred men and
boys employed in the mine.
0fcourse before leaving the mine eacl
girl takes q miners pick and .hersel
mines piece OF coal to bring away as {
souvenir of her visit in the mine.
Yours truly,
A FRIEND.
Charles Collins is being guyed by hi
friends over mishap he met with on th